Panicking every morning

Each morning I’m waking up in a panic attack and I need it to stop. I worry what the day is going to bring for my digestion. Will I reflux all day? Will I feel sick? Will food stay down? Will this food hurt me? The thoughts happen when I’m semi conscious so I’m panicking when I already wake up.

Then I reflux or get a painful hiccups or burp. And bam, the anxiety sky rockets and I want to scream or cry as once again I don’t have a day that will be symptoms free. It’s another one battling this stupid GERD and digestive issues. I have the acid under control with medication and diet but I still get the symptoms above, it just doesn’t burn. I want to cry writing that as there is no way out. I don’t want the surgery as it could leave me unable to swallow and I’m not mentally strong enough for the recovery period.

The gps have told me for years that my anxiety is making my reflux and digestive systems worse. I get how it can make IBS worse but don’t understand how it can make me burp and reflux. But if that’s the case, I need to stop the anxiety to reduce the reflux. But I need to stop refluxing to reduce the anxiety. I’m stuck and I feel like it will go on forever and I’ll have painful and irritating reflux forever that will reduce the quality of my life.

I’m seeing a therapist starting Tuesday but any help on here would be welcome. X

I know it's tough, but you need to behave as though the hiccupping and burping are normal bodily functions. They're not symptoms, they're just sensations, a harmless nuisance.

If you keep on working on nudging yourself and reminding yourself what's rational, you'll gradually begin to feel better.

Thanks. Trouble is google says they are symptoms.

Yes, but we all know Google talks a lot of rubbish sometimes :)

Ha. Yes that’s true! So ill just try to think of those as annoying sensations. I need to put things into perspective! Thank you

No worries, I know how tough this sort of thing can be.