Nausea, Weight loss, Trouble Sleeping

Hello,
I have been having what I think are anxiety issues for the past month and a half. Initially I had severe nausea, and ended up really worried and going to ER thinking I might have Toxic Shock Syndrome. They were unable to find anything wrong with me. Since then, I have been extremely worried about everything. I have a constant feeling of nausea, I feel like there is a lump in my throat, and I have been going to the washroom very often. I have had blood work done and been to the doctor 3 times. I was having chest pains, and am now taking Rabeprazole. I have lost a lot of weight because I felt too sick to eat. Now I feel like everything I eat is making me sick, and an terrified of getting a food-related illness. I have never had health problems before and never used to worry about my diet. Every night I have trouble sleeping because I feel as if I may not wake up, even when nothing else is wrong. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms? If so, what should I do to make things easier?

[sunset555]

Hi there!!

Firstly, I would like to welcome you to this forum, and do believe that you have taken a really good step by confronting your fears to others that can not only relate to you, but can also put your mind at rest!! I am speaking from a lot of experience here - believe me! and from what I have read in your post does not sound like anything out of the ordinary for me. I have been suffering with anxiety and panic attacks on and off for the last nine years and let me tell you something, it is only fairly recently that I have began to actually "control" all of these thoughts and anxiety and I feel absolutely a lot more confident in myself, and can and will control any anxiety that props up in my life! My secret is very simple my dear - it is merely "mind over matter" I am serious when I say this to you, because it has taken me nine years out of my life to not only realise this, but to actually physically put it into action, and believe you me it works!!! it works a treat.

Now, you say that this anxiety that you are personally feeling has only begun over the last "six weeks" of your life, so obviously I am very curious as to what has happened in you life in the last two months to change how you not only feel about yourself but about your life in general, because it appears to me that this anxiety has just not appeared out of nowhere, as it has had to come from somewhere, something or someone in your life has been bothering you, and maybe yourself unsubconciously you may not have been aware that they or indeed it had such an impact on your life. Anyhow, that is just a question of mine to you, I am just analysing on your behalf!

The symptoms that you have mentioned as in feeling sick (nautious), going to the bathroom, and especially the lump in the throat symptom, all signify feelings of not only anxiety but also dread and fear and also nervousness. Also the pain in the chest is also a major symptom of anxiety. You are probably wondering why or indeed how I know all of this, reason is that I have experienced each and every one of the symptoms you have described above. The lump in the throat, I had that a couple of years ago, and thought that I had something wrong with my breathing and my lungs in general, so off I went to my doctor and he told me that it was a chronic symptom of anxiety and not to worry about it, so what I did was some abdomen breathing excercises which will absolutley get rid of it for you. If you don't know how to do these excercises all you have to do is when you inhale, try and breath in from your tummy area and not your cheset and feel your tummy expanding. When you exhale, breath from your tummy again, and feel your whole tummy area falling. Believe you me, this really works, try it for at least five to ten minutes very slowly and watch how your lump in your throat begins to loosen out so then you can take in a bigger and deeper breath, because I know how awful it can feel to not be able to take in a good deep breath.

Now as for your chest pains, oh my God! that was one of my first signs of anxiety and I have been living with this one for so many years and now I have it under control - thank God. What types of chest pains do you have exactly??? cause there are so many different ones. The one I had and still sometimes do is a horrible stabbing sharp pain in the middle of the chest when breathing in (inhaling), and sometimes it even happens when breathing out (exhaling), nevertheless, for abolute years I have been going around with antiacids, indigestion pills, and liquids in my purse and for what It was all in my head, it was all only muscular tension in the end, as I found out through doctors and hospitals and ers, etc, etc, and you know what I learned to do, I learned to believe it or not to just take a few deep breaths and ignore it, and it actually goes away, but before I used to have a full blown panic attack and not to be able to breath and focus in and dwell in on it as if I was going to die, so many, many times. But it actually passes.

Now the feeling of nausiousness is a horrible feeling and for years I used to take the likes of motilium, alka seltzers, you name it - I took it, and you know what, in the end the only thing that stopped that awful feeling that I was going to be sick was "mind over matter" told myself that you know I was going to be fine, lay on my stomach for a few minutes, drank lots of water and got a hot water bottle and relaxed.

I am hoping that what my experiences were over the years were relevant in helping you in any way possible.

I suppose the message that I am trying to send out to you here today is that anxiety is normal and that anxiety can be 100% treated with or without medicine! I personally have never, ever taken any anxiety medication or anything like that, not to say that it does not work for people which I am sure that it does, but I have been probably lucky enough to plug through without it. I have begun to excercise, doing 4 mile walk every morning, meditating and seeing a thereapist, and a great healthy diet, with loads and loads of fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, chicken and some meats. I have also began to not only respect myself but to actually like myself too, which indeed goes a long way. I am married with two beautiful children and have  a lot going for me, but this time nine years ago, I did not think so, as I was in the same boat that you are in now, but believe me I can rescue you from that sinking ship if  only you let me, and everyone on this forum says the exact same thing to you.

We are all so glad that you have joined us.

Please do keep in touch,
Sunset

[greenlydia]

Sunset has given you some incredibly wise advice and you'd do well to heed what she has told you. The one and only thing I can think to add is that a visit to your doctor for a thorough check up is in order. Rule out any physical problems and then ask for a consult with a therapist if all comes back normal, as I feel sure it will.
We are always here if you have want to talk...............
Peace
Greenlydia

[MrGreen]

'I have a constant feeling of nausea'. Ask you dr for stemitil. Might give you piece of mind at least. Stops nausea and vomiting. Might be able to put a few pounds back on as well then. Hope I have the spelling of that tablet right.