Reflux, GERD and health Anxiety - PLease answer im so scared x x x

[shelly438]

Goo
Good Evening all Health Anxiety Sufferers
I posted the other day but had no replies, So here it goes:-
I’ve been having severe health anxiety since July 2008, It started with a stomach ache which DR have diagnosed as GERD. I was never convinced it was this then and I still am not now. I have been taking Ompreizole sine Aug 08 and has stopped the heartburn but I get all the following now :-Throat Gurgles, Stomach Gurgles, Frequent Diarrhoea, Excess Burping, Metal tasting burps on empty Stomach, Backache (which is worse in the night when I turn in bed) regurgitating my food, full feeling sometimes even though I haven’t eaten a lot, Tingle up the side of my face like cold feeling, Aware of my heart and it skips beats I notice this more in bed at night. Pains is chest sometimes like a heavy feeling other times its like a stabbing sharp pain and takes my breath away. Although reflux is ok at night. No breathing problems I did have the lump in the throat but that’s gone now - PHEW
I was convinced I had a bleeding stomach, Hital Hernia, Blockage in stomach, Tumors etc etc. After going to my DR and telling her my fears she agreed to do blood works, Helibactor Plori and Barium Xray. The Barium Swallow showed ‘reflux only’ now im scared it has missed something!!!! What is wrong with me?? My anxiety has just started again as I just leant forward and unintentionally brought up three mouthfuls of my dinner which I had to spit out (sorry I know its gross) I did not heave or anything just come out! I ate my dinner three hours ago how can it still be stuck???
Would a barium xray show tumors and blockages? My latest fear is that my stomach lining is all inflamed and I’m going to have a stomach bleed………Im going mad I swear Im going mad. Ive been taking Citroplam 20mg since Aug 08, This has stopped the panic attacks but not the other mind chatter…..
Im also 3 stone over weight and wear 16 clothes…….Will losing weight help. I only smoke 2-3 cigarettes a week and working full time.
Please help me I really want to sleep tonight without worrying that I will end up in hospital x x x x x x

[SleeplessFog]

Shelly, I have had a lot of your problems.

The barium xray would have shown those things you mentioned (cancer, etc). Have you also had an endoscopy? That would definitely put your mind at ease.

You probably do have an irritated esophagus from the GERD...I get this alot...it gets really bad with my anxiety. I assure you, its not serious. I get the metallic-y taste as well, but only if I allow my stomach to get pretty empty and if I am panicky.

The chest pains and heart problem is common with my anxiety as well...I notice it alot more at night. I notice that when I have GERD issues, I am really tense in my stomach and back. This makes me sore and have pain and then I start thinking its something else...even though I know it is not.

Have you been checked for IBS? I feel full a lot too, like my GI tract is moving slow and nothing is being digested. This is what IBS is like. Some days when it is really bad, I can hardly eat because I feel so full and bloated.

All these things you are experiencing are really similar to what I feel on and off. If you really want to feel better, try seeing a GI and having an endoscopy done. I was a mess before I received one, thinking I was having a heart attack one night and tingly in my face and arm, and getting sick.

My anxiety + GERD episode = vomit almost 9 times out of ten. The acid gets so bad in my throat...and I hate throwing up but sometimes I gag out of nowhere.

Hugs to you...you are not alone. I read your post and totally felt like it was me writing it. Please don't worry...the barium swallow would have shown a lot of stuff...and it didn't.

Have you ever slept sort of sitting up? I do on my bad nights...it is a godsend. You also should not lay down until 2-3 hours after eating...it will help you avoid the throwing up from the anxiety/GERD.

[jinglebells]

Try to calm down, you sound like me. Over the past 8 months I have various throat issues, some very similar to what you are describing. lump in throat, feeling full, feeling as if food gets stuck. I have also had severe chest pains, that take my breath away at time, much worse at night when I am lying in bed. This sounds very much like anxiety.

