Utterly dreadful morning

[Mudskipper]

Woke up at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep, just lying there in bed, one big ball of tension and nausea. Forced myself to get up and go to work, despite wanting to curl up on the sofa and see no-one. Felt vaguely unreal as I drove into work and kept thinking it wouldn't be so terrible if some idiot drove into me and wiped me out. Didn't happen though and I got to work just in time for a short sharp trip to the lavatory. Now I'm sitting here typing this and wishing more than anything that I'd never been born in the first place. Doctors tomorrow morning to see about this stomach thing. Is it an ulcer? Is it cancer? I can see a bad 24 hours or so ahead...:weep:

[jannnne]

Hello Mudskipper
Poor you, I feel for you, I too am having a wait for blood test results. Acid Reflux, or Throat Cancer, am going to ask to be referred. It is awful waiting and the feeling of panic and not knowing can be unbearable. What symptoms have you had with your tummy? It is more than likely just to be an ulcer. I had Helibactor Pylori about 5 years ago and had an ulcer then. It took ages to get better but it did. Keep busy, work will probably be the best place for you even though you don't want to be there. I try to do something distracting..like bake or walk anything really. Just think by tea time tomorrow you will of seen the doc and will hopefully be feeling a lot better. Sending you a really big hugxxxx

[Mudskipper]

Thought I'd just damaged my gullet by eating some french bread too fast about a week and a half ago but it's not getting better and I have the symptoms of an ulcer now, belching, acid reflux etc. Worried myself more when I read that helicobacter is linked to a slightly increased risk of stomach cancer. Have you ever had follow-ups to yours? Has the problem ever recurred? Thanks for your concern BTW.

[bluesparkle]

hello
well i can say "dont worry " but that wouldnt be much help would it...

firstly i know how you feel . . i have to drag myself to work some days. but usually once im there its not so bad.
i dont have much advice but i have had many problems with my stomach over the last few years, even had a scare like you are going through, but it wasnt cancer, i know its easy tothink the worst but there is probably a good explanation.
mine was mainly down to gall bladder and that was removed. .. but my anxiety always affects my stomach.
i know waiting is hard but like jannnne says by tomorrow you will know more.
sending you loads of posative vibes. . .. please let us know how you get on.
and believe me it is worth hanging on inthere for as they will sort it for you.
rach
x

[anxious]

Hi Mudskipper,

sorry your day started so bad. I know that feeling well, waking early and anxiety rising:weep:
A year or so ago i had a couple of weeks where i had the most awful acid reflux/bloating etc. I eventually went to the gp's to be told it was just a bout of indegestion and was prescribed anti acids. After a week or so it went away. I really didn't believe her at first (had all the thoughts you have now) as i had never suffered it before and couldn't see how it could just start and be nothing sinister.
The lump/soreness/stiff feeling in your throat is very, very common in anxiety sufferers and can be caused by indegestion.
Hope your day gets better :hugs:

anx x

[jannnne]

Hello Mudskipper,

I have just had a follow up test for Hellibactor Pylori just to make sure it has gone and not returned. At the moment, the doc thinks its acid reflux but it is in my larynx and my glands are up. I am worried about throat/layrnx cancer. My symptoms now are completely different to when I had HP. When I had HP, I had a bloated tummy and every time I ate I felt full but hungry, weird. After I had trouble with i trouble with belching and gall stones I would say it took a good 6-9 months to settle. Aloe Vera helped the most. I did worry about the increased risk of stomach cancer with HP but as something like a 1/3 of the population either have it or carry it at some time during their life it sort of helped me keep it in proportion. A bit like a slight increase in breast cancer if you take the pill. A slight increase is all it is a slight increase. HP and my Ulcer did make me feel really really poorly though.

Maybe you have just irritated you gullt and tummy mixed with being anxious might of made your tummy acid level rise?? Your doc will know, and I really do understand how worried you are. The best thing I have read was on this site.... It is good to be body aware but not to self diagnose. I am not googling and I am thinking that I could have loads of different illnesses that I know nothing about and I am going to let my GP do her job and take it one step at a time. Easier said than done though....Good luck for tomorrow do post and let us know how you get on.

