Anxiety of Stomach Issues?
Posted , 5 users are following.
Me: 35-year old white male, slightly overweight (not obese), non-smoker and occasional drinker. I have no underlying conditions and am generally in good health. I rarely even get colds.
Nearing now 4-months ago I went to Urgent Care complaining of mild chest and abdonimal pain. The pain was transient and I can only describe it as the sensation of being somewhat painfully poked in various parts of my chest and upper abdomen. At the UC they did an EKG, urinalysis and chest x-ray. All were normal. The doctor insisted I had anxiety and sent me on my way. I can be an anxious person, this is true, but I know what I feel like when I'm anxious and this wasn't it.
A few months go by and it never fully goes away, but it's more uncomfortable than painful so I just learn to live with it. Then about a month ago I start noticing it more. The chest pains and abdominal pains seem more frequent and hurt just a little more. Again, not so much painful just super uncomfortable and unnatural feeling . I decide it's time to see my GP and make an appointment. The annoying thing is they only do initial video visits because of Covid-19, but it's better than nothing.
A week before the appointment I'm awoken at 4-am to chest pain. It's centralized to the center of my chest and feels like and intense cramping/tightening. I call the 24-hr nurse hotline setup by my insurance and am told to go to the ER to be sure it's not my heart. Once there they do a complete blood workup and another chest x-ray. Normal tests again. The ER doctor is perplexed but doesn't think I'm in any danger as the feeling passed. He's circling some kind of indigestion causing it and tells me to take Mylanta if it happens again.
The week leading up to my video doctor appointment is much of the same. The same chest pains. The same abdominal pains. Sometimes I feel like I have some burning or tightening sensation in my abdomen, but THAT could be anxiety as that's how I normally present and now I actually am starting to get anxious. I try Nexium and Mylanta to see if they help. They do not. In fact the moment I start the Nexium I start having upset stomach, so I only do it for 5-days and stop.
The video appointment with my doctor is pretty much the same schpeal I've gotten with the UC and ER doctors. He thinks it's anxiety, indigestion or it's something muscular-skeletal. I tell him my concerns that Dr. Google told me of stomach cancer and esophageal cancer, but he tells me I'm too young and my symptoms don't really align. Esophogeal he says I'd have trouble swallowing and stomach he says in all his years he's only ever seen 1 case of someone my age having it.
Since the video appointment on Oct. 31st, mild constipation and bloat have set in. I've always been super regular but now when I go and it's not super productive. I will say that my bowel movements look healthy to me when I do manage to go. I don't have diarrhea. I also noticed after meals I have chest pressure that goes away after a while until I eat again. As for the abdominal and chest pain, the chest pain seems much the same but the abdominal pain seems to be moving around and now I've had pain in my flanks. The pain doesn't seem to favor a side.
With these new extra symptoms I've made an appointment to see my doctor in-person this coming Friday, but I'm at somewhat at a loss. Could it be anxiety? Maybe. Could it be being stuck in a chair all day working from home during Covid-19 and not being active? Maybe. I'm at the point where I am leaning on something gastrointestinal even though Dr. Google tells me all the awful things are happening to me.
Has anyone out there had anything like this happen or can anyone provide any insight? Much appreciated.
0 likes, 6 replies
tzumi56935 michael21687
Edited
Hi! These are the exactly similar to my symptoms. Three months back, I suddenly had a brain fog after dinner and got very nauseous. Googled the symptoms and crazy things came up, so my anxiety got out of control. Threw up and felt better.
The next day I woke up with this weird discomfort/pressure below my ribs on both sides and in the centre. It didn't cause any pain, just felt very uncomfortable. I had a call with my GP and he prescribed some acid reflux medication which did not help. Then, I had a family visit for a week where I did not have any symptoms (maybe because I was distracted?)
When I returned home, the upper abdominal discomfort returned. My anxiety went through the roof.
Fast forward to present day, I've visited multiple doctors, in-person, and the recent one diagnosed me with gastritis.
Had my bloodwork done which came out normal.
Currently my symptoms are- upper abdominal discomfort, slight earache (this started two days ago) and I've lost weight in these past few months.
I'm going for an ultrasound in a few days. Hopefully that can help with identifying the problem. I've been going crazy because medications aren't really helping me and I'm not sure what this could be.
I have made a lot of diet changes and given up on coffee. It sucks really.
michael21687 tzumi56935
Posted
That does sound similar. If you find out what's wrong let me know! I really just want an abdominal scan if anything for them to say, it's just your anxiety.
tzumi56935 michael21687
Posted
yeah hopefully I'll find the reason. it's frustrating to say the least l.
scott50667 michael21687
Posted
Hi Michael
I am in the same boat as you. Pretty much exact same symptom. I have an endology at the beginning of December so hopefully get answers. Would be good to hear how your appointment goes
michael21687
Posted
Just a little update on what's happened so far. Last Friday I had an appointment with my GP and my symptoms continue to perplex him. He ordered a smattering of blood tests, I have to go back in with a stool sample to check for H. Pylori and I have an abdominal ultrasound next week. We're doing that before I (possibly) have an abdominal CT as to not so quickly jump to the radiation exposure a CT involves. He said he really doesn't think it'll find anything so he's hesitant to order it, but since this has been going on for 4-months now he thinks it would be good to have for his and my own peace of mind.
The blood tests were test for inflammation (normal), D-Dimer test to check for a blood clot (normal) and a Hep-C viral load (negative). That one is kind of unique to me. I was at some point exposed to Hep-C in my life but my body took care of it on it's own and I have the antibodies in my blood, so sometimes when I am tested for Hep-C they get hazy results and have to test again.
I'll check back in after the ultrasound and when they check in on that H. Pylori.
marco09286 michael21687
Edited
This sounds like something I was going through (and still am, mildly). I dislocated my knee a few months ago and I was laying in bed almost the whole day every day. During exercises, I felt a pinch in my left side of my stomach and soon started getting chest pains and a numb left arm. A trip to the ER later, they told me I had backed up stool and said I was feeling gas pains. They prescribed a laxative which I took, but didn't help. My family said I might've been making it worse by feeling anxious and afraid about it, compounded by the fact that I hadn't left and because of my leg, still couldnt leave the house after months. I had to change my diet, avoided gassy, irritable foods and the pains and pressure still persisted. I began feeling aches on the flanks of my back, which I believe is connected to all this. A month later since the diet change, I've started talking almost regular walks as exercise for my leg and my stomach sometimes feels funny, like its moving when I lay down and sit up but the back pains are now faded sores. I added lower back stretches to my nightly stretches and I add a pillow for lower back support when I sit. I can even eat spicy food again, though my stomach acts like you'd expect after swearing off spicy food for months. Gas pains and chest pressure are gone as well, for the most part. I don't know what exactly could be going on with you, sir, but it sounds like what I went through. I basically powered and suffered my way through it since I don't have insurance at the moment and I'm feeling a lot better now. I know it doesn't help much, so I'd recommend checking in with your doctors as much as possible.