why did I do this

goose Of course you are going to be worried but listen to your DD googling is the worst thing to do your GP is working on guidelines that have been set for certain possible complaints to be seen within a stated timeguide so please try not to worry,it is easier said than done though I know from experience,how soon do you have to see a specialist is it in the next 2 weeks.

yes it is & I've seen enough medical programmes to know that it's possibly a might be cancer referral

At least you've been referred. Action is being taken. You must have been a bit worried about the symptoms so maybe you'll soon have some answers and there could still be different reasons for them than what you fear.

Of course we all do that. So if it's an urgent referral you'll get to know pretty quickly.

Advice on how to cope?

Well you know the worst case scenario, so just put that on the back burner and forget about it for now. Keep busy and count your blessings.

Make another apt and ask, explain your stress

Did the GP not say why s/he was going for an urgent referral? If not, you could go back and ask - it is your body!! It must be worrying for you - I will be hoping that the appointment comes soon and that the news is good.

I don't think going back to the gp would be worthwhile . You can't take up valuable gp time talking about what if's.They just do not have the time to do it and it would all be speculation. Just go to the appointment and wait for the results.You know what he is sending you for the urgent appointment for and this is to find out if you have or to rule out the dreaded big C .
If you have then treatment will begin and if you haven't then more tests will be done to find out what is causing you problems .
In my mind your gp has done exactly what he should have done and seems to be a good one. So many people are fobbed off and not sent for these tests quickly enough.
Try not to worry too much I know it's easier said than done though as I have been there many times.

People never remember when Dr. Google gets it wrong. He's a scaremonger and should come with a health warning. Some gps send everything as urgent.

It's an urgent referral because you may have a condition that needs urgent attention.
But you also may not have such a condition

Your DD is right. Put it out of your mind just now.

A lot of diagnosis seems to be done by algorithm these days - computer says x so doctor is obliged to do y. My 90 year old Mum had her GP telling her she probably had bowel cancer on the basis of a blood test showing she was quite anaemic. I took her for a specialist appointment followed by a CT scan and the waiting room was full of elderly people having abdominal CT scans because the computer had flagged up that they MIGHT have cancer. As it was all she needed was a course of iron tablets, which anyone sensible might have prescribed before the expense and worry of specialists and scans but protocols don't allow for common sense.It's not just Google that comes up with the worse possible scenario! On the other hand, if it IS something serious, better to get a diagnosis and treatment asap. Fingers crossed for you.

Your doctor has referred you for an urgent appointment. You obviously know why he/she has deemed this necessary and going back to your GP isn't going to help or change anything.

Its being dealt with quickly so that if it is serious it can be treated without delay. I'm sure you know that early diagnosis is absolutely key.

I know from first hand experience that it's hard to dismiss negative thoughts from your mind at a time like this and it's completely natural to worry. Your daughter is absolutely right about google though... don't go there again!

Can you arrange to go on a few days out to take your mind off things?

I hope everything goes well for you

Your GP has to protect him self as well, if you have a lump or blood somewhere, her doesn't know what it is, 95% chance it is a treatable minor thing, but 5% possibly more serious. He is doing the right thing because he has to err on the side of caution. HE has done his job, now let the Consultant do his. Best wishes

I belong to a Facebook group for people with the same cancer as my husband. The first thing we always say to new members id DON'T Google! The information is always inaccurate, out of date and sometimes downright dangerous. I would imagine this is true of most other ailments. The best thing to do is to wait and see what the hospital says and then you will have actual facts to work with.

Not only Dr Google gets it wrong ordinary GPs get it wrong.
You will have to sit it out I'm afraid and it could well be nothing so serious.
Good luck

When I had an aortic dissection, if I hadn't googled it I wouldn't have known anything about it, and could have been dead by now.
Only googling it and finding out what to do to look after myself stopped me making it worse.

A month ago I had an appointment with a specialist because it was thought I had cancer.
It wasn't, but I am grateful for the chance to find out.
If I hadn't googled the symptoms I wouldn't have gone to the GPs and I wouldn't have been treated for what it was.

That's why I get really annoyed when people talk about misuse of the NHS.
Most of us don't. We put up with symptoms until it gets too much to cope with.

Some symptoms need urgent referrals. I had (still have) a sore tongue, which wasn't healing.
The dentist referred me to the hospital on a "suspected cancer" form, and the appt came through for a couple of days time, even though he said the most likely cause was a rough tooth chafing my tongue. Far preferable to waiting months on end.

I have nearly all the symptoms of pancreatic cancer, the only thing I'm clinging to is it's rare. Thanks for your kind advice. I'm going to a beer festival this weekend and will see my grandson on Sun

Good luck goose, I hope all goes well and it's a false alarm, let us know how you get on

I hope you've had a good weekend goose, and if you like, I'll hold your hand. I too, have just been referred under the 2 week rule for a CT scan to look at the pancreas (is that what you are being referred for?)
In my case, I'm not too alarmed - I've had digestive problems for quite a while, and eventually decided to go to the GP to see if we can get to the bottom of the cause. I've had blood/stool/ultrasound tests, which have all come back negative, so after a discussion with my GP yesterday, she felt the CT scan was the next step to RULE OUT the possibility of C. It's just a tick-box thing - over 60, abdominal problems, these are criteria that trigger further investigations. Although I have to say, I don't have any other symptoms that would worry me (I know you say you do) so I am not allowing myself to be alarmed - yet! The GP has also referred me for a non-urgent gastroscopy, which I'm not exactly delighted about, as I'll have to have it without sedation due to living alone and not having someone to accompany me. However, I shall just have to put on me big girls' pants and get on with it!
So please accept my best wishes for a successful outcome (for both of us!)

I've has my referral - first available appointmwnt end of October - subject to clinician review - think I must now assume my worries were unfounded. On the up side the symptoms have put me off my foos so I'll lose a load of weight by then.

Thanks for your support

Well, that's good news, goose, and hopefully, a worry off your mind. Sometimes our brains go into overdrive and think the worst - I know mine does! Let's hope we can both find an answer to our digestive problems eventually!

I was referred last year for loads of tests. They found something abnormal in the lining of my womb thought it was cancer but turned out to be a polyp. Try not to worry. Until the tests are complete nobody knows!

The end of October does seem an awfully long time to wait if you're seriously concerned there might be a problem...!

I have been worried for the last fortnight due to a 2-week urgent referral. I had been told that cancer was one of the possible diagnoses, but did not Google, was too scared! Yesterday I went for tests and the presence of blood in my urine was put down to age-related changes. Just have to have a CT scan of kidneys as a last precaution, but all should be well.
I hope you too will have a happy outcome, Goose.