Anxiety is so bad I can't function

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hi all,

I'm suffering so badly with my anxiety at the minute.

I started having chronic diarrhoea after Christmas. Docs blamed my ibs but for me it was different. It was every morning and could go on all day but mainly the mornings. Fast forward to now and I've been referred to the gastro as my stool sample came back with inflammation. I've been stressing so much about my pancreas as my stools are pale and fatty. With all the worrying my anxiety is out of control. I've lost my appetite. I feel sick and gag alot. My mind is totally gone and I now don't know if my anxiety is making me have these symptoms or it is my pancreas. I can't eat and when I force myself I feel so sick and feels like the food is getting stuck in my throat. I've lost weight in the past 2 weeks and I just feel so helpless.

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    I'm sorry about your anxiety. I also suffer diarrhea a lot few weeks ago. It's been on and off. When i hv diarrhea, i eat greek yogurt and it's really help. Yogurt can help digestive system and i'm starting to eat again yesterday.

    • Posted

      Aww thank you. It's been a rough few weeks. It's mainly in the morning but I guess that's when my anxiety is the worst.

  • Posted

    A lot of your "IBS" symptoms can be caused by anxiety and anxiety alone. Sucks but it can affect your body in so many different ways. Your stool sample showing signs of inflammation can mean a lot of different things so try not to stress to much about that.  I found this below all about pale and fatty stools...you could just have something like gallstones, celiac disease,  or a bacterial overgrowth...not everything is the worst case scenario. Also if you look at the last one, Graves disease/hyperthyroidism, that could explain the weight loss as well. I would talk to my doctor about these options and see about getting tested for them to rule them out as well. 

    "Conditions affecting the pancreas. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency[2] can be caused by chronic pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis and pancreatic cancer (if it obstructs biliary outflow).[1]

    Conditions affecting bile salts. Obstruction of the bile ducts by gallstones (choledocholithiasis), primary sclerosing cholangitis, liver damage (intrahepatic cholestasis), hypolipidemic drugs, or changes following gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy).[1]

    Conditions producing intestinal malabsorption. These include celiac disease, bacterial overgrowth, tropical sprue, Giardiasis (a protozoan parasite infection), Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, short bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and abetalipoproteinemia.[1][3]

    Other causes. Drugs that can produce steatorrhea include orlistat, a slimming pill, or as adverse effect of octreotide or lanreotide, used to treat acromegaly or other neuroendocrine tumors.[4] It can be found in Graves' disease / hyperthyroidism.[1]" 

    • Posted

      Yes I will ask the doctor when I go see him. Not had my appointment through yet. I did look at celiac as I have so many of the symptoms but I've had a blood test that came back normal. My recent bloods show I'm not anemic. My hemoglobin is the best it's ever been. Yes I agree with the anxiety and what it does to your body. It's the mornings. I wake up fine and within a minute my thoughts start, gurgling tummy starts, then I need the loo! The loss of appetite came when I got my results that I have inflammation in my bowels. I think I was happy to believe it was ibs so when I got that back and the GP said it's not ibs I freaked out. I fear food as I know some foods will make me worse so I've been cutting back on fatty foods and bread. But bread is such a big part of my diet so it's hard. Unfortunately when i get something in my head I just can't shake it and I can't function. I spent yesterday in bed feeling so sick. Today has been a better day though. This all started after an episode of severe anxiety after my dad became ill. It's so draining and ruining my family life.

  • Posted

    This isn't something you should use every time, but have you tried diarrhea relief tablets such as imodium? For some reason diarrhea also sets off my anxiety and I think imodium is the only thing that stops it. If you have prolonged diarrhea I wouldn't recommend taking it every day however.

    Have you tried changes to your diet? Eating high fibre foods or even things like eggs that bind you up? Is your doctor going to be testing your pancreas? I think there must be an underlying cause if your stools also seem to be pale, hopefully you can get to the bottom of it (excuse the unintentional pun) soon!

    • Posted

      They did bloods for my pancreas that came back fine. I hope the gastro will do more tests as that's my main concern.

    • Posted

      I am glad your results came back fine! I hope the tests they perform give you some answers!
  • Posted

    You should be taking a probiotic at least 10 billion active cultures. The more anxiety you have the more loose stools you will have. You have serotonin in your gut as well as your brain. Stick to bland foods and don't drink. Hope you feel better soon!!

  • Posted

    Thank you all. I hate it when I get like this. I have no appetite at all. I hate it. Yes I do take immodium sometimes. It's always the mornings. It's so weird. My stomach is so noisy too. Just wish I could switch off for a day. It's draining.

  • Posted

    Hello sezza

    I am sorry for your anxiety, I also often get diarrhea when I eat foods that are new to my stomach.

    When I have diarrhea, I just drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration. chemical medication would be helpful too

    • Posted

      Yes I'm keeping my fluids up. It's draining isn't it. I've been 4 times today.

    • Posted

      hi do you have an update regarding fatty stools?i have the same symptoms and im so scared

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