Hope this is in the right place - Stomach issues, worried. [Archive]

DanTheAnxious

02-04-19, 10:36

Hi guys, i hope your all as well as possible at this current time

I am 26 & have been suffering with what the doctor said was IBS a few months ago, had it ever since, my issue is, it comes and goes, i had it really bad a few months ago, had it for a few weeks then i was fine for a month or 2,

my anxiety flared up as i was watching 999 programme about ambulance staff and a lady was diagnosed with the dreaded C.

Since then my stomach has been all over the place

To the stage it feels like at times, my insides are swollen, i am on the larger side myself after gaining weight on sertraline.

My scare is, when i stand up and look down, my right upper stomach looks like it sticks out more than my left, its really worrying to be honest, not sure if this is normal

also, when i lay down and run my hands down my right ribs feel like they are out more than my left side

now all im thinking is some kind of C.

I can't win at the moment, stopped taking my sertraline after reading a news article a few weeks back, thinking about taking them again though as this is hell

Cheers guys, all the best

Dan.

nomorepanic

02-04-19, 10:58

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your post was moved from its original place to a sub-forum that is more relevant to your issue.

This is nothing personal - it just enables us to keep posts about the same problems in the relevant forums so other members with any experience with the issues can find them more easily.

Please also read this post:

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=213239

DanTheAnxious

02-04-19, 11:59

appreciate it thank you

DanTheAnxious

03-04-19, 12:28

Me again, honestly hate posting as i also posted yesterday about my stomach issues, i post purely because most in my family do not believe in mental health as silly as it sounds, i get the usual lines, man up, get over it, and the best one, Your fine.

Its better for me to ask fellow sufferers so i hope you do not mind :)

Im 26 and tbh i am over weight, think it was since i started taking sertraline 100mg, i have stopped taking them now though so im currently on no meds.

I think im stuck in a Vicious Circle, my current symptoms

- Stomach bloating
- Lack of wanting to eat
- It seems to me like my right side of my upper stomach sticks out more than the left (really worrying about this atm)
- Tiredness (literally wake up, and start yawning, although i do never sleep during the day, i just feel tired)
- Throat issues, it feels like there is a small hard lump in my throat, in the centre a little to the right, (not sure if its the adams apple)
- Swallowing issues, im getting problems swallowing, it hurts, i seems to have a flare up that lasts for a day or 2 where when i swallow it just plainly hurts on the right side, it will then go for a few weeks, but it will sure pop up again, seems to be when i get myself in this mess.
- Stomach bubbles, almost feels like i can feel everything moving in my belly, yesterday it felt like everything inside was swollen, but not today

I honestly can't see these things being anxiety related surely?

Yes i do check my body daily to see if i can find anything, its the first thing i do and the last thing before i sleep, so yes, really stuck in this mess at the moment.

Thanks for listening, appreciate any feedback

Have a great day

BlueIris

03-04-19, 12:34

I promise, all of these are classic anxiety symptoms.

nomorepanic

03-04-19, 12:35

Hi

This is just a courtesy reply to let you know that your thread was merged with another of your threads.

Please when posting on similar topics add it onto your previous post rather than starting a new one.

It is nothing personal it is just to make it easier for people to follow your story and to give you advice as a whole.

DanTheAnxious

03-04-19, 13:12

Really? its so horrible, like the acid in my tummy is so bad right now because of everything

BlueIris

03-04-19, 13:17

It's horrible, yes, but most people who suffer from anxiety have been there and done that.

I know I have.

DanTheAnxious

03-04-19, 14:07

The issue i think about, is what would it be classed not as anxiety? i have googled everything and although it is in line with anxiety, its also symptoms for other things, thats the scary bit :(

DanTheAnxious

03-04-19, 17:39

It's almost like im waiting for an intense pain to kick in, as soon as that does my fears are confirmed, horrible living like this, wish there was more than just a pill to swallow from my GP.

