Pain in stomach NOT heartburn

[skippy66]

Don't know if I'm over-reacting here but,

I've been getting upper stomach pains on and off for months. The pain is not heartburn, it almost feels muscular but I know it's not because it's related to eating.

So it's a stomach thing, but not heartburn. I read that this type of pain is a red flag for doctors to look for cancer.

I've been on acid reducing pills for nearly 2 months but I still get these pains. Surely another marker for stomach cancer.

The next step is an endoscopy but I was googling about the procedure and read about a 27 yr old having one and then a day after having a heart attack despite clear arteries.

So I think I need an endoscopy to diagnose stomach cancer, but I'm terrified of it because of the possible side effects.

It's a lose-lose situation.

[beebutterfly91]

Hello skippy,

First of all, calm down . NEVER google symptoms or anything like that, it will frighten the life out of you! (Iv been there lol) Have you been to the doctors about it, its really the best place to start an endoscopy seems quite extreme, its more likely you'll have a physical examination. DO try not to think about the C word, as there are so many causes of stomache pains..

What are these pains like?
Upper abdominal like a really hard achey feeling? is the pain long or in short bursts?
I know you may not think its related to eating but you may find it is, as organs from all different parts of the body can cause upper abdominal pain, for example, erm, an inflammation or infection in the kidneys etc, whats your diet like? If you lack a certain necessity in your diet this can have a lot to do with how your feeling in so many ways. I once found I had some severe upper stomache pains, they were so bad i didnt want to move and they made me very ill, then by chance I had a big fruit smoothie and the pain went away. A friend of mine experienced the same thing
They dont tell you to eat five a day for nothing, thats for sure! I know you may think you may be eating well but perhaps introduce some more fruit into your diet?
If you have a job that doesnt allow exercise, such as an office job where your sitting all cramped in a chair for example, this combine with a poor or low in fruit and essentials diet can cause stomache pains. I dont want to get too personal or make you feel uncomfortable but if there are any other symptoms linked to your example or if youve been experiencing anything like constipation then thats may very well be the case, or it may be an eye opener to any other kind of underlying condition such as IBS.

Do let me know more details, I like to think I'm a little bit medical minded !
but hope your feeling better,

Concerned aspiring student nurse. x