[Mudskipper]

Thanks for that. Will let you know what happens tomorrow.

[Mudskipper]

Well, the doctor doesn't think I have an ulcer, but he is running blood tests to check for h.pylori. Shan't hear back until next wednesday so that's another week of worry, never mind. He also put me on something called omeprazole which is supposed to reduce the amount of acid in the stomach and give ulcers or any other damage time to heal. Hope he's right, he wasn't my regular doc who I always feel more comfortable with but I didn't feel like waiting for him to be available. Not quite as reassuring as I'd hoped then but better than nothing I guess...:unsure:

[Mudskipper]

Got my blood test results back which were negative for helichobactor pylori, so that's one less thing to worry about. Still getting a bit of discomfort and reflux, but I'm wondering whether that's down to my anxiety? It's interesting to note that it's less of a problem when something is taking my mind off it. Last saturday for instance, my folks dropped by and helped me clear a load of garden rubbish away to the local tip, then I helped my sister do likewise and we finished off having dinner together. :) Not only did I have no symptoms whilst I was occupied, but the meal was the first I've eaten in a couple of weeks with virtually no discomfort. Felt quite good after that, then went and spoilt it all by having a major blow-up with the wife on sunday. She hasn't spoken to me since. Nice...:mad:

[anxious]

Hi Mud,

glad you got your results back ok and definately a good sign that you can take your mind off it,

love anx x

[vti2007]

Hey Mudskipper,

I have had all the symptoms you seem to be having, nausea, discomfort, bloating etc. Worse in the mornings, close to normal in the evenings.

I was worried about what was wrong. Couldn't hold food down for months, felt sick the whole time, lost 3.5 stone over 5ish months. Turned out I had a moderate case of gastritis, no H-Pylori though. Funny thing is since I started on citalopram and settled down on them I still have the gastritis but as my general anxiety level has dropped so have the gastric symptoms. To the point where I don't really have any now unless I get really stressed.

Seems the stomach wasn't really the problem, it was anxiety all along. Perhaps if you find that when you are occupied it doesn't bother you it is the same with you?

[Mudskipper]

Well that's what I'm thinking, or that the initial injury was real enough but the effects made far worse by a sudden bad attack of anxiety. I started back on prozac a couple of weeks back too, so hopefully when that kicks in again properly, rather than increasing my anxiety as it probably is at the moment, I might begin to feel a bit normal again, whatever normal is:huh:

[thoughts and actions]

hi mudskipper,

I can totally relate to what u r saying.

I had really bad acid refulx/ indigestion/ "bowel" probs and in feb this year did a test for Hellibactor Pylori - came back negative - i was on omerprerazole, lanzaprole, (another one begining with r) - copious amounts of gaviscon and still it didnt shift.

I would explain it now as a "dough" like pain in the bottom of my stomach- so i went on and on at the doc and convinced i had something serious that i was sent for an endoscopy and colonscopy- both results came back negative-

I have been diagnosed with ibs or nervous stomach- i found the biggest thing to help me was my diet- i completely cjhangefd it and can honeslty say it has made a big big difference- i still get the symptoms when i get anxious but now i have accepted that thats what it is i can control it (most of the time ;) )

take care

xx

[titch]

HEY HUN!! good for you for getting up and going to work despite feeling dreadfull..im sure its all down to the lovely anxiety.... here to talk if u need to hun...good luck..xxx

[Mudskipper]

Hi Robert
Must admit it's a complex area, the digestion. Like you, I'm better when I'm eating healthily, fruit n' veg generally alright, bread and the like more of a problem. That said, I'm convinced the anxiety isn't helping, it has such an effect on appetite. Sometimes I feel hungry, sometimes I go a whole day without eating. Couple that with constant adrenalin highs and my digestive system doesn't know whether it's coming or going:ohmy: .

Titch
I don't know what's worse forcing yourself to work or lying in bed tossing and turning in that shallow kind of sleep which doesn't really feel like sleep at all. Couple that with the fact that I've already had three weeks off this year and the mortgage has to be paid and it's Hobsons' choice really. Hoping the Prozac will kick in properly soon and maybe I'll start to function again:huh:

Thanks both for your concern and take care:flowers: