Anyone else suffer from these stomach issues?

[ZPuppy]

Hello - I am new here but have been suffering from health anxiety since I was a teenager. I am 44 now. Male, married, 3 kids. I have had so many phantom diseases that my friends all make fun of me and call me a walking medical miracle because I have lived to be 44 despite having diagnosed myself with several forms of cancer the past 20 years - Testicular, Pancreatic, Esophogeal, colon....
My latest symptoms have me convinced I have some type of liver disease. I had been a heavy drinker for many years to help me cope with my anxiety (I suffered severe panic attacks after my dad passed away when I was 20) and health worries, and now I am convinced it has caught up with me. I have been to the doctor many times complaining of stomach issues --- ultrasounds, colonoscopies, yearly blood tests....only diagnosis has been Non-Ulcer Dyspepsia. Never had an abnormal liver enzyme test.
Yet I am convinced that they are missing something because my stomach symptoms are getting worse. Gnawing pain, constant gurgling, bloated, constipated...you name it.
The kicker is I saw a acupuncturist a year and a half ago and he told me my liver was bad just by looking at me. Since then I had an ultrasound and blood tests --- all normal and my GP sort of discounted the acupuncturist. My friends say I should listen to real medical tests and not a guy who just looks at your tongue and sticks needles in your body.
Anyway - these stomach issues have me scared. My friends say it's IBS....that it's all in my head and by brain is causing my stomach issues. My wife is getting tired of my constant self-diagnosis and just wants me to enjoy life. I have read that your mind can play tricks on your body. But I am convinced the doctor is going to tell me that I have severe issues....
Sorry for the long post....but it is controlling my LIFE! Is it in my head or is the damage done??!!

 

[janemariesayed]

Hiya @ZPuppy and a very warm welcome to our forum. I'm sorry what you are going through. Anxiety is horrible. With your stomach cramps, have you made a check on what you are eating? It sounds like something you are eating is not agreeing with you. Flour products can cause pain and bloating. It can be something as simple as that. One a day, cut out something from your diet and see if you are any better. You may have an allergy to something you are unaware of.

 

[Kelculator]

You're right, the mind is awfully good at playing tricks on us. I have had vertigo, dizziness, chest pain, trouble swallowing, all because of just my mind alone. Anxiety can cause stomach problems too, ranging from vomiting, gurgling, to stomach pain (from my personal experience). Your liver is ok, the tests have proved it. The reason you are scared is not because something is wrong, but because you believe that something is wrong. Try to control your fear instead of being guided by it! Doing so has helped me a lot, although as you can tell it is extremely difficult.
I have had gastro symptoms that turned out to be cause by anxiety before since I kept focusing on my stomach, so may be that is the case for you too. Also, welcome to the forum.

 

[Richard G]

Hello - I am new here but have been suffering from health anxiety since I was a teenager. I am 44 now. Male, married, 3 kids. I have had so many phantom diseases that my friends all make fun of me and call me a walking medical miracle because I have lived to be 44 despite having diagnosed myself with several forms of cancer the past 20 years - Testicular, Pancreatic, Esophogeal, colon....
My latest symptoms have me convinced I have some type of liver disease. I had been a heavy drinker for many years to help me cope with my anxiety (I suffered severe panic attacks after my dad passed away when I was 20) and health worries, and now I am convinced it has caught up with me. I have been to the doctor many times complaining of stomach issues --- ultrasounds, colonoscopies, yearly blood tests....only diagnosis has been Non-Ulcer Dyspepsia. Never had an abnormal liver enzyme test.
Yet I am convinced that they are missing something because my stomach symptoms are getting worse. Gnawing pain, constant gurgling, bloated, constipated...you name it.
The kicker is I saw a acupuncturist a year and a half ago and he told me my liver was bad just by looking at me. Since then I had an ultrasound and blood tests --- all normal and my GP sort of discounted the acupuncturist. My friends say I should listen to real medical tests and not a guy who just looks at your tongue and sticks needles in your body.
Anyway - these stomach issues have me scared. My friends say it's IBS....that it's all in my head and by brain is causing my stomach issues. My wife is getting tired of my constant self-diagnosis and just wants me to enjoy life. I have read that your mind can play tricks on your body. But I am convinced the doctor is going to tell me that I have severe issues....
Sorry for the long post....but it is controlling my LIFE! Is it in my head or is the damage done??!!

My stomach/gut is where all my anxiety shows up in physical symptoms such as nausea, gas, IBS symptoms, etc. etc. It runs in my family. I too have had colonoscopies, all ok. blood tests anually..last one in sep 2017..all ok. In absence of any clinical disease, they call it IBS. Anxiety is definitely a culprit.

 

[XmasCarol52]

Hello - I am new here but have been suffering from health anxiety since I was a teenager. I am 44 now. Male, married, 3 kids. I have had so many phantom diseases that my friends all make fun of me and call me a walking medical miracle because I have lived to be 44 despite having diagnosed myself with several forms of cancer the past 20 years - Testicular, Pancreatic, Esophogeal, colon....
My latest symptoms have me convinced I have some type of liver disease. I had been a heavy drinker for many years to help me cope with my anxiety (I suffered severe panic attacks after my dad passed away when I was 20) and health worries, and now I am convinced it has caught up with me. I have been to the doctor many times complaining of stomach issues --- ultrasounds, colonoscopies, yearly blood tests....only diagnosis has been Non-Ulcer Dyspepsia. Never had an abnormal liver enzyme test.
Yet I am convinced that they are missing something because my stomach symptoms are getting worse. Gnawing pain, constant gurgling, bloated, constipated...you name it.
The kicker is I saw a acupuncturist a year and a half ago and he told me my liver was bad just by looking at me. Since then I had an ultrasound and blood tests --- all normal and my GP sort of discounted the acupuncturist. My friends say I should listen to real medical tests and not a guy who just looks at your tongue and sticks needles in your body.
Anyway - these stomach issues have me scared. My friends say it's IBS....that it's all in my head and by brain is causing my stomach issues. My wife is getting tired of my constant self-diagnosis and just wants me to enjoy life. I have read that your mind can play tricks on your body. But I am convinced the doctor is going to tell me that I have severe issues....
Sorry for the long post....but it is controlling my LIFE! Is it in my head or is the damage done??!!

