Worried about illness??

[PhoenixEmoria]

Hey,

So abiut 2 months ago i started to get problems with eating where I'd started feelimg sick whenever I ate, and i'd lose my appetite. And this for some reason didn't bother me until about a week ago when I began getting anxious over it.

In the natural progression of anxiety, I'm now anxious that I might have stoamch cancer?! I have some symptoms like the bloating and the loss of appetite as well as the nausea, but i have pain in the wrong spot (above the hips instead) and lots of symptoms now from anxiety (throat closing up, chest pain on both sides)?!

I can't sleep anymore, I can't eat, all of my relationships are falling apart and I honestly don't know how i can go on like this. Please help?!

[geoff]

hello PE, welcome to the site and what you have told us is quite a regular feeling with anxiety so at the moment I wouldn't worry, but you should be going to your doctor,

I also suggest you go the 'anxiety' section where this has been discussed and how people have been able to overcome this.

The trouble is that something must be causing all of this to happen and perhaps it's been ongoing. Geoff.

[PhoenixEmoria]

Hi Geoff,

I have checked the anxiety secrion and I haven't found anything that helps me - its an endless cycle, I can't calm down.

What do you mean by something must have caused this?

[PhoenixEmoria]

Sorry, i forgot to mention - i have been to the doctor and even he seemed confused. However he used the phrase when diagnosing me with gastritis 'we'll start small and lead up to the bigger stuff' which has reallyyy stressed me out.

I'm only 18, I can't deal with this?!

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi PheonixEmoria,

Thanks for your post and for being here 🙂

I'm sorry that you have to struggle with this; it sounds like it's been really hard dealing with these stomach issues and fearing that you've now got stomach cancer. Sounds like maybe not knowing why you were feeling sick after you ate kinda escalated that anxiety of thinking something is really wrong.

So it sounds since your Doctor hasn't found out what caused it in the first place he wants to start small and then work up to bigger stuff - and I'm guessing by that he wants to do bloods for a while and then maybe look at scans in the future if he thinks that they are necessary.

The problem with anxiety is that it can really look like anything. Everything that you described; pain, nausea, throwing up, loss of appetite, bloating, throat closing up, chest pain - as awful as they are they are also all symptoms of anxiety. Do you think that since you've gotten more anxious it's made the nausea worse then what it was? The more that you think you have stomach cancer does that make everything seem more intense?

I wonder if it's worth maybe talking to your Doctor about all these thoughts and feelings that you're having. The mind and body are totally linked. It's really easy for our minds to go 'oop, I think I have cancer' even though that's like the worst case scenario. When in reality stomach cancer is pretty rare.

Hope this helps,

[PhoenixEmoria]

Hey romantic_thi3f,

To be fair, that is what my boyfriend is saying about it - that my anxiety is making it worse. In fact, even last night when I made this post I was anxious so I tossed and turned and ended up being sick.

I have to see my doctor in two weeks - I can try that? I'm just scared that i'm going to mention stomach cancer and he's going to say its plausible

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi PheonixEmoria,

Thanks for your post and I appreciate your reply!

Ohh that's kind of a good sign - hearing that your anxiety makes the physical stuff worse. I say that because even though it's awful, it means that once you are able to get a good hold of your anxiety and start to manage it, a lot of this stuff will probably become less intense (and hopefully go away!).

Man that would be so scary if your Doctor said that. Hmm.. well I guess I'm thinking that you said before you were 18 and stomach cancer is so so rare in people under the age of 50. As well as the fact that your anxiety ended up making you sick - that's also a big flag that it's anxiety related rather than not. I really think that the odds are so low. Is this something you're still open to? I really think that it would help. Maybe your boyfriend can come with you for a bit of moral support 🙂

[Hope_for_the_best]

Hi PhoenixEmoria,

Although I am not a doctor, I have a background in health science, and hopefully can shed you some light on it. Please be reassured that you are too young to get stomach cancer, unless you have a very strong family history and that your family members got it at a very young age. It is possible that it is gastritis, and believe it or not, stress and anxiety can make it worse! When I was about your age, I once got similar symptoms like you and went to my doctor many times. He too said that it was gastritis, and gave me antiacid etc. What I looked back, I was simply too stressed out for my studies. I am not sure if your doctor has checked you for H. pylori. If not, it is worth checking for it, as a H. pylori infection can produce symptoms of upset stomach. My doctor got me to do the test after I complained about stomach issues for months. I was tested negative, so it was indeed stress-related. Even if you do get infected, it is easily treated. It is a good idea to get it checked out. Don't worry, it is a very easy test.

Get well soon.