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Stomach issues

Hey all-on top of everything else, my stomach is acting funny. It feels kind of acidic, but mostly I feel really full after I eat. I am a chronic worrier. I had a CT scan last year and all was ok, colonoscopy in March which was Ok. I have not had an endoscopy, I am afraid of stomach cancer of course. I am gaining weight though. The more I worry the more uncomfortable I feel. Anyone else dealt with this or have suggestions? I see my family doctor tomorrow.
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Avatar universal
I went to my dr today. He felt this was all anxiety. In addition to my cymbalta, he has prescribed xanax for use only when I panic and prilosec. He is happy that I started exercising again and will start seeing a therapist again. He feels like I will get it under control again and I will see him again in a couple of months unless I need him before that.
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Avatar universal
I appreciate the responses.  I just know that this constant worry exhausts me and I have problems with fatigue anyway.  I started the cymbalta two days ago and I am feeling nauseous. I do hope that my body responds and I get to feeling better and that this is all anxiety as opposed to something pathological. I see my dr today and I am praying all goes well and that it is good news.  Since I have been dealing with this I also can't sleep and in general, I am a wreck.  I am looking forward to starting therapy and working my way through the anxiety.  All of my symptoms had been under control until I did the work full time go to school full time thing and I think it may have been just too much for me.  I don't know guys, right now I feel so overwhelmed and scared.
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Avatar universal
Acidophilus is fine to take if you think you need it.  The main reason would be if you were on antibiotics a lot.  But the primary intestinal organism for digestion is bifidus, not acidophilus.  There's absolutely no harm in taking these regularly except the wasted expense -- if there's no room on the intestinal walls for the organisms to move in, they'll just die off.  And they do a lot more than prevent yeast infections -- they help produce B vitamins, they help with food digestion, they're part of the general immune system.  As for an endoscopy, that will only find a stomach ulcer, not a duodenal ulcer -- as I said, having had one, they're hard to find.  They never found mine, but it was bleeding and it was diagnosed only because I responded to antacids.  Personally, now I wouldn't take them unless it was an emergency, because, as I said, they end up increasing the production of acid.  That being said, some on this website are intensely hostile to natural supplements, some to medications, and some in the middle.  My point is that if you do have an anxiety problem, digestion problems are so common, and there are very safe gentle remedies available to deal at least with that so you have one less thing to worry about and can focus on the real problem, the anxiety.
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480448 tn?1426948538
cracked.....do you KNOW that your stomach doesn't empty "for a few days"?  And the your heart valve is "floppy", or are these assumptions you've made based on your symptoms?  The reason I ask...it is NEVER a good thing to "guess" because people start "self treating"...and when assumptions are made, the actual problem can be worsened as a result of an inappropriate course of action.

Taking Acidophilus is okay...personally I wouldn't recommend taking it everyday, just perhaps when you get an exacerbation of your GI symptoms...and then for about a week after they improve.  It's primary fuction is the prevention (and treatment in some cases) of yeast infections...but along the way, it was found that it helps GI symptoms.

Daily stresses stink.  There isn't any other way to say it.  HOWEVER, we can do a lot to manage the every day triggers in our lives.  Sometimes it involves a big plan to take care of a long-term problem.  For instance, unpaid bills....a good soild budgeting plan with ways to increase or add to income and decrease expenses...is a long-term solution that will greatly diminish, if not eliminate THAT stressor (which is a biggie).  

As far as worrying about things that break....with all due respect, that seems silly.  Those are things that are totally outside the ream of our control....and there really IS no point (even though we'll do it anyway) worrying about things that we cannot control. Now, if the lawn mower broke b/c it hadn't been properly maintained, then...there is another thing that may have been avoidable.

EVERYONE in life needs stress management...but ESPECIALLY those of us with anxiety problems.  We need to be vigliant about trying to decrease stressors as much as possible.  We also need to learn how to cope with stress.  For most people, the lawn mower breaking would be just another annoyance in the day...but for someone with out of control anxiety...it  leaves us crumpled in a corner, clutching our dog/cat/teddy bear and sucking our thumbs!  :0)  Okay, a little humorous overexaggeration, but you get my point.

This is where talk therapy is a Godsend.  Not only can we do a lot of "venting"...but also we can learn valuable coping techniques to help us not make every thing a catastophe.

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953067 tn?1248394508
I love your advice...want to ask if it's alright to take things like normal daily dose of acidolphilus. I have severe GI problems, nothing wrong according to tests, it's just that sometimes my stomach doesn't empty, for instance for a few days, or a heart valve gets floppy for a few weeks, but I'm totally healthy. Weirdly, I never worry about being mortally ill...because only the good die young! Gee, I'm thinking that I'm getting older, will need to come up with a new excuse for not stressing over health, which I think is more normal than my reaction to things like lawn mowers not working, leaks in the house, unpaid bills...I totally feel my body react as if I've fallen off a cliff, heart leaps into my throat...when I think I've done something wrong, like broken the lawn mower the last time I used it. I know it's not cool to obssess over anthing, or freak out, but it seems to me that health issues are normal worries and that my worries are totally absurd but I can't help but react.......
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480448 tn?1426948538
It sounds as though you've had a pretty thorough work-up.  I would start addressing the anxiety, b/c obviously if that is the problem, you will notice some improvement as the anxiety starts to get better.

