Constant stomach pains because of anxiety? Join the club.

Stomach pain is one of the most commonly talked about physical anxiety symptoms on the No More Panic forums so I thought I’d write a (probably rather long) post on my on-going and seemingly eternal battle with this monster.

If there’s one physical symptom of anxiety that I’ve been plagued with all my life, it’s stomach pain in various guises. It can be sharp or dull (usually dull), higher or lower (usually lower), and left or right (it seems to have no preference). I get bloating, gurgling, tenseness, butterflies (not literally, I hope), awful backache, toilet urgency and toilet reluctance. In other words, it can take just about any form. Is it IBS? Does it have some other name? Who knows?

The main problem is that so many other illnesses cause the same symptoms which makes us convinced that it’s got a serious physical cause. This, of course, makes us even more anxious which, in turn, makes the pain worse. The usual vicious circle. I know how difficult it is to believe that anxiety can cause such real symptoms. Just when I think I’ve cracked it, it creeps back and puts doubt in my mind. Even after every medical test known to humankind, it still catches me out.

So after the doom and gloom, is there anything we can do about it? Well first, the obvious:

· Get checked over by your GP. Other causes need to be excluded.
· Try looking for patterns relating to food you’ve eaten. Cut the usual culprits out (alcohol, gluten, dairy, pulses) one by one and see what happens.
· Try some of the OTC IBS treatments such as peppermint oil or Colofac.

This might work but it doesn’t do much for me. When my stomach is ok, I can eat/drink whatever I want with no problems. When I have the pain, certain things such as onions, chillies and certain alcoholic drinks make it worse. All this has led me to realise that the only way to break the vicious circle and start to recover is by addressing the anxiety itself. This can be hard if, like me, you often don’t even realise you’re anxious at all.

So here goes, tips from me which help:

· Don’t Google the symptoms. Really, don’t do it!
· Stay active even if you feel really sluggish and tired. Inactivity is your worst enemy in these circumstances.
· Find ways to relax – more on this below.
· Distract yourself doing whatever it takes. I find reading good.
· I mentioned more tips in a previous thread which you might find useful

So back to relaxation which is the holy grail for us long-suffering anxious folk. Half the time, I’m so tense that it’s a wonder I can actually move my limbs at all. If you tell me to sit down and relax, you may as well say poke your finger in a plug socket for all the good it does me. It’s taken me years to find out what works for me especially as I’m a natural sceptic and what I would describe as ‘new age’ techniques usually make me cringe so much that I get tenser. Having said that, I am willing to try new things and if they don’t work, that’s just the way it is.

My greatest discovery is guided meditation which, I must be honest, took me by surprise. I’ve listened to a lot but I just couldn’t bear how artificial most of them are, and I end up fighting against them. However, there are some great videos out there with my particular favourites being by Michael Sealey. The ones I enjoy the most involve picturing certain environments and your place in them. I have a rather vivid imagination and get easily absorbed into these which stops my mind whirling like a super-fast spin cycle, as is normally the case. Michael actually does a very good 30-minute session aimed at IBS which involves imagining a calming scene and walking through it. Ok, some of it’s a bit cheesy at times but I don’t care if it works. I end up felling much more relaxed which can last anything from 5 minutes to the rest of the day. Some are described as hypnosis. Whether I’ve ever actually been hypnotised by these videos is very doubtful but I can’t be sure as I often fall asleep. Regardless, they’re tried and tested so you won’t end up dancing around and squawking like a chicken whenever someone says the magic word.

To help the relaxation process along, and I can’t believe I’m going to say this, I find nice scents really help. I’m no expert (or believer, in fact) in aromatherapy so that’s not what I’m talking about. I just like nice smells which can range from freshly cut wood, grass clippings, rain after a dry spell and certain perfumes. My other half doesn’t like it when I bring grass clippings and logs in the bedroom so I thought I’d try something else. The solution: incense sticks and essential oils. As I said, I have no idea what their supposed properties are; I just pick the ones that smell nice to me. It really helps me to calm my mind and switch off. I particularly like lavender and sandalwood but you will have other favourites.

The next stop for me is to try yoga (any tips from NMP members gratefully received). I just need to find a) the time and b) a class where I won’t end up in a room full of super-bendy yummy mummies who make me feel self-conscious about hardly being able to sit on the floor, let alone do the lotus position or similar.

So, if you’ve made it through to the end of my essay, well done and I hope some part of it helps. Feel free to add, comment or generally disagree if you want to. I’m no expert and can only tell you what works for me. Writing all of this down also helps me which was part of the reason for my post. It has reminded me that anxiety can play all sorts of tricks on our bodies and not to head to the surgery of Dr. Google.

Take care everyone

Pip

Great post pipkin! As someone who has been suffering from stomach issues for a while and am on the road to an ibs diagnosis it's comforting to hear that it's not the end of the world.

I agree with not googling. All that comes up when you put in stomach symptoms is cancer, which is stupidly rare in people under 50.

Thanks for all the useful info here!

Good post.
Thankyou I do suffer with IBS and have done for over 10 years.
However early this Year my usual IBS symptoms changed and along with this came the anxiety-fueled 100% by google!(never again will I google my symptoms-all it ever comes back with is Cancer)This literally convinced me that I have it in some form or another.
Cue lots of tests and currently waiting for a Colonoscopy which no one except me thinks I need!?
Anxiety is a bitch.

Thanks for the replies chaps. Not that I want anyone else to suffer but it does help when you know that you're far from alone.

Earlier this year, I went to my GP and asked for a thorough check-up to try and confirm once and for all that this was all anxiety related. I was poked and prodded, relieved of some blood and urine for various tests and had to give the dreaded stool sample. Needless to say, all came back clear. In fact on paper, I'm as fit as a fiddle. It doesn't stop the doubt creeping back in at times though which is a problem for most of us.

Chin up, onwards and upwards etc..

Pip

This is a fantastic post, as someone going through abdominal troubles myself at the minute, there is an incredible amount of comfort knowing i'm not alone. Cheers pip!

For me it started with anxiety early last year. Which late last year turned into gastritis and anxiety attacks. Since then I have had alot of medical test. The only negatives are low blood platelets at 110 and a 2cm hiatal hernia. All my doctors still think its anxiety.

It seems at times I take 2 steps forward then 3 steps back. Its so hard at times for me to go to work. Im not sure what to do anymore. I try to work on the anxiety as much as possible. This stuff has me scared at times. How do you know its anxiety and not something else?

Everyday wake up praying it will be gone but no luck.
Current Symptoms: I get mostly.

Tight feeling behind sternum like trapped wind.
Off on on burping like crazy
Numb fingers off and on all day.
Weird off balance feeling legs off and on.
Tired legs and weird pains all over.

Is this really all anxiety? Wish I knew for sure.

I've suffered with this for a long, long time. All I know is that I'd be long gone if it were something more serious. I also made the connection between times of heightened anxiety and the pain getting worse several years ago. It's worth thinking this through as it can be quite telling. Unfortunately, I don't always recognise when my anxiety has started so the stomach pain can be the first symptom.

The connection between the gut and the brain is far more complex than we understand but I know that it's very real. The symptoms aren't imaginary and we're not malingering. An anxious brain can wreak havoc on our bodies and we need to work out ways to accept this and to find ways of relaxing without giving in all together.

Remember that we're in this together and we understand better than anyone how hard it is :)

Pip

OK my stomach always bothers me then I get tension in back. I am not sure if there are doctors on here but should I get another test. I have had internal ultrasound, cbc, cat scan with contrast! all normal. Tomorrow I am having a cystoscopy on my bladder!

I have food in my poop a lot and I just don't know why my GI said not to worry. He tested for H-pylori which was negative! What more can I do!

Brilliant thread Pip

This really helped me relax by just reading it. I plan on doing more of these things to try and help me out.

I just read this post, it's old I know, but still very relevant. I relate to so much of what you've written.
I've had IBS since I was a teenager and am now in my 60's. It flares up about twice a year although there were years of complete freedom.

All fellow sufferers will agree with me when I say that each and every time it happens my mind tells me THIS time it's something worse.....
This brain/gut connection is complicated but very real! The symptoms feed the anxiety, the anxiety feeds the symptoms. You get caught in a loop.

Sometimes a visit to the Doctor is all I need, some reassurance that all is well and the symptoms disappear. Like magic!
This time it didn't work for me so in desperation I tried a Homeopath. She has been very sympathetic and agreed that my IBS due to a combination of food and anxiety She's given me medication and supplements but she also tested me for food allergies and told me I have an intolerance to wheat, corn, barley, rye, oats, potatoes, tomatoes, brinjals and cocoa.

Well trying to sort out a diet that eliminates all of the above has left me even MORE anxious!
Trouble is when I'm not having an IBS flare up I can eat absolutely ANYTHING with no ill effects.

Is it really all due to anxiety? Or is it that when we have a flare up our stomach becomes more tender and intolerant to certain foods?

