Worried about stomach symptoms

[ChrisMayo]

Hello everyone,

I haven't posted here for a couple of years, which I guess is a good thing, but I've hit a snag.

Basically over the last month my anxiety has crept in, I've lost weight, and now I'm having a lot of stomach problems.

I was getting dizzy initially, so they did some blood tests and everything was fine (Full blood count, liver, kidneys, blood sugar, thyroid, etc)

Recently my dizziness has got better, but I've had really bad nausea, have lost half a stone (in a month), feeling very bloated, and lots of burping and passing word. I feel full a lot of the time, which is putting me off eating, and my stomach is constantly gurgling.

I saw the Dr today who said it was very unusual to lose that much weight, and wasn't normal for anxiety (I thought it was!). I've always been very skinny and lost weight easily, so I assumed that was down to the anxiety / stress, but now he's got me worried.

I've been asked to give a stool sample, have more blood tests, and to have an abdominal scan. He said if that's all normal, then he'd send me to see a gastroenterologist to maybe have an endoscopy but wanted to save that as a last resort.

Basically I've scared myself into thinking it's cancer, despite them both feeling my stomach and saying they wouldn't even consider it being cancer.

Has anyone experienced these symptoms? It's mainly the weight loss and nausea that has me worried. I'm always very active and not eating a massive amount, but it's still bothering me.

Sorry for the long message, but would appreciate any advice / words.

Thank you

[susan1963]

hiya chris, i too have had problems with my stomach over the last 6 months, due to stress i think, i had a barium swallow due to swallowing problems thankfully its just acid reflux, anyhow ive had tight feeling in the middle of my stomach, feeling nauseas, pains under my left rib, after eating, a lump in my throat, tight throat spasms, acid burps and loud belching, wind, you name it ive had it lol my doc told me it was down to acid reflux and stress, so it sounds to me we have more or less the same symptoms, bloomin stress/anxiety is the pits, but it will get better, as im starting to feel a bit better after 6 months of it.... take care

[Annie0904]

I have ibs and get a lot of those symptoms. I also get nausea with anxiety and loss of appetite and I have lost a lot of weight recently due to not being able to eat much but I know it is because I am so anxious all the time.

[ChrisMayo]

Hey Susan,
Thanks for replying. Sorry to hear you've been through all that too. No fun!. It was just the losing weight that alerted my doctor to send me for all the tests and so on, and the reason I'm worrying.

I know I've lost weight when I've been under stress / anxiety before, and I'm not eating loads, because of all the symptoms, but still hard to put it to the back of your mind and think rationally when you know all the horrible things it could be too.

---------- Post added at 18:23 ---------- Previous post was at 18:21 ----------

Thanks Annie. I keep telling myself it's just the anxiety causing all the weight loss, but it's easy to think the worst first.

[ChrisMayo]

Anyone else going through something similar?

I've had tests for coeliac disease, as well as Helicobacter Pylori which I'm getting back at the end of the week.

Also awaiting a letter for an abdominal scan.

Keep telling myself the chances of it being stomach cancer are very small, but every now and then my brain freaks out.

[robin321]

I think you probably have an ulcer, or maybe some kind of reflux. If you had stomach cancer, and that was causing those symptoms, your bloods would have been out wack.

[lisa1975]

Hi I have hpylori very similar sympthoms I'm on tablets to try an get rid of it at the moment I've been trying to get rid for 10 years on an of with no luck but thankfully most people treatment works right away if that's what it is .

[ChrisMayo]

Thanks guys,

Just want to be able to eat without feeling gassy or sick, or like I haven't eaten at all.

I've had H. Pylori once before and it was a similar sort of thing, but will just have to wait for test results to come back I guess :(

[paranoidtree]

it sounds similiar to something i suffered from many years ago. i lost 6 stone in a year because i couldn't eat. i felt sick all the time. had tummy pains and gas. they did test after test, i even had an endoscopy and in the end told me it was probably anxiety related IBS. the silly thing is before the tummy problems started i wasn't that anxious! but it certainly triggered a lot for me (which i know understand was trauma related and am working through it).

I think it is very unlikely to be cancer, it sounds like your doctor is being thorough with the tests and scan and hopefully they can find something so you can start treatment and start to feel better OR that they find nothing at all and you can accept it's anxiety and start to heal.

Either way, i hope you feel better soon.

[bernie1977]

Hi Chris, I have had stomach problems for a few years and was diagnosed with acid reflux and put on omeprazole. In the last 3 months I've had two really bad flare ups of what my Doctor has said is gastritis. I felt terribly sick constantly and in both instances this lasted for two weeks. I was only able to eat a few crackers as I felt so ill. I had acid coming up into my mouth all the time and this burnt my throat and made it sore. I was told to double up my omeprazole for 4 weeks and also given ranitidine.

It has cleared now but my appetite hasn't returned to normal. I couldn't be tested for h.pylori as the omeprazole stops a clear result according to my Doctor.

Good luck and please come back and let us know how you got on