Still scared!

[hadenough]

So a lot of you may already know about my recent posts in here so apologies for going on about it. I got the results from the blood tests the gp sent me for for stomach, bowel, pancreatic and ovarian cancer and she says theyre all absolutely fine. She said that I need to try my best to get myself out of this circle of panic over my health but thats easier said than done with me.

Im still not having normal bowel movements, this morning it was sort of some normal and some watery. This sends me into another panic attack. Also my tummy is gurgling all the time (has been going on since I started this latest set of worries) and I feel uncomfortable on the breast bone just under my boobs and get a gurgling in my throat. Im sure Im still losing weight but am too scared to weigh myself.

I need to get on with my life, Im just wasting all my time with this constant panic over health matters. I dont know how to move forward and Im scared that this panic will never go away. Please help me.

[MRS STRESS ED]

trust in your doctor shes right, its about breaking that circle, focus on something that makes you feel happy keep positive ,I no its hard because I myself fight it everyday you can to :D

[emlica]

I know, it's horrible, but you have to remember, if your doctor isn't worried, you're probably fine. And you don't have any real 'red flag' symptoms, so the most likely explanation is that you're still recovering from the bug that started all this off and/or a bit of IBS caused by the bug.

I'm struggling with it myself, I have good days and bad days, but gut issues are so closely connected to what your brain's up to, it's really tough. Your bowels won't go straight back to normal after you've had a long period of having diarrhoea. The way my doctor explained it was that for some people (basically the unlucky ones!) a tummy bug can screw up the lining of your small intestine, which basically means your guts can struggle to digest some things, and they can take a long time to heal up and get completely back to normal. Even Dr Google says that after some bacterial infections bowel habits can take 'several months' to get back to normal, and that's not taking into account the effect of stress. And another poster on here (Iggy Sue, I think?) said she'd had a few months of not being right after a nasty bug; and of the people I know who I've complained to about still having dodgy guts, plenty of them have said they had similar or they know someone who had similar.

It could be that there are certain foods that your body is struggling with at the minute - you said you had a few days where you didn't have diarrhoea earlier in the week, right? Was there anything you didn't eat then that you did eat yesterday? It's actually much more likely that your dodgy bowel movements today are a result of you having got yourself stressed out yesterday before you got your test results, I'd have said, but worth seeing if you can identify anything food-related just in case.

Your tummy is probably gurgling partly because it's not got enough food :) But yes, anxiety can do that too. The feeling under your breastbone sounds like it could be trapped wind, which could be anxiety-related or could just be that you're producing a bit more gas at the moment because your digestion is a bit off. Or just a bit of indigestion. I bet you're still not eating 100% normally so you won't suddenly start putting weight back on - also I have the impression that being stressed and anxious actually burns calories!

Are you taking any kind of medication or anything? There's not a miracle cure for fixing your intestines if they're still repairing themselves, but there are things that can help with some of the other symptoms - there are 'natural' remedies like peppermint tea, which helps to settle the stomach, and then things like windeze and wind settlers that might help with the feeling under your breastbone, or antacid stuff like gaviscon or rennies. I just wonder if you could get some of your symptoms to improve you might be able to get past the anxiety and start managing not to think about it all the time, if you see what I mean? About all that helps me is being able to say, today for instance 'well, I didn't have to get up in the night because of gassy rumbles in my belly last night, that's better than this time last week', that kind of thing.

[hadenough]

Thank you so much for the replies, I really appreciate it. I know that somehow I have to break this cycle, nobody can do it for me. The thing I struggle with is believing that my anxiety can have such a physical effect on my body. I feel so awful and people keep telling me I dont look well, that I look tired all the time. The exhaustion is crippling, Im just completely drained.

Another thing I dont understand is that the stool sample doesnt seem to have shown anything so that would even rule out the tummy bug theory.

I have read that high anxiety burns calories so putting weight back on is hard but I suppose Im doing the usual thing of finding it hard to believe anything I read. My brain seems to have gone completely off at a tangent and Im not sure how to get it back on track. This is so scarey.

[emlica]

The stool sample would only have shown anything if it was taken while you actually had the bug in your system. Chances are the bug itself was only around for a few days.

[Fishmanpa]

"I have to break this cycle, nobody can do it for me"

There it is in a nutshell! You're reaching out for help but one can't grab hold through a computer screen. It would be prudent to seek the help of a professional mental health specialist that has experience with anxiety cases. There are pro-active ways to manage your stress as well as medications.

Best wishes and good luck!

[hadenough]

I know, youre absolutely right and I have to look into some form of treatment otherwise I dont think I will be able to overcome this. Im still so glad I found this place though, it does help to know Im not the only one going through this.

[hadenough]

I just cant stop obssessing about my weight loss. Still havent weighed myself, too scared to, but can tell by my clothes that are definitely getting looser. I have been making myself eat even when I dont feel like it but its not making me put on weight. Im not doing much at all so cant be burning the calories off so how come Im not putting the weight back on.