Anxiety over IBS symptoms

[Gummynarf06]

Clearly I'm new here, so please pardon the long post. My symptoms started...I want to say back in December of 2011, but they really picked up in annoyance through 2012. In 2011, December I had a CT/Ultrasound because of nausea and a feeling like someone punched me right square in the belly button. They wanted to rule out appendix issues. Clean CT/US. It seemed like an insidious increase in symptoms, or persistance through '12. I worked nights (I'm an RN) and the schedule was really not a good fit for me, so I really don't remember much of my life in 2012! I was a walking zombie, but I seemed to recall where I would have 2-3 days of nausea and bowel changes (constipation...like pencil thin or pebbles, to be graphic). And then it would go away. Around November of 2012 my mom died of Lung Cancer. It wasn't a shock. It was a very fast diagnosis and subsequent death however. It had spread to her bones. After that I became very anxious about my symptoms, worrying that it was something worse than IBS- Stomach Cancer or Ovarian Cancer to be specific. I had all the symptoms it seemed. Nausea, bloating, constipation and the like. Of course there were measures that relieved it all- warm packs to the belly, warm baths, and drinking tea- by the way does anyone else have an intolerance to cold liquids and need to drink warm or at the very least room temp liquids? It seems like after my mom died I became super aware of my body. Very VERY anxious (I have anxiety disorder).

In March of 2013 I saw a doc to vent about all these worries. She tested me for H-Pylori because of the nausea and wouldn't you know it was positive. So of course with the correlation between H-Py, and gastric cancer I had a good month of high anxiety over that. I've since been rechecked and it's gone. It seems like an every day thing with my symptoms though- gurgly, sloshy stomach (like when I was pregnant with my daughter) undulating abdomen- when I take a bath, again it's as though I'm pregnant, I can feel the warmth liberating the gas bubbles and watch the peristaltic waves. Nausea with constipation. 90% of the time the nausea would accompany bowel changes, but the nausea and constipation would last a good week before sort of dying down. Recently I went back to a doc who sort of put my mind at ease about the gastric cancer saying that even if the symptoms were only going on since the beginning of this year, if it were stomach CA, I'd likely be vomiting blood or pooping blood. None of that. Some clear gooey stuff occasionally though. It's the ovarian CA thing that's worrying me. I'm not so bloated that I look pregnant. Yes I have a bit of a jelly belly, because I've been neglecting to do some sit ups (changing that now), I'm not peeing like crazy, I'm not having early satiation- ok sometimes, very occasionally and I KNOW it's when I drink Diet Coke- when I cut the Diet Coke, my stomach isn't NEARLY as crabby.

But my gut still feels carbonated, or I can feel pressure changes in various quadrants, and now I have a low back discomfort. Never any pain through out this whole thing, just discomfort. My back...well, it just feels like a naggy stiff. But it makes me so worried about ovarian cancer- I have an ultrasound scheduled for the second of December and the doc who ordered it just ordered it "to give you peace of mind because I really don't think this is Ovarian Cancer".  I have been eating Fiber One before bed, and trying to enjoy Raisin Bran in the morning, and drinking more water, and eating more veggies and fruits. We're on a limited income with 2 kids so I try to keep the healthy stuff reserved for them. Trying to only have one Diet Coke per day. All my symptoms seem to get better when I walk, or with warmth. They haven't escalated.

Has anyone else been in this situation? I'm glad to see I'm not alone in having nausea be part of my symptoms because two of the docs I saw seemed to think that was weird.

[Gummynarf06]

I do have some psyllum capsules- I've just been afraid to take them because I heard that they cause further bloating and nausea. Maybe I'll start taking them though. I had to go and shoot off my mouth and say "oh I haven't been nauseated in like...4 days...and wouldn't you know it, I'm nauseated now. Going to have some chamomile tea.

[Caryopteris]

Try magnesium citrate tablets in the morning, 400 mg.
Take calcium around 500 mg and vitamin D 2000 IU at night.
Take a prebiotic 30 minutes before a meal.  Decrease sugar.  Absolutely no sugar substitutes.  Try stopping dairy as it causes so many problems for people.  Try stopping coffee and see if it solves your problem.  Drink water.  Try Metamucil capsules before bed.  My boyfriend gets great relief from taking 5 capsules at bedtime.  It holds down acid and relieves constipation.  Try decreasing starchy foods except those with nutritive value.  That is, no donuts or biscuits, but a small sweet potato is fine.  More vegetables, mixing fresh, frozen, and canned.