Terrified and worried about colon or stomach cancer

[anxious_thoughts]

Pelvic floor will do it too...

Heartburn and sore throat is the GERD (I have GERD)

I find Gaviscon Advance to be helpful with the heartburn...

Yes it definitely will!

I feel like I’m in a GERD flare up as I’ve had heart burn almost daily for a month. Although I changed my diet 3 weeks ago and it’s calmed down quite a bit. But I swear my esophagus is raw and tender. I also think anxiety may be making me think too much about it and causing symptoms to worsen. :( it’s a bad cycle

[anxious_thoughts]

Today I had food at a restaurant. I had a chicken goat cheese and spinach wrap. It had red pepper in it so I picked them out.

A couple hours later I felt this intense feeling in my chest. Like burning and painful, then a bitter taste in my mouth. First time having that feeling. I’m so scared. Will this ever get better?

[.Poppy.]

Could it have been heartburn? I have a friend that can't eat spinach at all without that reaction.

[Button1]

My husband gets this if any of his food has even been NEAR an onion. Also I have a thing about my stomach and have panic reactions occasionally when I eat. That produces burning too. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this is panic to be honest x

[anxious_thoughts]

Could it have been heartburn? I have a friend that can't eat spinach at all without that reaction.

It was definitely heart burn. But never felt it that intensely before. Usually spinach is okay for me. But I think the red peppers set me off. Feeling better today but still have burning in throat. Ugh this is so annoying!!

[anxious_thoughts]

My husband gets this if any of his food has even been NEAR an onion. Also I have a thing about my stomach and have panic reactions occasionally when I eat. That produces burning too. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this is panic to be honest x

Oh interesting!! I think that the peppers touching the rest of it gave me that too. But I had the same wrap back in August and picked out the peppers and was okay back then. Not sure why it’s ramped up :(

Does your reaction happen hours later? I notice most of the time if I get heart burn it’s while I eat the triggering food, my throat will start to hurt. But this time it happened a couple hours after. I was hanging out with friends and not particularly anxious. But I realize I was sitting a bit hunched and leaning forward, wondering if that had anything to do with it.

[Button1]

It happens later than the food usually, any sense I’m digesting and sometimes I panic. I also panic about my digestion being off when I wake up and immediately my stomach feels uncomfortable. I think my anxiety is quite deep rooted in my gut and triggers me without me even being immediately conscious of it. If I do something as minor as go to the loo and all is ok (because that’s what success looks like in my world now &#128514 all discomfort disappears!

[anxious_thoughts]

So I've been noticing that the last few days, I'll get regular stool in the morning and then maybe loose stools in the afternoon, then the following day I'll get constipation. So yesterday, I had a regular stool in the morning, then late morning I had loose stools.

Today so far I haven't been able to go. I have the urge to but it's just not coming out, I'm trying not to strain. This pattern has been happening since Friday that I've noted it down but it's happened before too. I've completely changed my diet because of suspected GERD this month, so no trigger foods such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, and bell peppers. I used to have loose stools all the time or would go quite often, never constipated before this. Should I be concerned? I'm nervous about not being able to have a bowel movement because it's not typically like me, but I try to remember the diet change...

Edit:
Also to add in, due to prior stress back when I was planning my own wedding, I Had to see a pelvic floor therapist in august and September because of the on and off constipation and the tightness and tension in my pelvic area, I kept doing a Kegel without wanting to, and had pain in my private area due to this. I stopped doing my stretches, so wondering if I need to get back on those. I just expected it to go away after the wedding but it hasn't.

Edit 2:

I have been taking Pepcid this week and last week, maybe it's causing constipation? But why is it every other day, and why is it that I can only have a BM in the morning when I do have one, or that I get loose stools every other day?

[Button1]

I mean that’s a classic stressed digestive response. It’s not ringing alarm bells for me? I have a similar pattern when I have an IBS flare, usually for me it’s loose in the morning and more solid later in the day. Some days I feel like I need to go because I’m obsessed by having bowel cancer so I feel the urge but it’s not a genuine one and it makes me feel I must be constipated even though I’m probably not. However a very known side effect of Pepcid is constipation so I suspect that’s what is happening with you x

[anxious_thoughts]

I mean that’s a classic stressed digestive response. It’s not ringing alarm bells for me? I have a similar pattern when I have an IBS flare, usually for me it’s loose in the morning and more solid later in the day. Some days I feel like I need to go because I’m obsessed by having bowel cancer so I feel the urge but it’s not a genuine one and it makes me feel I must be constipated even though I’m probably not. However a very known side effect of Pepcid is constipation so I suspect that’s what is happening with you x

I think you’re right, Button. I actually had a fibre filled lunch and dinner and have been able to go twice now. I think it’s anxiety related for sure. Probably lots of tension in my pelvic area.

This bowel cancer fear is quite scary. Do you have GERD as well as IBS? I never knew Pepcid caused constipation, okay that makes SO much sense.