Can chronic pain really be caused by anxiety?

[Andromeda]

I’m having a really tough time accepting that my all abdominal aches and pains are anxiety related.

I’m awaiting more tests to confirm but in the interim I’m losing my head everyday with the fear that it’s something serious and I just can’t get a grip.

It’s ruining my life now. I can’t eat. I've lost over 2 stone.

The pains are waking me from sleep. The pains seem to be moving too. Started predominantly lower right sided for 6 months, then under my right rib cage was added into the mix, then right shoulder blade stabbing and for the past week it’s all been lower left abdominal pain under and to the side of my belly button, left shoulder blade and under my armpit.

My bowels are all over the place. I’ m obsessively checking my stools. I’m in floods of tears at work convinced I am dying or going to collapse soon of whatever these pains are.

Has anyone else had severe and constant pains that really did just turn out to be anxiety?

[Emls78]

Yes anxiety can cause all this. But getting everything checked is the right way to go for peace of mind. I’ve been seeing a gastroenterologist since March, I’ve had every test there is and they can’t physically find anything wrong with me. I have stomach cramps, pain under sternum and along unDer ribs, awful chest pains, pain in shoulder blades, dodgy Bowels and it has all been put down to anxiety. That doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real though and that you aren’t suffering every day. My gastro guy is great and assured me he won’t sign me off until he has my symptoms under control. So even if your symptoms Are all anxiety, they are still real and you still deserve help to manage them. I’m being referred to a dietician and He wants me to take amitriptyline to help manage the pain ( I’m not to keen on that idea, but my medication phobia is another story lol). I hope you get some answers and some relief soon, you’re not alone in this xx

[Worriedwellornot]

Hi I had exactly the same symptoms for over 2 years and could not believe they were caused by anxiety. I had every test going and they all came back clear. I also started on amitryptiline but because it didn’t agree with me I stopped taking it. As soon as I was reassured and didn’t concentrate on the symptoms my nervous system calmed down and the symptoms stopped. I’m in the middle of another spiral but I’m going to really try now to get this HA sorted as it’s ruined my life so far. I also lost weight every day with the anxiety and it’s a vicious circle as you convince yourself the weight loss must be sinister. I hope you manage to get your issue sorted soon, take care Lisa

[Fishmanpa]

Stomach and bowel issues are a hallmark issue with anxiety sufferers. I can tell you first hand as a non-sufferer that when my wife was in the hospital for two months, I had many of the symptoms listed on the symptoms page. Stress causes many physical symptoms including pain.

Just a normal stressful day can cause a headache, dodgy tummy, shoulder aches etc. for anyone. Treat the anxiety and stress and you help treat the symptoms associated with it. And for stomach issues, proper diet is essential. That's why the FODMAP (https://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/) diet is recommended for people with GERD and IBS.

Positive thoughts

[Andromeda]

Yes anxiety can cause all this. But getting everything checked is the right way to go for peace of mind. I’ve been seeing a gastroenterologist since March, I’ve had every test there is and they can’t physically find anything wrong with me. I have stomach cramps, pain under sternum and along unDer ribs, awful chest pains, pain in shoulder blades, dodgy Bowels and it has all been put down to anxiety. That doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real though and that you aren’t suffering every day. My gastro guy is great and assured me he won’t sign me off until he has my symptoms under control. So even if your symptoms Are all anxiety, they are still real and you still deserve help to manage them. I’m being referred to a dietician and He wants me to take amitriptyline to help manage the pain ( I’m not to keen on that idea, but my medication phobia is another story lol). I hope you get some answers and some relief soon, you’re not alone in this xx

Thanks for sharing that with me. You're very lucky you've found a doctor who really understands! My GP has prescribed me amitriptyline too but I have been too afraid to take it until i've had all the relevant tests xx

---------- Post added at 12:55 ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 ----------


Hi I had exactly the same symptoms for over 2 years and could not believe they were caused by anxiety. I had every test going and they all came back clear. I also started on amitryptiline but because it didn’t agree with me I stopped taking it. As soon as I was reassured and didn’t concentrate on the symptoms my nervous system calmed down and the symptoms stopped. I’m in the middle of another spiral but I’m going to really try now to get this HA sorted as it’s ruined my life so far. I also lost weight every day with the anxiety and it’s a vicious circle as you convince yourself the weight loss must be sinister. I hope you manage to get your issue sorted soon, take care Lisa


Thank you for taking the time to reply. It's reassuring to know you've gone through the same. I feel like I've lost complete control over any rational thought process because I am constantly gripped by fear from the moment I wake up until the moment i eventually drift off - and even then i'm waking in the night with the pains so there's just never any relief and it's taking it's toll.
I don't struggle too much with health anxiety day to day, I have 'flare ups' where every once in a while i'll present with legitimate physical symptoms and it spirals from there.

The last episode I had like this was 2015 where I was convinced I had stomach cancer and continued to believe so until i had an endoscopy which confirmed reflux and what do you know, my symptoms all miraculously went away!

This time feels different though. Not only has this been going on every day for 7 months now but there's something in my head that's telling me 'this is different, this isn't just anxiety, this is the one' which i appreciate is exactly what health anxiety does to us.

Yet here I am, still convinced I have bowel cancer :wacko:

---------- Post added at 13:11 ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 ----------


Stomach and bowel issues are a hallmark issue with anxiety sufferers. I can tell you first hand as a non-sufferer that when my wife was in the hospital for two months, I had many of the symptoms listed on the symptoms page. Stress causes many physical symptoms including pain.

Just a normal stressful day can cause a headache, dodgy tummy, shoulder aches etc. for anyone. Treat the anxiety and stress and you help treat the symptoms associated with it. And for stomach issues, proper diet is essential. That's why the FODMAP (https://www.ibsdiets.org/fodmap-diet/fodmap-food-list/) diet is recommended for people with GERD and IBS.

Positive thoughts

Thanks for your thoughts.

I am already a gluten free vegan who eats low fodmap but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I've not eaten since Tuesday (out of fear...I know I know) but no matter what i'm eating/not eating my digestive tract just seems to be very irritated constantly!

I do appreciate that the most likely and logical reason for that is my constant state of stress and anxiety but if I followed that logical reasoning then I wouldn't have an issue with health anxiety!

[EKB]

I am already a gluten free vegan who eats low fodmap but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I've not eaten since Tuesday (out of fear...I know I know) but no matter what i'm eating/not eating my digestive tract just seems to be very irritated constantly!

It’s so important to eat, any amount, anything that will irritate your gut the least. When I was at my worst, I was surviving on cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, bananas and ginger tea. Not a balanced diet by any means, but it got food into me with a minimum of irritation. When you don’t eat, your empty stomach becomes more irritated as acid production increases. As well, when you don’t eat your body struggles to maintain proper blood sugar levels which causes irritation and anxiety. It becomes the worst self-perpetuating cycle.

The best thing you can do is try to break that cycle. The CBT modules or CCI modules posted elsewhere on the forum are fantastic. Eating any amount you can when your body will let you get away with it will help. I recently had a trauma and my guts got up to the same old tricks and I just ate small amounts when I could stand it. Meditation may help you. Gentle movement is always good for pain and gut stuff. It’s hard, but it can be done. Be kind to yourself and good luck.