anxiety/digestive

[valleyplayer42]

Can it really be anxiety for 7 years making my stomach be like this for 7 years? (Strange boubling feeling near rectum yes, random pains, feeling of swelling or inflammation on lower right side, nausea A LOT, and everything else) constant for 7 years. Not getting worse, not getting better stomach issues. And every other symptom that I have during the day even when I'm NOT anxious, it can still be anxiety? Most of the time when I look up anxiety symptoms I see symptoms during an attack... So unless I'm living in an anxiety attack itself I understand. Wierd? I have a lot of problems, but ur replies to anything helps.

[leanneat]

Have u ever had any tests ran? I was having alot of stomach issues and went to stomach dr--had xrays and blood tests and everything came back fine. I have IBS--which goes with anxiety..like we need another problem to make us nervous....Asked for lower GI ultrasound and colonoscopy if things continue...

[valleyplayer42]

Its been continuing for 7 years, it doesn't end. Could it be IBS

[bababel]

Absolutely could be IBS.  Actually, because it's been going on for 7 years it most probably IS IBS.  If it were serious you would know it by now.  I haven't been officially diagnosed with it but because my horrible tummy symptoms have been going on for 2 years now I am pretty sure I have it.  I get nauseaus ALL THE TIME!  Then I have gas and pain and other such things constantly as well.

It doesn't sound serious.  It sounds like you have IBS caused by anxiety!

[Czad]

Same here. I've had stomach issues for a while now. My father does too, (and he even told they started in his 20's, and I'm 20 now) so I suspect it could be genetic. I get those infamous gurgling sounds nearly every day, along with abdominal discomfort, nausea, thin or flat stools, indigestion, heartburn etc. It sucks. This all contributes to my colon cancer fears, and it seems the more I worry about it, the worse my symptoms get. That sounds pretty typical of IBS from the research I've done. I haven't been diagnosed with IBS either, but I too am pretty sure it's what I have.

[lbrickme]

I've had stomach problems for years.  For a long time I had problems with gas & stomach pain.  Then it progressed to diarrhea.  Now I'm having problems with constipation.  I have had a colonoscopy and I have been diagnosed with IBS.  I am 100% confident that it is caused or at least exacerbated by stress because when I was on Celexa for about 9 months my GI problems abated.  This may be, in part, because your GI tract has more serotonin (a neurotransmitter that plays a role in anxiety) receptors than your brain.  Interesting huh?

I wanted to correct a misconception that you have about having symptoms only during an anxiety attack or when having a panic attack.  I have had so many symptoms of anxiety but have not ever had a panic attack. I suffer from general anxiety that wanes and waxes over the course of a day/week/month.  You should know that anxiety symptoms and a feeling of anxiety are not a 1:1 correlation.  Meaning that you don't have to be feeling anxious in that moment to have anxiety symptoms.  You don't even have to be anxious that day or that week.  I've learned this from some good therapists and doctors, some good books (i.e. Claire Weekes) as well as from experience. The fact that you have anxiety means that your nervous system is out-of-whack.  It's erratic, unpredictable.  So sometimes you'll have symptoms even when you're feeling fine because, in general, you've overtaxed your system (as have I!).  So it doesn't behave in a "logical" way.

[SkittishSari]

I've also got IBS. I've had it off and on my whole adult life. I agree with the others, if it was something really serious, you'd be way worse by now. I've got a strong family history of Crohn's so, believe me, you'd know. Bowel disease is pretty darn obvious (lots of blood, excruciating pain, massive weight loss, etc).

[valleyplayer42]

Guys, everyone of your posts have helped me and felt more condifent in it being IBS.

[valleyplayer42]

Does this mean, these non life threatening symptoms like IBS or whatever it may be for me... Mean I will get something worse in the long run? I eat so healthy... Salmon, greens, fish, chicken, etc.

[bababel]

No studies have ever shown that IBS leads to shorter life-span or any other diseases.  It's just uncomfortable.  Talk to your doctor about ways to manage it.  I can honestly say that since i've been getting better anxiety-wise, my IBS is better too.  Take care of your anxiety and you will find that your IBS becomes better as well.

[pernod33]

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Hi Guys,

I started having tummy problems a few months ago when I was put on my 3rd course of antibiotics for a bladder infection...I started getting this very mild spasm like pain in the lower part of my groin area on the left hand side.  I talked to my doc about it at the time and he instantly told me it sounded like irritable bowel and told me to get Colpamene which are basically peppermint tabs..they seemed to help and that was that.  Then months later I got really bad sinus and they must have been VERY strong antibiotics cos I got really bad thrush and the exact same kind of pain came back again..it's almost always on the left hand side and it goes from being near the belly button to my lower groin area....it's not unbearable at all, just very, very annoying.  I got paranoid when I had my bladder infections that it was bladder cancer or something else more serious and I've been doing pretty much the same thing lately....the longer I feel the pain for I start thinking all sorts of stuff, stomach cancer, bowel cancer, colon cancer..I've looked up pretty much everything (on google of course!) and it just makes it worse.  I spoke to my doc again today cos I went for an ultrasound about a week ago and the results came back all clear but the pain came back along with constipation and diarrhea (goes back and forth between the two).

has anyone else gone through something similar?    My doc says me stressing and worrying about it is only making it worse and I am trying my best to relax and chill, just don't think it's natural to be this paranoid about a tummy pain....I figure if it was something very serious I would have a whole load of other symptoms.  I stress as a rule but the last few months have just been so much more worse than usual....my boyfriend said something funny to me this morning when I told him I'd started worrying bout it again...I said I had actually thought to my self that maybe the ultrasound wasn't enough and he was like "baby, it's not like cancer will hide itself, if it was there, it would have been found"..it just made me laugh..

Anyway, any comments, tips etc greatly appreciated...

E