KrankerMann

04-04-19, 10:10

I've had pretty much all what you describe, and the doctor says I have an irritable bowel. The stomach popping, gurgling and bubbling is awful, I know. Sometimes I just have that "nervous stomach" feeling that lasts for hours.

Sometimes my entire abdomen feels like a battlefield. There's popping, whistling, gurgling, bubbling, cramps, tension... But it's all classic anxiety, so I'm told. And if it were serious, pain and discomfort would be more focused, not general (hope I'm right with this)

DanTheAnxious

04-04-19, 15:06

Anyone else had any experience with a bulge on the right side, sometimes it sticks out more than other times, when i wake up, its not there, then by later in the day it is, not sure if this is just fat as im overweight now :( :/

DanTheAnxious

04-04-19, 19:27

Didn't see page 2 of comments so sorry mate for replying late, im just worried about it looking slightly larger on my right side, i also get my acid down the right side of my tummy, and this evening i have aching shoulders, arms, knees and feet :( sure its something sinister

DanTheAnxious

07-04-19, 16:13

Finally going to the DR's tomorrow, been taking this shit for way to long now.

Im not myself, my kids even notice it now and i never wanted it to get to that stage, my girl is 4 and my boy is 2, i don't expect them to be asking me what is wrong as it's just not fair on them.

I am sooooo scared for going DR's, i think i will come out with life ending news.

I went to my DR with the same symptoms a year ago, he felt my tummy, told me i am fine, told me he could not feel anything (i have an irrational fear of stomach cancer or liver disease)

Im 26, had this for years, surely no way to

I was put on 100mg sertraline & diagnosed with IBS, gave me terrible headaches daily so i stopped, just been down hill since then.

Can this all really be due to my anxiety

- Tiredness, constant yawning, even when i wake up
- Clenching my jaw until i can even draw blood from a cracked tooth i have that has not healed as i wont go dentist
- Stomach bloating (mostly the top of the stomach)
- ACID, on the right hand side, seem to be at my belly button and goes up to my throat
- I feel like my insides are swollen almost :(
- I have tiny white dots on my nails and now im convinced this is Liver disease
- I also have a slight bulge on my right side, upper stomach but im not sure this is just where i have put on so much weight
- Loose bowel movements, then back to hard, then lose again

I am honestly terrified of tomorrows findings, just want it to stop now, i have well and truly had enough of this.

Wish me luck :(

BlueIris

07-04-19, 16:18

Wishing you all the luck in the world :hugs:

Fishmanpa

07-04-19, 16:19

Every one of those SYMPTOMS (https://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms) can be attributed anxiety. That and the history you provided affirm it. Update us after your appointment. "Told Ya So Gang" on standby ;)

Positive thoughts

DanTheAnxious

07-04-19, 16:42

RadioGaGa

07-04-19, 16:43

Agreed ^

Only thing I'd like to add is regarding this:

Clenching my jaw until i can even draw blood from a cracked tooth i have that has not healed as i wont go dentist

If this goes untreated, the tooth will eventually "break" and you'll end up having to get it out, or face expensive salvage treatment. Not to mention the infection risk. Teeth cannot "heal" themselves

I assume you have anxiety, so you could ask your dentist to prescribe 10mg Temazepam to be taken before each appointment (Temazepam is preferred because of its "short" half life).

After being a heavy vodka and Coca Cola drinker, I wish I'd looked after my teeth better when I was in my early 20s. I have spent a fortune saving them, although appearance wise its arguably worth it. I just wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through it.

DanTheAnxious

07-04-19, 16:48

Agreed ^

Only thing I'd like to add is regarding this:

If this goes untreated, the tooth will eventually "break" and you'll end up having to get it out, or face expensive salvage treatment. Not to mention the infection risk. Teeth cannot "heal" themselves

I assume you have anxiety, so you could ask your dentist to prescribe 10mg Temazepam to be taken before each appointment (Temazepam is preferred because of its "short" half life).

After being a heavy vodka and Coca Cola drinker, I wish I'd looked after my teeth better when I was in my early 20s. I have spent a fortune saving them, although appearance wise its arguably worth it. I just wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through it.