Unlike you, I don't often question a diagnosis. If I have something medically ruled out I normally find my symptoms ease slowly, disappear and within no time something new is bothering me. Try to remember that it is rare the proffessionals miss things, I am not saying it never happens but it uncommon. If there was a tummor in your throat it would of showed up with the tests, try and take reassurance from negative test results and not think the worst.

Losing weight may help with the reflux, although it may not make much difference. Personally I find the healthier I am being the less health anxiety I have.
chin up (hugs)

[Hollytree]

Hi there, sorry your having a bad time. I don't know alot about this but my mum has been in and out of hospital recently with similar problems, all have been sorted (to put your mind at rest) blood tests like the ESR and CRP will check for inflamation in the body. A FBC is done to check red/white blood cells and levels.

As for the barium xray, again i'm not 100% sure what they can see, however i am thinking they can detect many things. My mum had this done too. Again it came back normal.

My guess is try not worry, i dont think this will help with GERD, as you don't want to produce too much acid. Anxiety of course can make us feel pretty bad even in the best of times, so i would try and relax and take your mind of it. Also if you doctor was concerned at all she/he would send you for further tests, they tend to know what they are looking for and what symptons are suspicious. As for losing weight, i suggest you speak to your doctor b4 you do anything and discuss a suitable method for losing weight.

Hope you feel better soon, hugs xxxxxx

[pixel88]

hi shelly,

I'm exactly like you, I started to have stomach pains early last year, didn't really mind it, but while going home one night, I was listening to the radio and they had a contest on who has the best story wins a boquet of flowers. It was Valentines week.

One contestant wrote a letter saying she has **** (I don't want to write it because it only makes readers anxious), and that this would be her last valentines. After hearing that, my head just suddenly felt like blood rushed in, my knees felt weak, and that was it, the trigger that started it all, my anxiety.

I kept thinking that if it was all a joke for that contestant just to win that flower, it was a very bad one, and that people have to be responsible in what they say. If it wasn't true, then it just caused my (and probably others)anxiety, whatever I'm going through the past year and a half, all started from that night.

Anyway, to make you feel better, I'm not a doctor, but because of my anxiety on the stomach pains, I had an Ultrasound, Colonoscopy, and Endoscopy, and all came back normal, except my doctor told me I have GERD.

Yes till now, I still feel bloated, I belch a lot, like 20x a day, feel full and gaseous, have stomach and chest pains, etc, so you're not alone. If your doctor thinks it's GERD, then it's GERD.

Wish you well.

[Worrybunny]

Just posted this in a couple of other stomach related threads but this one is VERY close to what Ive been going through so here are my feelings once again:

This sounds very familiar. Ive been struggling with similar symptoms for about 4 years. Pain in my stomach, particularly after eating. Feeling like Im very bloated even if Im not. And then pains up into the chest occasionally like tension or spasm, sometimes like stabbing pains in the left or the right. Various doctors visitations etc led me to see a gastric surgeon who did tests to show I have excessive stomach acid going back into my oesophagus. This was supposedly remedied by an operation - nissen fundoplication. Sadly the symptoms have not gone at all. I have to go back and see the surgeon in 2 weeks but in all honesty Im starting to believe that the anxiety is the cause of the problem, as well as many other problems. So Im trying to get booked in for CBT and see if that helps. What Im basically trying to say is I think you could do all the things I have to try and seek relief from this pain but even an operation wont cure it because its your brain causing it not an undiagnosed condition. Im trying my best now to deal with it that way but I think I will need CBT to get me through because Ive learned so many bad habits through anxiety.

hope that helps some

[Captain America]

barium is an excellent tool for diagnosing ulcers. believe me if it can diagnose an ulcer it certainly would see much worse things. the scope is good in that they can see milder irritation, like gastritus, but that honestly doesn't really change the treatment.

