So bad tonight

[Cobra]

I have been doing so good last few days, but I ate something I shouldn't have (lasagna with red sauce) and now I'm sick to my stomach, which has sent my anxiety through the roof. I feel like throwing up, I'm dizzy, woozy, angry, sad, scared and depressed that I can't seem to get over this food phobia. I used to love good food, never worried too much, but this anxiety is sucking the joy out of my life. I need to talk to someone about these feelings, but my wife is so tired of hearing about it. I can see it in her face. I don't have anyone else to confide in. It's so depressing. I know I'm generally in good health, no major problems besides some mild gerd and ibs, so why do I have to be so negative all the time. It's like I'm torturing myself. I should be happy. I'm tempted to pop a pill, but I'm trying to do just natural supplements. Even teared up driving home, which pisses me off because I hate crying. I was raised with that whole boys don't cry thing. I mean, really? Over indigestion. I'm tempted to go back to my gastro, but what's he gonna do. They've been through me top to bottom. I guess it's just health anxiety. I know they've fixed what was wrong. I just wish I could shake this anxiety I get whenever I am too full or sick to my stomach. Enough is enough!

[midnit7]

That happens to me also. When I had an upper gi done they found I had gastritis. When it flares up my anxiety goes out of control.

[Cobra]

The worst part is the anxiety is worse than the gerd. If I concentrate on the stomach, the pain and nausea is not that bad, but when I eat I start contemplating the indigestion, and then the anxiety symptoms start.

[Judie]

The worst part is the anxiety is worse than the gerd. If I concentrate on the stomach, the pain and nausea is not that bad, but when I eat I start contemplating the indigestion, and then the anxiety symptoms start.

Hi Cobra, Your stomach acid is in direct response to your anxiety. When you start having those Negative Thoughts you produce more acid. This really is a mind problem, not a stomach problem. Chances are your thoughts were on a negative path long before your symptoms started. Eventually a negative thought process with catch us whether it be ulcers, gerd, migraines, or panic. The cure lies in your mind. When you start going to a Negative place in your mind you need to say loudly and clearly " stop" in your head and then imagine and hear a door slamming shut on those thoughts. Immediately go to a place of positive thought, a time when you felt healthy and self confident. Practice this all the time, people assume that thoughts just happen to them and that they have no control over them. The truth is we choose our thoughts and it is far easier and more importantly " healthier " to choose positive over negative. Know this without a Shadow of a Doubt " Negative" got you here and " Positive" will get you out. Be Well and until then NO TOMATO BASED SAUCES trust me I know. :)

[Cobra]

I know you're right. Its just tough for me with the food because I just had surgery like two months ago and I am still flashing back on the toilet full of blood from where my intestine hemorrhaged after the surgery. I keep imagining I will get sick And puke blood or my stomach will rip open again if I eat too much. So stupid. I know I am healthy now. Doc said I dodged a bullet. He said if I had waited six more months, the polyps they removed would have been cancerous and they would have had to remove my colon and have chemo and all that. I'm so grateful things turned out the way they did. Well, except the hemorrhage. I guess the shock of all that has made me overly sensitive to my health. It's like I don't trust my own body anymore. Like my body has turned into a ticking time bomb, and anything is going to set it off. I guess I just need time more than anything. I need to be healthy for a while so I can learn to trust my body again. Thanks for taking the time to listen to me, guys. I really need to talk about it with people who understand at I am going thru. My wife doesn't understand why I can't just shake it off and move on, I think. I want to. I really do. I push myself every day to confront my fears. I make myself drive, make myself eat, try to be cheerful.