Thank you for the response mate, i bet the teeth do look good haha :) but your right, the tooth has broken, and i know it will have to come out, another thing i seem to be scared of, pathetic really when you think about it hard enough but can't shake it

Scass

07-04-19, 18:17

Good luck!
Maybe show your doctor the list that you wrote here.

ankietyjoe

07-04-19, 18:23

Full grown man, built like a ''brick shit house'' yet done nothing but cry, makes me feel so weak it's unreal.

Thanks so much for the nice messages, really does help having positive vibes.

Also, IF it does come back as all related to the same thing, i HOPE he does something other than give me a pill to take once a day, i really would like some proper help

Completely irrelevant.

I'm/was also a 'hard *******', but anxiety tore me apart. I realise now that part of that self image I had (often encouraged by others) was part of the problem. You also sound angry, which is not going to help. I know this, because I was f#*king furious at my anxiety, and it made it worse.

In terms of your symptoms, all completely normal with anxiety. Very common.

DanTheAnxious

07-04-19, 19:15

Was intending to sound hard or big etc

And yes I'm angry, I'm angry with anxiety for being here this long, I'm angry for not being able to live my life the way it should be lived

I shouldn't have to sit in my house and not join my kids on days out on the school holidays

None of us should feel like this

I'm angry because the support for mental health is disgusting

I'm not angry for just me, but for everyone who has to deal with this mate, it's shocking

I wake up and Google, before I fall asleep I'm googling, I get offered a pill and that's it, even my doctor's rotate for some reason so every month there is someone new, it's impossible to get decent support

DanTheAnxious

07-04-19, 19:15

Thanks mate

ankietyjoe

07-04-19, 19:21

Stop googling. It serves no purpose other than to reinforce fear. There is no upside to it, ever.

And anger will make it worse, guaranteed. The best thing you can do right now is accept that this is what is, for the moment. I get it, I really do. My kids watched me fall apart, and I hate myself for letting them see it..but I had no choice at the time.

You can beat it, so just accept it for now. The anger will be more damaging to your kids than the anxiety itself. Find a way to let that go, accept that this is where you are. It's the best way. Accepting it doesn't mean that this is where you will stay.

Anger promotes cortisol, cortisol overrides almost every system in the body and you WILL get sick. Anger, will make you sick.

LilyLabVA

07-04-19, 19:46

Yes those could be anxiety but they could also be other VERY harmless, normal things! IBS is super common as since you have already been diagnosed with that then that covers a lot of those symptoms.
Just a heads up, when very worried, your doctor may want to "put your mind at ease"/ do his/her due dilegence and run some routine tests such as blood work or a scan of your gallbaddler, abdomen. Dont worry if he/she does. This is again, ROUTINE after complaining to doctor about symptoms. You are young and you are going to be OKAY! You got this!!!

Andy699

07-04-19, 21:04

All of this can be caused by anxiety, although it's hard to see when HA is at its baddest. A few months ago I was convinced I had a brain tumour, I was at work one day and started grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw so badly it felt like my jaw would break, it's called Bruxism and I didn't know that anxiety was one of the major causes. So hope everything goes OK which I'm sure it will, will be a massive weight off your shoulders. Stay strong let us know how it goes

DanTheAnxious

07-04-19, 21:28

Its so scary mate, i never knew fear like this tbh, is this just anxiety or is it literally called health anxiety? didn't know if there was a specific name for it, Thanks for the nice message, i appreciate it!

DanTheAnxious

07-04-19, 21:29

That is my worst fear, going and being asked to do a xray, i think i have a mass in my stomach so that scares me so much

Ben1989

08-04-19, 10:24

I suffered with it - hard. I still suffer but it's maintained and my life is 90% back to normal.

I've gone from sweating at night & not sleeping thinking I had a terminal condition (which I won't name) to controlling it and doing fine.

