New Here/Tummy Troubles =(

[angelicmegan]

Hey Everyone,

I am new here, but I am no stranger to health related forums, although now I am trying to focus more on my anxiety than the health part of it, if I can help it! I have been a long time anxiety sufferer, but the health anxiety has just flared up in the last 4 years. I have been through the ALS, MS, Cancer, Tumor and mole scares. I have muscle twitching, headaches, an achy body among other things.

I am currently really concerned about some gastrointestinal issues I have been having for the past 3 months or so. Back in May is started just as an abdominal fullness on the left side with ocassional shooting pains and twinges, as well as (I know TMI) some shooting pains deep in my rectum. Went to a GP (not my normal one) who said he didn't think it was anything to worry about, but I should check with my GYN just to make sure. Went to my GYN, found out that I had a small ovarian cyst, that wasn't cancerous or anything like that. Great right? I thought, now this will go away and i'll be okay again.

Well after they found the cyst the pain continued (its now gone by the way), only now it has traveled more up to my stomach, just beneath my sternum. Its isually just a discomfort or a knawing feeling. Sometimes it feels acidy though, and sometimes it radiates to my back or down to and around my belly button. I also feel like I only eat a few bites and feel too full, and very uncomfortable. I just went to my normal GP this week and he said he thinks its acid, and gave me the generic prescription for Prilosec and told me to come back in two weeks and see how I am then. Now I am starting to feel nauseated in the middle of the night too 

I am only 24 and know that its probably just acid reflux, or maybe even just an ulcer or gastritis or something, but I obviously cannot help but think this is something scarier! I keep thinking the worst like, pancreatic cancer, or stomach cancer or colon cancer or something. Anyone go through this scare? Anyone have any opinions on my symptoms? I am grasping at straws today 

Megan

[angelicmegan]

No one going to take this one? 

[the worrier]

Hello there back in January I started having really bad stomach problems as well.... I wasn't sure what it was it felt like heartburn I guess... Since I
had never had heartburn before I wasn't sure... So of course I started to freak out thinking it was something with my heart or that I had some
bad stomach disease...I also had a bloated feeling all the time ..Needless to say it lasted for a while and some days were better then others.... Then one Sunday after church the pain got so bad and I couldn't take it anymore... I ended up at the ER and they gave me some kind of drink with mylanta and something that numbed my throat a bit... They thought I might have an ulcer.... Well I finally made an appt to see a Gastro Dr.  He said he thought it might be an ulcer but he couldn't be
sure so I had an endoscopy done... (this is where they go down your throat to check your stomach)  I was so scared but it all went well and all he found
was that my stomach was inflamed and they took a piece of tissue from my stomach and had it set to the lab...I had freaked myself out thinking they were
going to find something so wrong maybe even cancer.... but when it was all said and done I had this thing called H-Pylori... just some bacteria that grows
in your stomach... He said most of us have it but it some times doesn't cause symptoms so we never know.... I took 2 weeks of antibiotics and haven't
really had to much trouble anymore... I just have to watch what I eat every now and then as greasy and acidic foods can cause me to have that burning
feeling in my tummy.... So try not to worry and maybe you can ask your Dr to check for the H-Pylori most Dr's don't check for that....It might be worth
checking into..... Yours could also just be anxiety or nerves.  try not to worry to much that only makes it worse.....   

[angelicmegan]

Thanks. I know you are probably right... and I have good days and bad days too, which tells me its probably nothing too serious. But the dumb thing is.... I worry about getting stuff like an endoscope done! What if something goes wrong? Dumb right?! I am just trying to find a way to tell myself to take my medicine, and let this be whatever its going to be for the next two weeks, and follow up with the doctor like he said. I am trying to find a way to put this worry in a box until its necessary to think about it again. Its so hard!

[the worrier]

Hey there I know what you mean about taking meds... I hate taking meds and I was so worried when they told me I would have to have an endoscopy done... I was anxious the whole time until my appt.... My Dr was so super nice and his nurse was awesome too.... I let her know that I have anxiety and that this was really making my anxiety creep up.... She told me to just take a deep breath and then she went and explained exactly what they were going to do and the meds she was going to give me through my IV and how it might make me feel so I wouldn't freak out.... That really helped and once they gave me the med through my IV to start relaxing me wow was I relaxed they wheeled me into the room where they were going to do the procedure and the Dr said this what we are about to do and then next thing you know they are waking me up in recovery... Don't remember a thing after the Dr said this is what we are going to do.... but I always get my self worked up so bad and then when I find out its something simple I kick my self in the but for making myself sick with worrying for nothing... but that is what I do best is worry like crazy     I have good day and bad days.... Just hang in there and if it keeps bothering you just get it checked out and it might just give you that piece of mind your looking for to calm down your stomach....  I will be praying for you.... God is with us every step of the way just lean on him for a while if you need to....


The Worrier