Gastrointestinal problems and chest pain- anxiety or something else?
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Hello. To start with, I'm a 31-year-old female, healthy weight, who has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder. I'm on 10mg of citalopram daily and .5mg of lorazepam as-needed.
Chest pain has been a common anxiety symptom for me and it's the one that originally sent me to the dr thinking I had a heart condition. I've had bloodwork and two years ago an EKG and the urgent care drs I've seen as well as my primary dr all say I'm healthy. A few months ago I ended up in the hospital with mono and a liver complication. My primary was off work one day when I started breaking out in hives (I had been ill for over a week) so I went to an urgent care dr who noticed I was jaundiced and said I had lymphoma. My parents rushed me to a cancer hospital an hour away where it was discovered it was just a really bad case of mono. While there I was on a heart monitor and asked the nurse about pvcs I kept getting and seeing on the monitor. She said it was normal and she can tell by looking at the monitor my heart was fine.
The past couple of weeks, I've been having a lot of stomach issues. I'll get abdominal pains, cramps, burning sensations, a lot of gurgling in my stomach, and there are times when I have a bowel movement more than once within a couple hours. I've also been getting chest pain in the middle of my chest. I of course did the thing I know I shouldn't and googled my symptoms and scared myself into thinking I have colorectal cancer. I've also wondered if I developed IBS or heartburn since my chest is also hurting. Yesterday when I woke up, I stayed in bed for a while and the chest pain came back. I started to panic, but I got up, put on some calm music, laid on my back with my legs against a wall (a pose I always find calming for some reason) and practiced my box breathing. The pain went away and I felt fine until about 8 hours later when it came back again. This morning I have also been okay but a little while ago I started to feel it again. My anxiety has been in overdrive and I've been having mental breakdowns at home and at work.
Does this all sound like anxiety, or does it sound like something else? I have an appointment with my dr October 2nd and I see my therapist tomorrow (I just started therapy) but I'm scared something is wrong with me and I can't wait the two weeks to see my primary dr. This has been consuming me the past couple of weeks!
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jan34534 Bethany89
Posted
keep in mind that your last EKG was fine. Anxiety and stress can cause all sorts of gastrointestinal issues. I had developed gastritis, IBS,did you know that there is a direct strong connection between the brain and the gastrointestinal system? When someone has anxiety and stress, it can affect the stomach, intestines, acid level. That’s why we hear of people who get ulcers who are highly stressed. so whatever you tell your brain, it will respond either with calmness or symptoms.
Also please don’t Google symptoms because it won’t pertain to your individual situation .
you May have developed acid reflux and IBS. That’s why it’s important to learn how to manage the anxiety.
when you see the therapist, open up and tell him or her everything that is scaring you! That’s what they are there for! It will really ease your mind. I truly think you’re going to be OK you just need to learn how to manage the anxiety and stress so you don’t get all these crazy symptoms.
while you are waiting to see your doctor, do everything you can to relax your mind. Listen to some great anxiety meditations on YouTube, I really like the meditations from Lauren Ostrowski. One of them is called it’s OK. There are hundreds on there. You can also just take a nice leisurely bath, go for a walk in nature, do things that make you laugh and smile, etc. The worst thing you can do is just sit around and think about all of this because your symptoms will get worse.
once you start with a therapist keep going every week or every other week because right now you need that support! Take care of yourself ❤
Bethany89 jan34534
Posted
Thank you so much for your reply! I have read a lot recently about how closely connected the brain and gut are. Yesterday and Sunday I had no pains or stomach issues other than mild gurgling, so I am trying to tell myself it is all anxiety. Even after three years since my diagnosis of panic disorder, it is hard to believe it can make me feel this way!
My therapist gave my some techniques so I will do those and the things you recommended. I see my therapist every other week. Hopefully I will have more control soon. Thank you again for your reply.