Hi and welcome oh boy I have health anxieties as well every single time i get sick I imagine I have something serioudly wrong.People can say nasty things just let them go through this crap that we have to deal with every single day,I get sick of hearing don't think about it .HOw can u not think about it? I do wish you wife would be more understanding maybe what you should do is have them read up on anxieties they can certainly play havoc with our minds and bodies.Your friend are not being very nice to u let them try to live with this illness and lets see how fast they will talk nowI just had a thought did you ever check to see and I do not mean to scare you if you have gerd?I have that .it makes your stomach growl and those gurgling sounds to me like gerd,you know acid reflux?Do you ever get like a sour taste in your throat that is the acid forming in your stomach?I will tell you something i have stomach problems to and it isnt all in our heads it is very real,I am a very gassy person I could fart just for looking at a glass of water and i do have a very nervous stomach.Maybe you can asks your doctor if you may have gerd>There are meds for that Oh you dont have to worry how long your post is here we are all family.

 

[sensitive_kat]

Hello , you sound like me , I feel my anxiety messes with my abdominal area. I either cramp or very bloated, I thought I had gallstones but I came out clear, I feel my liver is bad too but on the scan it look normal. But I feel PAIN !! Is driving me nuts and it stops me from eating or having a drink cause I’m scare is going to make me feel worse!

 

[Marcus]

I feel you, I recently have been dealing with some stomach stuff, cramps and pain, constipation and diarrhea, stool changes... I had myself convenced that I had colon cancer.. went to to the doc and had blood tests ran.. came back fine.. also had fecal blood tests done.. also clear. I'm starting to realise that the pain and digestion problems are feeding from the anxiety from those problems causing a horrible loop of digestion problems.. this has also caused weight loss, as I don't eat. The doctor started me on 30mg of cymbalta daily.. that has helped with anxiety.. but the side effects are similar to the digestion problems I had. Loss of appetite and digestion issues. Hoping with time this will clear out. Hang in there.. you are not alone.
Marcus.

 

[Steven]

Hey there. Like many other anxiety sufferers, a lot of my symptoms show up in my stomch. Your symptoms sound pretty normal for someone with severe anxiety. I also think that people with health anxiety tend to notice these types of symptoms and pay more attention to them than people who don’t suffer from anxiety. It’s possible that there are plenty of people you know who also have IBS but simply don’t pay it much attention or even notice it. The more you focus on a symptom like this the worse it will seem. Also, I would try to trust your doctors when they say you are healthy. They go to school for a really long time for a reason.

 

[Titus1229]

Hello - I am new here but have been suffering from health anxiety since I was a teenager. I am 44 now. Male, married, 3 kids. I have had so many phantom diseases that my friends all make fun of me and call me a walking medical miracle because I have lived to be 44 despite having diagnosed myself with several forms of cancer the past 20 years - Testicular, Pancreatic, Esophogeal, colon....
My latest symptoms have me convinced I have some type of liver disease. I had been a heavy drinker for many years to help me cope with my anxiety (I suffered severe panic attacks after my dad passed away when I was 20) and health worries, and now I am convinced it has caught up with me. I have been to the doctor many times complaining of stomach issues --- ultrasounds, colonoscopies, yearly blood tests....only diagnosis has been Non-Ulcer Dyspepsia. Never had an abnormal liver enzyme test.
Yet I am convinced that they are missing something because my stomach symptoms are getting worse. Gnawing pain, constant gurgling, bloated, constipated...you name it.
The kicker is I saw a acupuncturist a year and a half ago and he told me my liver was bad just by looking at me. Since then I had an ultrasound and blood tests --- all normal and my GP sort of discounted the acupuncturist. My friends say I should listen to real medical tests and not a guy who just looks at your tongue and sticks needles in your body.
Anyway - these stomach issues have me scared. My friends say it's IBS....that it's all in my head and by brain is causing my stomach issues. My wife is getting tired of my constant self-diagnosis and just wants me to enjoy life. I have read that your mind can play tricks on your body. But I am convinced the doctor is going to tell me that I have severe issues....
Sorry for the long post....but it is controlling my LIFE! Is it in my head or is the damage done??!!

Zpuppy I am right with you, I’ve struggled with severe health anxiety for over a year now convincing myself of about 6 terminal illnesses in that time. Problem is I’m on my 3rd since August with no space between, I’m currently having some trouble swallowing and my throat feeling swollen. Had this for a little over two weeks, this coincides with being put on Cymbalta, but apparently it’s “ not a side effect” . So if it’s not a side effect then what is it? I’m not sick from a cold or strep I went to the dr for physical last week. It’s either anxiety, meds, or something really bad. I don’t know what to think.

 

[Titus1229]

Like you my wife is at the end of her rope with me, she tired of me walking around all in my head about my symptoms.