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Suggest Treatment For Severe Anxiety And Fordyce Spots
Question: Hello Dr. Kumar!
You were incredibly kind and compassionate in answering several of my (neurotic) questions about a month ago. I have been suffering from health anxiety and had asked you a question pertaining to sebaceous hyperplasia/Fordyce spots and Lynch Syndrome/Muir Torre. You completely eased my mind with your reassuring answers and I am no more "obsessing" over those rare syndromes!
I must say, you totally remind me of my primary care physician from years ago who has since retired, who was also a kind and compassionate XXXXXXX gentleman. I miss being able to see him.
My question actually pertains to that doctor, and I realize this is not your specialty but I would like to ask you anyways. Back in 2000, that doctor had removed some lesions from my back by using electrodessication and curettage. There were about six pigmented spots, all flat brown and uniform in color, none bigger than a pencil eraser. I had actually visited a dermatologist about a year and a half prior who said all were normal, as did my primary physician. Seventeen years later all that are left are small white hypopigmented flat spots. Of course now, me with my health anxiety, is worried that biopsies of those lesions were never done at the time.
I visit a dermatologist regularly and I expressed my concerns to the physicians assistant there, who examined my back and said everything looks fine (she indicated the lesions removed could have been surface moles or sebborheic keratosis). Would you say that it's safe to say that if those lesions had been anything dangerous there would have been some crazy and apparent changes on my skin by now (and if they had been cancerous I would probably be dead by now!)
By the way, I took your advice and am taking the lactium and methylfolate supplements which have definitely helped! I love the lactium! I also spoke with my doctor about switching from cymbalta to paroxetine, but we are trying just an increase in the cymbalta for now, as she said the paroxetine would probably cause a large weight gain, which it had caused me in the past.
Thank you again immensely for your kindness!
You were incredibly kind and compassionate in answering several of my (neurotic) questions about a month ago. I have been suffering from health anxiety and had asked you a question pertaining to sebaceous hyperplasia/Fordyce spots and Lynch Syndrome/Muir Torre. You completely eased my mind with your reassuring answers and I am no more "obsessing" over those rare syndromes!
I must say, you totally remind me of my primary care physician from years ago who has since retired, who was also a kind and compassionate XXXXXXX gentleman. I miss being able to see him.
My question actually pertains to that doctor, and I realize this is not your specialty but I would like to ask you anyways. Back in 2000, that doctor had removed some lesions from my back by using electrodessication and curettage. There were about six pigmented spots, all flat brown and uniform in color, none bigger than a pencil eraser. I had actually visited a dermatologist about a year and a half prior who said all were normal, as did my primary physician. Seventeen years later all that are left are small white hypopigmented flat spots. Of course now, me with my health anxiety, is worried that biopsies of those lesions were never done at the time.
I visit a dermatologist regularly and I expressed my concerns to the physicians assistant there, who examined my back and said everything looks fine (she indicated the lesions removed could have been surface moles or sebborheic keratosis). Would you say that it's safe to say that if those lesions had been anything dangerous there would have been some crazy and apparent changes on my skin by now (and if they had been cancerous I would probably be dead by now!)
By the way, I took your advice and am taking the lactium and methylfolate supplements which have definitely helped! I love the lactium! I also spoke with my doctor about switching from cymbalta to paroxetine, but we are trying just an increase in the cymbalta for now, as she said the paroxetine would probably cause a large weight gain, which it had caused me in the past.
Thank you again immensely for your kindness!
Brief Answer:
Follow up answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello Dear,
Thanks for reposting the query again.
I am happy to know that Lacium helped you.
As per your query there are a number of types of skin lesion.However only few of them are malignant.Chances of a lesion being malignant is one in hundred.It has been more then 10 years already.A malignant lesion even if resected would have regrown in few months and in 10 years if left untreated would have metastasised to different parts of body.It is unlikely that a malignant skin lesion would not change for so long.Seborrheic Keratosis is a benign lesion very commonly seen in adults and is formed due to collection of dead skin cells.So most likely they were sebarhoic lesions.
You can ytalke my words that was some thing benign so don't worry now all is good.
Yes though it sounds awful yet if lesions would have been malignant it might have metastasised to every part of body by now.
Rest assured you are fine now.
Take breaks roam around the world.Life is beautiful enjoy silence of hills,Roars of oceans,Thunders of storms and smoothness of snow.Follow this and your anxiety will go away.
Good luck.
