Could my anxiety be causing this?

[thisisausername]

Hello everybody! It's been a while, huh? I posted on this forum once and then forgot my password and never logged back in again...So I guess it's time for a proper introduction. Call me Elena. I've been suffering from generalized anxiety and health anxiety for the past seven years (I'm 21!), I'm on anxiety meds and starting therapy next month, and I'm studying to be a lawyer. (I'm also fluent in 4 languages, so if you need some translation done, let me know. ;)) Now that we've got the introductions out of the way, let's get to why I'm here.


I've been worrying about colon cancer for 10 months now, ever since seeing a bit of blood in my toilet and being diagnosed with hemorrhoids. Things were fine for a while, I was starting to forget my worries, but then I read an article about thin stools being caused by colorectal tumors a week ago and my bowels have been all over the place since then. I've even had pencil-thin stools for the past two days! I'm figuring this has something to do with my anxiety (or else the timing is very convenient!), because I'm sure everything was normal two weeks ago, and last month, and the month before that...


So my question is: could my brain really be creating this symptom? And how do I stop it?

[Cptdebbie]

I get bowel issues with my anxiety. I think it's common. I know our brains can create symptoms; however, the symptoms sometimes happen simply because we are anxious. When adrenaline is realized into our bodies, it has an impact on all of our systems.

I've had thin stools on many occasions. Hemorrhoids and constipation are two things that can cause thin stools. Constipation can be caused by, amongst other things, anxiety. The trick is to stop the anxiety cycle - stop worrying about it. I'm in the midst of a anxiety crisis at the moment, so I feel like a hypocrite. However, I do know that when I manage to not think about "Things," I feel much and I spiral upwards instead of down.

Good luck to you.