Please help rationalise my stomach problems

[hellosugar87]

As the title says....can anyone help me talk through this? I know I'm looking for reassurance but I just cannot seem to move on and focus on treating my anxiety because I'm still worried about and underlying cause.

Start of Jan I got my vaccine booster (no issues worrying this has caused anything)
However, this one gave me an upset tummy for four days which then kicked off all my issues. I started getting a burning/gnawing/stabby pain in my right side back behind my ribs, and eventually it started hurting on thr front of my abdomen too right where the dueodem or gallbladder might be. It's much worse after I eat, and causes lots of horrible rumbling in my stomach. At same time, I've developed indigestion and heartburn which, although q long time ibs and anixety sufferer, I've never had before. My stomach feels super angry. Along with this I generally have soft stools or diarrhea , all yellow....even when I take immodium!

I had a similar pain to this after a stomach bug back in July, went to hospital as they thought gallbladder stones, had scans and bloods, all clear. Sent home on IBS dx.

So now I've been to docs in total panic, I've suffered ibs but that usually affects my whole abdomen, I've never had such a deep specific pain before. They did bloods and liver functions, all of that, stool test too. All came back clear and they just told me it was IBS. By this point, I've realised I'm losing about 1lb a day! Due to constant nausea and sore stomach, I am eating but still losing so much weight. I've lost almost 10lbs in just over a week.

I'm an absolute mess. To make matters worse, the doc said to try sertraline again so now I'm on day 7 of that, my stomach pain is even worse. Docs said that omeporqzole and mebevrine would clear this all up but I don't feel better at all, or like I even will get better. I'm absolutely convinced I must have some kind of tumour. It's almost like I can feel something in there. I've had all the palpation and my docs assured me that because I had a scan in July I can't possibly have cancer. I just cannot rationalise this. Every day I wake up more fearful!

Would the tests have missed something serious? If I was losing dramatic weight and having pain due to some cancer of stomach ect would it show up in bloods and scan from that long ago? (I've had new bloods done last week all clear but no scan since july)

I'm so sad right now, I feel like I've lost control of my life after spending so much money and time in therapy, weaning off sertraline, i feel like I'm back where I started except worse because I feel like I'm going to die.

[hellosugar87]

Anyone please got any advice for me?

I now feel nauseous all day every day and cannot tell if its because of my stomach or the restarting sertraline..I feel terrible 😪

[Catkins]

It could well be connected to starting the sertraline again.

Don't feel bad about starting them up again. Life can be very tough, especially the last couple of years, and sometimes we need a helping hand.

[hellosugar87]

Thanks so much for listening. I'm just so paranoid because I already felt so ill, now I don't know if the sertraline is masking something terrible.

I feel so poorly right now and in a right state. To make matters worse, my period is now late and I'm never ever late, so I've taken that as a sign my body is not working right/shutting down! (Deffo not pregnant)

[mark212312]

Just posted the same to someone else - if you have a look at my posts from 2020 I had the exact same issues just on the left side final diagnosis was trapped wind from reflux and IBS; out of interest do you find you swallow a lot ie post nasal drip; Dr told me that it’s a sure fire way of collecting wind subconsciously and is made worse with reflux. Incidentally when it came back after my second Covid shot I got the same advice.

[hellosugar87]

Just posted the same to someone else - if you have a look at my posts from 2020 I had the exact same issues just on the left side final diagnosis was trapped wind from reflux and IBS; out of interest do you find you swallow a lot ie post nasal drip; Dr told me that it’s a sure fire way of collecting wind subconsciously and is made worse with reflux. Incidentally when it came back after my second Covid shot I got the same advice.

I do actually have a bit of post nasal drip at the moment. I don't know if that started before the stomach issues or not. My throat is sore a lot too and I clear my throat often. I deffo am much more gassy. As soon as food literally goes down my throat my stomach starts to rumble and bubble.

I'm just not used to feeling the pain it's so high up it doesn't feel like it's in my colon or intestines. I know I've worked myself into a state over this. I've had 3 docs pretty much point blank tell me it's nothing. But to me it feels so very really like *something * and I can't get all those stories out of my head of younger people being misdiagnosed with IBS only to go on and find out they have terminal illness.

I've tried every tool.box trick for my anxiety. I'm back on my meds, I've spoken to my therapist a couple of times, I'm using techniques we work on in those sessions. Nothing is touching the sides of my fear and anxiety right now because the pains keep popping up.

[mark212312]

See if deflatine makes you burp - you do sound just the same as me and like I said in my long posts at the time I ended up with two ultrasounds a CT scan and three lots of blood tests. Personally I go with Nexium and Gaviscon advance when my reflux flares up (sparkling wine sets mine off) also you have to give the meds time to work Nexium says two weeks on the box but my GP told me it can take up to two months its just you should see a Dr after two so they know.

[hellosugar87]

Thanks I will have a look at nexium. I do have some gaviscon I take in even with my sertraline.

Dare I say I think my pain is lesser today. Maybe meds kicking in?

I still have absolutely ZERO appetite, can't even eat a whole piece of toast. Am trying not to panic in case I set my stomach off worse. Hoping the lack of appetite is partly anxiety partly taking sertraline.

[mark212312]

The food thing is anxiety I dropped 6 ibs between going to A&E on the Wednesday and going back on the Saturday (the weight loss then confirmed my self diagnosis) I found it helpful to track what I was eating so that I could show that the weight loss wasn’t unexplained it was because I was self enforcing a diet I didn’t want to go on.

[hellosugar87]

Still feeling worried
Sertraline seems to be settling down slightly.

I still have a mighty upset stomach and the odd right sided pains and.no appetite.....despite taking omeporazole 2 time a day and mebeverine.

Every time I feel a right sided pang I'm right back into panic mode. I feel like my body is just screaming at me to do something. Is that normal with health anxiety? To feel something is so deeply wrong when it isn't?

I know all my ibs symptoms historically have felt mainly right sided, so maybe that's just how it is but this feels so different. Plus I can't find any stories of people with ibs who suffer these same.rught sided rib issues. Its all left side that's normal.

I'm so stuck because all my test bloods and stools came back good, my scan in July was clear, the docs won't go any further with testing (esp as I'm only 34)

But I've read so many stories lately where young people were continually misdiagnosed with ibs.

I'm not in loads of pain. It's more an intermittent niggle.

I don't know where to go from here. I cannot reassure myself enough, 3 doctors cannot reassure me, the tests don't reassure me, the therapy doesn't help, my qnixety tool kit hasn't helped, the sertraline hasn't helped yet. I feel like that's a sure fire sign i have cancer and should take extreme action to be seen. But I have no money so I can't even do the extreme and go private.