for even one of the more annoying stomach problems, an ulcer, the treatment is ppi's (of which you are on one). it's also used for gerd, barrett's esophagus (which takes many, many years to develop), etc.

they key with these meds is they only change the nature of the stomach contents so they stop doing damage to the lining of your stomach and esophagus (i hope i'm spelling that right). what they don't do is stop the contents from coming up. so even on the med you will still notice these things, the damage will just be less.

anxiety can defnitely cause the stomach to do all crazy kinds of things. when i get anxious, my stomach problems get worse and when i'm going through a calm period everything gets better...my stomach, bowels...i'll stop there just short of tmi.

hope that helps and makes sense. all of use reflux sufferes get similar symptoms to yours, even the non-anxious ones like my wife and my dad.

[DontLikeWorrying]

I'm sorry you're feeling this way -- I am going through the same thing and know how frustrating and terrifying it can be to have these symptoms and worry that they are something worse than what's common. I also have the burping, fullness, reduced appetite at times, feeling like things are moving through my system too slowly, loose bowels, and I never had these problems until I had some anxiety about heart palpitations (which I had checked out, and my heart is fine). Now the stoamch troubles and my health anxiety are sticking around.

I'm waiting for an appointment to have a barium x-ray and ultrasound now myself, and if they come out normal, I may ask for an H. pylori test, too. Like others have said, the barium x-ray can detect even small issues in your stomach or esophagus, so if there were a big problem there it's really unlikely that they missed it. I hope you feel better! I find that finding ways to distract myself from the symptoms and anxiety -- by reading a book, calling up friends, etc. -- helps both go away.

[Cvmiami]

First, I want to say im glad I ran into this page as I see many of you have similar symptoms to mine.

Let me start off with some info about me. Im a Male who just turned 30, I sit a lot on a computer because of work, and im not the most fit person in the world, but im thin at 135 lbs and height of 5'8. Ive just always been thin and I dont smoke cigarettes. Oh yeah and I definitey have Anxiety.

Anxiety never really got too much in the way of my life, but Ive had my fair share of Panic Attacks, and have experienced things such as palpatations and sweety palms and feet. Sometimes its almost as if I forget to breathe and I think that even makes it worse.

This all started about a year ago when I woke up one morning with a nasty sore throat that lasted almost a week. I had a crazy infection and from then on for about a month I noiced that I would wake up in the mornings with a dry, burned throat. I wouldnt call it a sore throat, but it was just different. I went to a doctor, told it was GERD and was sent home with Nexium. It kept happening, and i went to a very good GI doctor and he had an ultrasound done on me and everything came back negative. Sent me some more nexium, ordered me an endoscopy for good measure and mentioned to me that it could also just be a nervous stomach.

Fast forward a year, and I have noticed my burning throat symptoms have calmed down a bit in the morning but sometimes if I drink beer (i dont do so often maybe 3/4 over the weekend) i will get that metallic sour taste in my mouth. To counter this I drink water and ease on the drinking. Also I am finally sleeping flat again, which for months I was not. (Still no food 2 hours before bedtime)

The other day I noticed something. Whenever I would calm my stomach and sort of let go of the gut , I burp almost like clockwork. This led me to believe that my stomach is so tight from anxiety that it doesnt even let me process my food correctly.

In a week I will be visiting my PCP to get the yearly checkup with bloodwork and im going to ask for an order for that endoscopy I didnt get a few months ago. Just to clear my mind.

I think a lot of us let anxiety get the best of us. We start to delve into a mind warp where we think anything and eveything in the book is wrong with us. Lets trust our doctors. Get a second opinion if you must. Generally, unless our symptoms are even more severe than I mentioned, you should be ok. Always remember to relax, drink lots of water, and take vitamins. All this will help you in so many ways.

P.S. Im going to make an appointment at the accupuncturist. Last time I went for accupuncture, it calmed me down a WHOLE LOT.

Im almost certain its the anxiety guys. BREATHE!