Verified by 
When I walked into the exam room it was clear that Cindy, a usually cheerful and easygoing patient of mine in her forties, was very upset. She'd had some vague lower abdominal pains that came and went and her menstrual periods were irregular. These aren't uncommon symptoms in a perimenopausal woman and nothing in Cindy's description of how she felt physically explained her tears and trembling. Then I remembered that almost exactly a year ago she'd had pain that had led to an ultrasound which showed a large mass in her ovary. Cindy had undergone surgery and though the growth turned out to be benign the whole experience had been terrifying. Now, with the recurrence of some discomfort in her pelvis, Cindy seemed to be reliving that terror.
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a well recognized condition in which people who experience a major trauma-war, natural disaster, assault-suffer from anxiety, sleep disturbance, depression and other symptoms and may re-experience that trauma through flashbacks induced, at times, by "triggers" or reminders of the trauma. Though illness is not usually included in the list of traumas that can cause PTSD, many people who have had serious illnesses live in fear that they might get sick again. This fear is understandable but can be overwhelming. Sometimes the trigger of this fear is a new symptom that reminds a person of their past illness, a sight, sound or smell associated with the illness, a friend or relative developing the illness or, as in Cindy's case, even the anniversary of the illness.
Cindy had another ultrasound and it was fine. She was very much relieved, as was I. I've long noticed that my patients often remember the exact dates of their surgeries and hospitalizations, even years later...I think I now understand why.