Follow up answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello Dear,
Thanks for reposting the query again.
I am happy to know that Lacium helped you.
As per your query there are a number of types of skin lesion.However only few of them are malignant.Chances of a lesion being malignant is one in hundred.It has been more then 10 years already.A malignant lesion even if resected would have regrown in few months and in 10 years if left untreated would have metastasised to different parts of body.It is unlikely that a malignant skin lesion would not change for so long.Seborrheic Keratosis is a benign lesion very commonly seen in adults and is formed due to collection of dead skin cells.So most likely they were sebarhoic lesions.
You can ytalke my words that was some thing benign so don't worry now all is good.
Yes though it sounds awful yet if lesions would have been malignant it might have metastasised to every part of body by now.
Rest assured you are fine now.
Take breaks roam around the world.Life is beautiful enjoy silence of hills,Roars of oceans,Thunders of storms and smoothness of snow.Follow this and your anxiety will go away.
Good luck.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Nagamani Ng
Dr. XXXXXXX ...I truly wish that I could reach across the ocean and give you a great big hug! Your kind and reassuring words have put (happy) tears in my eyes! You are not only an incredible physician but an incredible human being.
I am determined to beat this health anxiety. I am currently seeing a psychotherapist, and while I believe the precipitating factor of my health anxiety is due to perimenopausal hormonal imbalances, I believe one of the deeper causes relates to my dad, who always resisted going to the doctor whenever possible. He had a heart attack with all the classic symptoms and never went to the emergency room until three days had passed; as a result he sustained damage to his heart muscle and ultimately died from cardiac arrest a decade later.
My dad also had several growths on his back and I always worried that they were melanoma. Although his doctor may have seen them and evaluated them, I'm just not sure. In googling these things I'm thinking that perhaps and hopefully they were just seborreic keratosis, which I see can resemble melanoma very much (I try to resist the urge to google medical things and have even put post it notes on my computer as a reminder, but sometimes I cannot resist the urge!). In any respect, he had them for many many years and ultimately died from long standing cardiac issues so I'm (hopefully) presuming that they were not melanoma to begin with. I'm sure you can see where this is going...now I'm worried about a genetic component to potential melanoma.
Thankfully I have incredible doctors who are aware of my health anxiety and put up with my neurotic questions, and your input from across the globe has been so comforting and reassuring.
Dr. XXXXXXX you have been an absolute godsend to me and have helped me immensely in my latest struggle with health anxiety. Your closing thoughts were beautiful and I am going to print them out, put them in my desk at work, and carry them in my purse as a constant reminder.
God bless you Dr. XXXXXXX for being the incredible, kind and compassionate person and doctor whom you are!!
XXXXXXX XXXXXXX Xoxo
I am determined to beat this health anxiety. I am currently seeing a psychotherapist, and while I believe the precipitating factor of my health anxiety is due to perimenopausal hormonal imbalances, I believe one of the deeper causes relates to my dad, who always resisted going to the doctor whenever possible. He had a heart attack with all the classic symptoms and never went to the emergency room until three days had passed; as a result he sustained damage to his heart muscle and ultimately died from cardiac arrest a decade later.
My dad also had several growths on his back and I always worried that they were melanoma. Although his doctor may have seen them and evaluated them, I'm just not sure. In googling these things I'm thinking that perhaps and hopefully they were just seborreic keratosis, which I see can resemble melanoma very much (I try to resist the urge to google medical things and have even put post it notes on my computer as a reminder, but sometimes I cannot resist the urge!). In any respect, he had them for many many years and ultimately died from long standing cardiac issues so I'm (hopefully) presuming that they were not melanoma to begin with. I'm sure you can see where this is going...now I'm worried about a genetic component to potential melanoma.
Thankfully I have incredible doctors who are aware of my health anxiety and put up with my neurotic questions, and your input from across the globe has been so comforting and reassuring.
Dr. XXXXXXX you have been an absolute godsend to me and have helped me immensely in my latest struggle with health anxiety. Your closing thoughts were beautiful and I am going to print them out, put them in my desk at work, and carry them in my purse as a constant reminder.
God bless you Dr. XXXXXXX for being the incredible, kind and compassionate person and doctor whom you are!!
XXXXXXX XXXXXXX Xoxo
Brief Answer:
Wish you a great life
Detailed Answer:
Thank you so much, dear.I wish you a great life ahead.