When I thought I had the terminal condition, I noticed an area of my body which was smaller than the other side. No word of a lie it was the right side of my abdomen was smaller. So you could equally say the left side of my abdomen was bigger. I went to a physiotherapist who confirmed that it was smaller and just said “your body is not symmetrical and it's nothing to worry about”. Alas, it ended up being nothing and he was right. Unless this illness is lying dormant for nearly three years! It's just my body.

It's funny because I used to be like ‘I want every test there is to find out what’s wrong’ but you’re the opposite. I was like you. You can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. But believe me, it is there.

As AnxietyJoe said, accept you have anxiety paying particular attention to what he said afterwards, accepting it doesn't mean accepting you will always have it.

Anger mainly comes from fear. Fear overrides all rational thinking. An irrational brain will drive anxiety. That is literal science from my therapist. An irrational brain will only snowball the fear so you need to calm down kid (I live on Merseyside so I’m allowed to say this).

I have had no pills, I exercise regularly, I eat better and I had Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Ironically I owe some thanks to AnxietyJoe who introduced me to meditation which has kept me grounded after my Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I downloaded an app called Headspace. I highly recommend it. Just try it and keep an open mind. Don’t shut it off like “it’s not working”.

ankietyjoe

08-04-19, 11:46

I still suffer but it's maintained and my life is 90% back to normal.

Awesome dude :okay:

Ben1989

08-04-19, 12:13

Awesome dude :okay:

Three years ago I never thought I'd be able to say that.

DanTheAnxious

08-04-19, 18:01

ankietyjoe

08-04-19, 18:05

Maybe book another appointment before you go down the medication route?

Whereabouts are you in the UK? Can you get a private GP appt?

Scass

08-04-19, 19:30

I backed out.

Not going to help me but i am going to try and take my sertraline, i heard i could have headaches for the first few weeks anyway, i am also going to try book a dentist appointment.

will also start taking my renatidine, buscopan & phernergan

fingers crossed.

Such a shame that you backed out. But I’m sure you feel rubbish enough, so I’m not meaning to pile guilt on. Does your doctors offer a phone appointment maybe?

I really think it’s important to see your doctor before starting all those tablets again. If you could take their advice then you’ll know if any are causing side effects etc, or which is working.

Come on, you can do this. It could be great for you. What are you scared of?

DanTheAnxious

08-04-19, 19:38

I am in sheerness in kent, Horrible little island haha

I am just scared of hearing something bad that is all, i don't know how i would act or what i would do if i had bad news, just a little scared

Scass

08-04-19, 19:52

I understand that. No one goes to the doctor because they feel too well or happy.

I’ve had a few health scares in the last 2 years and sometimes I’ve been very down with it. But my doctor is amazing, and my illnesses have been diagnosed & I am dealing with them. And I waited a while with both of them before I saw my GP, I wish I hadn’t. I truly believe that one of them was caused by anxiety, and it got worse because I didn’t get it treated. I’m not trying to scare you, but we are here for you and have experienced things that you are going through. We will help if we can.

I’m in Kent too, although much closer to London. Garden of England [emoji1]

ankietyjoe

08-04-19, 19:55

I am in sheerness in kent, Horrible little island haha

I am just scared of hearing something bad that is all, i don't know how i would act or what i would do if i had bad news, just a little scared

I have experienced every symptom you described and (literally) 200-300 more with anxiety.

You'll be fine, the news won't be bad. Give yourself one more chance to go to the GP before you start using medication, I'm pretty sure you'll be glad you did.

When you arrive, your heart will be pounding, you will be shaking and your mind will be sponge. But that's fine, sit with it. As soon as you're out you'll feel fine again. This is 100% beatable, I promise you.

DanTheAnxious

10-04-19, 19:20

Hello i have posted a few times now, i don't mean to post so much i just don't really have anyone to talk with at home

im 26, having really bad time of things lately

I can't help but notice my upper right side of my belly seems to stick out more than the left, really worried as i heard this is a sign of a few types of C.

I am overweight and have gained a few pounds, not sure if that changes anything, but the upper right side does stick out more at certain times :( sorry for posting so much too