Stomach cancer? Help!

[jjm2894]

Hey guys,

I wrote about this a few days ago and sadly I haven't been able to kick my anxiety over the subject.

Over the past week or so, I've noticed what seems to be a pretty severe change in appetite. My stomach just feels full throughout the day, and it feels like eating is just "going through the motions." When I think back, it feels like I haven't had a true appetite in three weeks or more—though with my anxiety it's hard to say if this is accurate. Between the "fullness" feeling and the lack of appetite, I've convinced myself I have some type of stomach or pancreatic cancer.

I can't seem to overcome my anxiety this time for some reason. I think it's because the feeling of fullness in my stomach and my consistent lack of appetite are constant physical reminders of my perceived symptoms, so they're pretty hard to ignore. I am hoping my appetite will just return... and there have been moments where I felt like it was returning, but I'm not sure if I've allowed myself to truly believe that it's there.

I've convinced myself I have cancer on many, many occasions in the past and been wrong. But for some reason, I can't allow myself to believe that this is just another episode of severe anxiety that's causing me to ignore logic. I really am concerned this time, and definitely feel like this time is the one time I'll be right (a feeling I've felt before).

Can anyone help with suggestions, words of advice or encouragement?

[SakuraFett]

What usually helps me when I'm convinced that I have some serious disease because of a single symptom is that I think about what other physical symptoms I have. Most diseases have several symptoms that can lead to a diagnosis so basing a fear on one single symptom is a stretch. Even if I don't have any other symptoms I will still worry about having a particular disease but being able to logically go through a checklist seems to lessen my fear a bit.
Also while it may be hard to convince yourself of this, stomach problems are very common with anxiety. I personally go through spells that can last for a few months where I'm nauseous every day and have no appetite. It can even get to the point where the smell of something cooking that I usually love makes me feel sick. Of course just knowing that it's normal doesn't always help so you have to try and convince yourself every day that it's anxiety.

[jjm2894]

Thanks for the advice.

Some days I'm able to convince myself that it's just anxiety. Other days (like today) it's so hard for me to get a grip, even when I'm sitting here telling myself "It's just your hypochondria," "You've been through this same thing a thousand times," "The chances of stomach cancer are so unlikely," or "There are a thousand things that are more likely to cause loss of appetite than stomach cancer."

I don't know what brings about these periods of anxiety for me, but I do know that some days I just can't seem to cope with it on my own. With my incessant anxiety the past month or two, I'm really considering turning to new resources... psychiatrists, or medication, or anything really. I just can't live with this sh*t all day, every day anymore!

[Im-Suffering]

I'm considering turning to...psychiatrists, or medication, or anything really. I just can't live with this sh*t all day, every day anymore!

Then do it.

Thoughts alone won't give you a disease. But..persistent thought backed by a strong belief that fuels highly charged emotions ~ is another story.

Beliefs create your life - expectations. Ideas you hold to be facts. Is it a fact that you have a disease? Or that for you it is hereditary, perhaps in your DNA? What is the belief?

Beliefs:

"I will surely die of cancer before 40 like my family member" now this is not a simple statement, or worry, doubt, or anxiety based......That is your truth, a fact, and you know it, and you consistently think, dream, and speak about it. In every thought and deed it is there. Your life is constructed according to the disease you will someday get.

Learn the difference between :

1) thought
2) belief

When you find the belief that creates these thoughts, then you can alter it, immediately and swiftly changing perception and thinking. The miracle you are looking for. Controling the thoughts alone is like picking a weed out by its leaf, rather than root.

Seek therapy, now, you are correct.

[aml0017]

Jim, have you seen a doctor? It seems to me that having a dr. simply tell you that you do NOT have stomach cancer would settle your mind once and for all (sorry i haven't read any of your previous posts). I am not a doctor but I would think it is just anxiety as I am suffering the same loss of appetite and full uncomfortable feeling the last few weeks. I can eat later in the day but I feel the food just sits in my stomach for a long time it is a yucky feeling. I try to eat small meals nothing too heavy. I have just accepted that it will happen until my anxiety is under control.

[Ins0mniac]

You're simply paranoid, like I used to be before I finally realized that anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia aren't deadly. When you struggle with anxiety, you tend to listen to everything that happends in your body, because you fear that something bad might happen to you. Our stomach and intestines are constantly working, as all of our other organs. You'll often hear noises in your stomach, because that how your food is being processed and it releases gasses when being literally broken down in your stomach HCL acid. When you eat less, your HCL acid levels are elevated and it creates even more sounds and releases more gasses. You might even get a complete harmless Acid Reflux. This often causes gagging up excess HCL acid in your throat (leaving a burning sensation in your throat). This is all due to the fact that your muscles in your stomach and esophagus contract, because of your constant stress/anxiety.

If you wouldn't think of it so often, you wouldn't even notice it. I'll give you a clear example to make my point clear: Our nose is in field-of-view of our eyes. So howcome we don't even see our nose when we don't focus on it. Our subconscious mind deliberately block out our nose from our view, because it thinks that starring at our nose all day long isn't a priority and it is distracting. When you're anxious, you might think theres something wrong with your nose, so therefore you'll allways be able to see your nose, because you're constantly worrying about it. The same thing goes for heartbeat, breathing, sounds, headpressure, etc...

Your blood pressure and heartbeat can rise during a panic attack or even simple anxiety, not because something is wrong with you, but because you tell your brain that something is wrong with you. Your brains' subconcious mind starts to increasing bloodflow in order to 'search' for the 'problem' that isn't there. 'Blood' works is like 'virus detection system' in your 'computer' brain and 'white blood cells' are like 'antivirus/patch' to help you stop/cure your problem. When your blood can't find anything, it calms your mind down by releasing 'calm down' hormones and you go back to feeling normal but still alittle 'shaken up'.

Hope this helped!

[Two One]

I find it useful to take statistics into consideration. Do you know the odds that you might have stomach cancer? It's not very high. Anxiety is associated with a lot of gastrointestinal distress. Speaking from personal experience, my anxiety manifests itself in the form of stomach problems. This caused a major loss of appetite for me, I ate maybe twice a week earlier this year. That all changed once I started therapy.

During the summer of 2013 I was convinced I had an ulcer. I had all the symptoms, gnawing pain in the upper abdomen, feeling full quickly upon eating, excessive belching, weight loss, constant mild nausea etc. I saw a gastroenterologist and was tested for every digestive disorder known to man - nothing. Your mind is a powerful thing. The mind controls the body - if it thinks you're sick, it will make you sick.

[jjm2894]

Thanks for all the advice, y'all. I really appreciate it.

I'm still in and out of having anxiety over my stomach. At this point, my appetite has returned—if not to 100%, then at least to about 75%. But I still have this weird discomfort in my stomach. It's somewhat intermittent but when I start to feel it, my anxiety kicks back in. When I feel my stomach with my hand, I've noticed what I think are a couple swollen (or semi-swollen) lymph nodes, which greatly adds to my concern.

I'm willing to believe that the stomach pain is associated with the anxiety and appetite issues i've been having lately, but the weird-feeling lymph nodes are making it hard for me to write it off. Has anyone dealt with perceived swollen lymph nodes, stomach pain, or anything like it? Thanks.