spinal cancer

Help! i am terrified i might have spinal cancer. for the past three months i have had pain in my thoracic spine. I now have tingling and numbness in my feet and legs. I have had an x ray and full spine mri which showed nothing sinister but my symptoms have got worse and my legs now feel weak. I have been referred to a neurologist. I am terrified i have a tumour that the mri has failed to pick up. I feel i am in a black hole with no way out.

Hi and welcome!

I am sorry that you are dealing with these symptoms right now. I understand that you are frightened, but there is the probable possiblility that your problem comes from a benign source. Try to believe in that, and compartmentalize your worry until you can get to your next appointment.

It is a challenge not to get into the 'what-if' thinking pattern, but there are a few tricks that you can try, such as limited worrying. Give yourself a set amount of time to think about your issue...say 5 min a day. This will at least satisfy your brain's need to address it...but after that, if your mind tends to return to thinking about it...try distracting yourself. Repeating a mantra such as "It's not time to worry about that right now." might help.

I hope that you get the answers that you need soon, so that you can start to feel better.

Post back and let us know what you find out at your neurology appointment.

Scaredy Cat