Hi
I just want to add “ my experience” just in case anyone will still read this and stomach problems is one of their anxiety symptoms.
I don’t think I have IBS I believe it’s all connected to anxiety. I only have to leave the house for various stomach pains to hit me and urgency to go to toilet. And I know it’s all in my head as if I stick to my routine places I m not too bad or can just about cope with it but the minute I need to go somewhere new or do new activity it all kicks in.
i have had CBT in the past, been on Citalopram for several years ( currently off meds for past 20 months) and now been referred for exposure therapy well I m on waiting list anyway. I don’t know how that will work and I’m really dreading it, but apparently there is like 80% recovery from agoraphobia, so if anyone has experienced that please let me know.
Anyway when I m really bad I drink camomile tea in the evening as it helps to calm you down and also it settles your stomach a bit so maybe worth trying. Also started doing Pilates class to help with severe back aches which I think are also connected to stress and anxiety as after having MRI scan it proved my back is all in tact and fine. Relaxation tapes also helped me in the past however haven’t done that lately. I just so desperately don’t want to go back on the pills .
I know anxiety is daily battle for lots of people here and sometimes I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. So I just thought I add few tips of mine.

I've been bloated and windy in the morning for some while and I tried to massage the area to relieve the pain and as I did I had an uncomfortable pain underneath my right ribs which when pressed became worse. I hardly feel it until I prod about which disturbsit. As a result my anxiety is running wild with various scenarios, all of them bad. It's been bothersome for a few days now though. It got going after my wife had to have more medical tests with her ongoing treatment and then a day after my son was on a ct scan for a possible long covid diagnosis. I have had anxiety over health for many years now but it doesnt ease over the years,
infact gets worse. The gp says he doesn't want to increase my meds for the condition as it isn't advisable for my age.

I'm wondering what works for people to stop the constant feelings of a churning. bloating gut.

Small regular meals.

When my anxiety is bad I really struggle with my digestive system. Wind, bloating, the runs, cramps. It usually settles as my anxiety settles.

There are over the counter remedies that you can buy that might be worth looking into, also it may be advisable to look at counselling to help you?

The gp has put me on a month of pregabalin along with the usual tests so its finger nail biting time to see what my treatment may be.

ah this thread really helped tonight...kind of reassuring to know that even ongoing stomach issues can be from anxiety..my levels have been so high over the last year and half with so much happening so I guess it isnt surprising that my stomach is churning and in pain all the time..thanks for the post

This was just what I needed to read today! I have got myself in a total blue funk recently. Coming out of lockdown and all the responsibilities that had disappeared flooding back has totally ruined my state of mind. My gut is all over the place, but I'm sure there are really no 'red flag' symptoms. I have a history of bowel problems, I've had colitis and a diagnosis some years ago of severe diverticular disease, so there's really plenty of logical explanation for it all. I wake early in the morning and go into total panic mode. My stomach clenches and off we go. It's always on mornings like that that the day is one of wind, bloating, rumblings and occasionally cramps. If I can remember to take peppermint oil half an hour before a meal it does help. Just hearing of other people suffering in the same way does help! But oh how the current 'adverts' on radio and TV about cancer symptoms have sent my anxiety sky high. I don't really have any of those symptoms but that doesn't stop the panic!

Sorry I know this post is old but you have just described exactly how I am feeling now. My stomach is so bad and has been for 6 months. The Dr has ran lots of tests but hasn't been able to find any cause yet and attributes it to anxiety. I just can't get my head round how I can have 24/7 stomach issues for 6 months from anxiety! It feels like an awful loop I am stuck in too of my stomach being bad fueling my anxiety and then my anxiety being bad keeping my stomach issues going.

Enjoyed reading your post and found some ideas in it which i may try thanks.

I am in exactly the same place as you, 6 months since I noticed it, and my mind has had me suffering from every illness that could be remotely associated with it. Totally exhausting. The worst is waking up and immediately experiencing that unwelcome sense of panic and terror. Lots of tests and nothing so far except a low iron count in the blood. I live alone and have poor eyesight so reading anything more than a few forum posts is difficult so distraction is hard. Valium seems to take the edges off the panic but (understandably) my doctor is unwilling to give me a repeat prescription. All the doctors I have seen recommend propranolol but that is a beta blocker and I would totally freak out on them. It is comforting to know that I am not alone, but as I'm sure everyone knows that the comfort and reassurance never seems to last. It's all so terribly depressing.

Can I ask what sort of tests you all have had for your stomach problems, I have all them symptoms but too scared to go to the doctors because of having tests they just frighten the life out of me .

I've only had blood tests.
I'm with you about going to the doctors. I hate it, but my tests just required a visit to the nurse and her taking a quick blood sample. Five minutes in and out.