[Judie]

I know you're right. Its just tough for me with the food because I just had surgery like two months ago and I am still flashing back on the toilet full of blood from where my intestine hemorrhaged after the surgery. I keep imagining I will get sick And puke blood or my stomach will rip open again if I eat too much. So stupid. I know I am healthy now. Doc said I dodged a bullet. He said if I had waited six more months, the polyps they removed would have been cancerous and they would have had to remove my colon and have chemo and all that. I'm so grateful things turned out the way they did. Well, except the hemorrhage. I guess the shock of all that has made me overly sensitive to my health. It's like I don't trust my own body anymore. Like my body has turned into a ticking time bomb, and anything is going to set it off. I guess I just need time more than anything. I need to be healthy for a while so I can learn to trust my body again. Thanks for taking the time to listen to me, guys. I really need to talk about it with people who understand at I am going thru. My wife doesn't understand why I can't just shake it off and move on, I think. I want to. I really do. I push myself every day to confront my fears. I make myself drive, make myself eat, try to be cheerful.

Cobra, I know it can be really tough. There's an interesting study out there that suggests that if you wear a fake smile, when you feel miserable you will actually begin to feel better. Also, I want you to take a look at a book I am reading right know ( check it out on Amazon.com- that way you can read an excerpt and take a look at it ) it's called " YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE " by LOUISE HAY it's quite fascinating all about the idea that our self worth and self criticism is the reason behind our illnesses, the we actually with our negative thoughts about ourselves welcome negative behavior in others. That resentment is horrible on our body etc...basically all about loving yourself to get well. Please take a look ate at, read a few pages, I would love to know what you think.Her Henry goes along with what I have always personally felt was a huge trigger in any form of anxiety ( especially health and social anxiety) if you get a chance let me know what you think. Be Well...no tomato sauce :)

[Lin]

Cobra it is so easy to let symptoms of anxiety ruin our lives. I should not beat yourself up about it and know you are not alone in doing it.
Now you know your physical health is good it is just being able to put your calming techniques into practice and it is not easy.
I started a NHS course yesterday on emotion management which over six weeks of half days is going to hopefully teach us how to give ourselves a gap between our emotions and thoughts they trigger to what and how we react to them. So hoping to learn to feel emotion and have bad thoughts but then he able to watt before panic and anxiety sets in so can start using my many calming techniques l have learned.

[Cobra]

Same thing tonight. I did well all day, but as soon as I ate the anxiety kicked in. I felt woozy, anxious. My chest is fluttery and tight feeling, with a dull pain right under my left pectoral area. It scares me because I keep thinking what if it isn't anxiety. What if its really something wrong. Feels like a little rabbit is jumping around inside my chest. I think I would feel better if other people reported such sensations with anxiety. Just have to ignore it I guess, and I am trying. This is just the biggest hurdle for me, I think, because I really was very sick. I'll check out that book. Maybe it will help. I don't want to feel this way. I was happy go lucky until the surgeries. Always took my health for granted. I ate right and exercised here and there.

[Judie]

Same thing tonight. I did well all day, but as soon as I ate the anxiety kicked in. I felt woozy, anxious. My chest is fluttery and tight feeling, with a dull pain right under my left pectoral area. It scares me because I keep thinking what if it isn't anxiety. What if its really something wrong. Feels like a little rabbit is jumping around inside my chest. I think I would feel better if other people reported such sensations with anxiety. Just have to ignore it I guess, and I am trying. This is just the biggest hurdle for me, I think, because I really was very sick. I'll check out that book. Maybe it will help. I don't want to feel this way. I was happy go lucky until the surgeries. Always took my health for granted. I ate right and exercised here and there.

