Health Anxiety Help?

[pigsquiggle]

Hi, so I'm a 14 year old girl who is terrified they have bowel cancer, I'm quite healthy you could say, I guess, although I don't do much exercise, but I mean here is the problem; When I walk after eating food, I get a kind of stitch where my stomach is located I guess on the left side higher part of the abdomen, usually on the way to school after eating jam on toast, but it doesn't stay for very long - i'd say for about five seconds and then it goes, but this has been happening for 5-6 weeks now and I'm starting to get concerned. Yesterday, I was pretty gaseous too, but it was the time I started worrying about it so it could have been that. I should probable mention I have a lot of issues with diagnosing myself with all sorts of cancers, in the past three months, I had mistaken myself with leukemia, ovarian cancer and stomach cancer. I'm very health conscious and hypochondriac I guess you could say as I also have OCD, which I had CBT and counselling for which didn't help really just made it worse. But I was thinking maybe it was because I have been eating quickly or because I might be on the cusp of a growth spurt, but either way I've been in fits of worry, panicking myself for this past week, I was just asking if you think this is anything to worry about?

[raggamuffin]

Could be swallowing air whilst eating. Could be gas. A good way to relieve gas is to get on your knees on the floor. Arms extended upwards and face close to the floor. Push your stomach as low as you can with your rear in the air. This allows gas to be expelled.

Cancer at your age is very very rare. Anxiety can and will cause pains if you fixate on an area for long enough. You can make pains last a long time. i've even made pains last over a year thanks to worrying about them. It's undoubtedly all in your mind.

Speak to a Dr if needs be, but to my mind it sounds like anxiety. Take it from someone who used to get 24/7 aches and pains for over 4 years thanks to anxiety and i'm twice as old as you are and I'm still here :)

Ed

[pigsquiggle]

Thankyou for your reply! I feel reassured a little, thanks again!

[raggamuffin]

There's a symptoms list stickied to the top of this forum section. It gives a picture of how anxiety can conjure virtually any pain. Stomach pains are one of the most common. Stress can easily affect the gastrointestinal tract.

Ed