"Experience life in all possible ways — good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become.This pain is not to make you sad, remember. Thats where people go on missing. This pain is just to make you more alert–because people become alert only when the arrow goes deep into their heart and wounds them." -Osho
Get well soon.
Wish you a great life
Detailed Answer:
Thank you so much, dear.I wish you a great life ahead.
"Experience life in all possible ways — good-bad, bitter-sweet, dark-light, summer-winter. Experience all the dualities. Don’t be afraid of experience, because the more experience you have, the more mature you become.This pain is not to make you sad, remember. Thats where people go on missing. This pain is just to make you more alert–because people become alert only when the arrow goes deep into their heart and wounds them." -Osho
Get well soon.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
That is absolutely beautiful Doctor and perfectly puts it all into perspective! I think I'll print that out and frame it to keep it in my desk as a reminder! You have truly made such a wonderful and positive impact in my life during my current struggles with health anxiety.
If I could ask you one last (I promise!!) related question pertaining to my father. As I indicated I think a lot of my health anxiety stems from seeing him throughout my younger years having some health and cardiac issues and never promptly going to the doctor.
As I mentioned, I remember seeing several lesions on his skin that he never had removed (I'm not sure, but I would think his primary care doctor would have definitely seen them on his back while checking his lungs....I have no idea as to whether his doctor determined them to be sebborheic keratosis or whether he expressed any concern over them). Again from viewing pictures online I remember them having that type of "stuck on" appearance; he also had one on the outside of his wrist. Again, I always worried that they could have been melanoma and I think that is partially why I'm fixated on skin issues now (at least maybe I'm realizing the cause of my anxiety).
So here's my hypothetical question....obviously we have no way of knowing what they actually were, but I know that I remember seeing them on my father probably from the time I was a teenager until he died when I was 39 from cardiac arrest. That means he would have had them for twenty years or more. I presume the answer is the same as what you told me in relation to myself, but would the probability be that ithey were sebborheic keratosis on my dad, as if it was melanoma he probably would not have lasted 20 plus years with them? (Again, my neurotic mind starts worrying about a genetic link)
Thank you again immensely for always being there for me and your beautiful sentiments which I will always cherish! You are one of a kind Dr. Kumar!
If I could ask you one last (I promise!!) related question pertaining to my father. As I indicated I think a lot of my health anxiety stems from seeing him throughout my younger years having some health and cardiac issues and never promptly going to the doctor.
As I mentioned, I remember seeing several lesions on his skin that he never had removed (I'm not sure, but I would think his primary care doctor would have definitely seen them on his back while checking his lungs....I have no idea as to whether his doctor determined them to be sebborheic keratosis or whether he expressed any concern over them). Again from viewing pictures online I remember them having that type of "stuck on" appearance; he also had one on the outside of his wrist. Again, I always worried that they could have been melanoma and I think that is partially why I'm fixated on skin issues now (at least maybe I'm realizing the cause of my anxiety).
So here's my hypothetical question....obviously we have no way of knowing what they actually were, but I know that I remember seeing them on my father probably from the time I was a teenager until he died when I was 39 from cardiac arrest. That means he would have had them for twenty years or more. I presume the answer is the same as what you told me in relation to myself, but would the probability be that ithey were sebborheic keratosis on my dad, as if it was melanoma he probably would not have lasted 20 plus years with them? (Again, my neurotic mind starts worrying about a genetic link)
Thank you again immensely for always being there for me and your beautiful sentiments which I will always cherish! You are one of a kind Dr. Kumar!
Brief Answer:
Follow up answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again Dear,
Melanoma is a malignant lesion and even in the rare case scenario, it will show metastasis in a time span of 20 years. So it was definitely not a melanoma.
However, apart from Melanoma or Seborrhoeic keratosis, there can be a number of other skin lesions. So making out things from that time(your childhood memory) doesn't make much sense.
So the answer is yes, it could be keratosis also or there are a number of other skin lesions like keratosis but whatever it was it was not malignant.
I wish you mountains of luck.
Regards.
Follow up answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again Dear,
Melanoma is a malignant lesion and even in the rare case scenario, it will show metastasis in a time span of 20 years. So it was definitely not a melanoma.
However, apart from Melanoma or Seborrhoeic keratosis, there can be a number of other skin lesions. So making out things from that time(your childhood memory) doesn't make much sense.
So the answer is yes, it could be keratosis also or there are a number of other skin lesions like keratosis but whatever it was it was not malignant.
I wish you mountains of luck.
Regards.
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
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