Well I think positive thought is the way out of this, but I have been where you are and I will immediately shift gears when I read a post that needs reassurance on symptoms. The fluttery feeling in your chest is just another form of palpitations, I always got the"fluttery feeling" ,quite scary right ? Yes ,but harmless. The pain in your left side under the pectoral,is trapped gas ( anxiety really attacks digestion) simply take a Simethicone ( Gas X ) it will get rid of that pain as well as pain between shoulder blades in your back ( epigastric pain) It is very scary to have operations and then to develop anxiety on top of it, is unbearable. I know I have had to have three breast surgeries ( all benign ( non cancerous ) but the anxiety waiting for biopsy results was HELL. I know, about the book I too was always pretty happy and secure but sometimes we get beaten down by thoughts. Yours was most probably just the fear of being sick that set off your negative thoughts and then the fear. Try the Simethicone. My chest tightens all the time from anxiety. Your heart, all your muscles from your stomach to your scalp take a beating with anxiety ( they honestly flex but this does not mean they are not able to handle this, they can just makes you uncomfortable. Try what I suggested Simethicone and muscle rub ( for chest) and try working on some deep breathing and positive thoughts. You sound like a smart guy, this will all work out !

[Cobra]

Thanks, Judie. I really hope so. I had a good morning and decided what the hey, I'll treat myself to some DQ. I got a peanut buster parfait, my favorite, and ate it. My stomach was fine, but I got home and my heart rate jumped to 120. Got me very upset. I guess I was waiting for something to happen and made something happen. I've been a little on edge all day because first thing when I got up I started coughing and there was a minute speck of blood in it. Rationally, I know it is probably nothing. My sinuses were bad and I used some nasal spray and that is all it probably is. My nose sometimes bleeds a little when I sleep. But at the same time, I started thinking throat cancer or lung cancer, but I just had an endoscope, chest X-rays and an MRI not two months ago with the hemorrhage. Just wish I could stop worrying about all this.

[MrsJ88]

Just a suggestion for you all... When I was pregnant last year I had bad indigestion and was prescribed Nexium and Dexilant, neither worked.... However my miracle came from Prilosec OTC, I could eat WHATEVER I wanted after taking that daily.

[Judie]

Thanks, Judie. I really hope so. I had a good morning and decided what the hey, I'll treat myself to some DQ. I got a peanut buster parfait, my favorite, and ate it. My stomach was fine, but I got home and my heart rate jumped to 120. Got me very upset. I guess I was waiting for something to happen and made something happen. I've been a little on edge all day because first thing when I got up I started coughing and there was a minute speck of blood in it. Rationally, I know it is probably nothing. My sinuses were bad and I used some nasal spray and that is all it probably is. My nose sometimes bleeds a little when I sleep. But at the same time, I started thinking throat cancer or lung cancer, but I just had an endoscope, chest X-rays and an MRI not two months ago with the hemorrhage. Just wish I could stop worrying about all this.
Nasal Spray and the sugar from DQ is probably jacking that heart rate right up LOL , the DQ may have been worth it. yes, the thought that something was going to happen most likely invited the anxiety to make an appearance. be careful with sugar because i tends to play games with blood sugar ( just means healthy diet is good for stress but if you are like me , you like your sugar. I have recently cutback on carbs in general ( sugar being the greatest carb ) and it is not easy ! LOL Listen, you have just had tons of tests, you're fine " things" just don't crop up out of nowhere ( except of course Anxiety and this is it's hallmark, sometimes this alone after other tests are negative,clearly marks a symptom as anxiety). Be Well, you'll get there. On those good days, which will become more frequent, when the anxiety is quiet, just know that your mind is starting to recover and recognize anxiety is harmless. Enjoy those days, don't focus.......and by all means enjoy DQ.

[Cobra]

I very rarely eat sweets anymore so I'm sure the sugar and chocolate got me going. Mostly I eat veggies and meat. We ate collard greens, sauercraut and keilbasa and sauteed squash from our garden with mushrooms and onions for supper. My wife has Celiacs disease so we don't keep much in the way of wheat products in the house. That pretty much eliminates carbs. I know it is anxiety because everything settled right down after I took a sedative, then got worse again when it wore off. It's just those darn what ifs. They still sneak in and get me. I am worried about the blood in my spit this morning. I've been making myself cough and checking for blood in it since. No blood, but now my throat is sore. Lol. I've become such a nutcase!