If your symptoms worsen, or they don't improve when you treat the anxiety....ask your doc for a referral to a GI specialist.  The next logical step is an Endoscopy.  There are many different studies they could do to rule out (or confirm) the presence of an ulcer, or other GI conditions, such as esophagitis, etc.  Also, they can help diagnose ulcers with labwork.  Just trust me on this one....a Gastroenterologist would be able to rule out an ulcer...or diagnose one if you have one.

Don't start taking any kind of supplement without first talking to your doctor.  While they may work great for a lot of people...there are some medical conditions, and medications where some supplements are contraindicated.

Also, you can do sensible things to help your symptoms...don't eat a heavy meal late at night (especially with spicy foods), eat several smaller meals (5) a day instead of 3 bigger ones.  Drink PLENTY of water.  If you think you've drank a ton...drink another liter.  After you eat, go for a nice leisurely walk around the block...don't just go lie down, that would be the wrong thing to do.  In a nutshell...there are all kinds of daily behaviors you could alter to see if your symptoms would improve.

Hit the anxiety head on, make some sensible changes...and then go from there.  And be sure that part of your therapy for the anxiety deals with addressing the health anxiety you have!

Best of luck!
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Avatar universal
Thank you! My latest fear is that my stomach issues are stomach cancer because when I get online and look up my symptoms it all says cancer but I have done that for years I guess. I am afraid to die, not afraid of being dead just the process.  I have dealt with the stomach issue before about four years ago but I didn't have the feeling full issue. I don't know what to think-this may be a situation where a little knowledge is dangerous.  Hopefully everything is actually ok and I just need to settle down again. That would be good news. I start with a new therapist coming up this week.
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672514 tn?1265655141
Well you have dealt with allot in your life and you really need to give yourself credit for that! I really hope you do! what you write about is classic anxiety and magnified when a death is involved, I really hope when you talk to your Dr. you address what is going on now, from your writing seems you had your life back on track, but like I was reminded awhile back, sometimes it's 2 steps forward and one back, but in the long run that will make you stronger at dealing with Anxiety. Sounds like your test have come back with good results, You really need to keep that in mind and now work on why your body is telling you there is fear? feel free to text any time. keep moving forward, you can, as you have dealt with some heavy issues and survived.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for the comments- I feel scared right now and it is nice to know that there are people out there that will take the time to respond.
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Avatar universal
I am 44 years old, a non-smoker/drinker. I was having pain on the right side, have had an evaluation by colonoscopy-all was fine. I have had stomach issues ie. nausea, pain for the past few years. I have a 3 mm lung nodule right lung that has been evaluated for 2 years determined to be benign. My mother died of lung cancer and my son died of a pontine glioma. I was in therapy for a few years and on Cymbalta. I went off cymbalta 2 years ago because I felt I was doing better. Then this past year I went to school full time and worked full time and all of my physical symptoms are back along with the anxiety. I have chronic health anxiety. I have also dealt with fatigue since my son died. I have hypothyroid but TSH is in normal range. My stomach is uncomfortable. I started back on cymbalta yesterday. I have an appt with my primary care dr on Monday and I begin with a therapist again this week as well. Sometimes my stomach feels fine, most of the time I am uncomfortable.  The stomach has gotten worse and so has the anxiety.  I am in an official freak out now.
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Avatar universal
Sorry, notice I wrote aloe very juice.  Obviously meant aloe vera juice.  Sorry.
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Avatar universal
Don't take a tums -- if this is a regular problem, antacids like tums just make your stomach produce more acid in order to digest protein.  You might be developing an ulcer, you might not.  I would personally recommend trying aloe very juice, digestive enzymes, and DGL, a licorice derivative.  These will help you deal with any problems with the mucosal lining in your stomach and any acid problems.  This is much easier to deal with than anxiety.  Meditation is also very good for slowing down excess acid production.  Ulcers are hard to find unless they start to bleed; if it does, your stool will look very dark in color and you'll feel like you have the flu, so you'll know.  The treatments doctors use, like tums, all make the problem worse, but hpylori also plays a role.  The aloe and DGL might be enough to turn this part of your problem around.  The anxiety, well, that's a whole other story.  
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Avatar universal
Anxiety can cause all sorts of stomach pains in my opinion.  Stress can take a toll on us both physically and mentally. When I go through periods of prolonged stress my stomach is constantly in knots.  Do you have access to a therapist that you can talk over your anxiety issues with?  Quite often, a little bit of knowledge can go a long way in confronting and dealing with this.
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672514 tn?1265655141
really need to tell us more about you , age? you state on top of everything else? what's everything else? you seeing a Dr. medical or psych?  on meds? other wise I would just say take a tums.
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