scared&worried
01-24-2012, 09:23 AM
Hello everybody. I am a 31 year old male and this is the first time that I have ever been on one of these forums. I have found some comfort reading others' entries, realizing that I am not alone.
I consider myself to be a very social person. Always able to speak my mind, regardless of how many people in the room. But lately...I have been very anti-social, and I find it difficult to even go to the grocery store!!
I started experiencing stomach pain at the start of October 2011. I have underwent numerous medical tests (ECG, bloodwork, ultrasound, colonoscopy), and everything has come back normal (except a few small gallstones which were found, but doctor says they are too small to cause this pain). Well here were are, January 24th, 2012 and the stomach pain is still there. It is above my belly button and below my left rib cage. It keeps me up many nights, and has me constantly belching. I take medication for acid reflux which helps keep my food down, but it doesn't help with the stomach pain.
I make the big mistake by routinely trying to self diagnose myself using the internet. Somedays I have myself convinced that I have stomach cancer, or pancreatic cancer. Things got so out of hand in late December that I lost my appetite, began losing weight, and was crying on a daily basis (prior to this, I had not shed tears for may years).
I have a stressful job, and things at home are busy with my hyper 2-year old son. I am just so scared that I have some terminal illness, and that I won' be there for him. I have trouble sleeping, and am finding it difficult to go to work. I am finding it hard to even have a short conversation with the clerk at the corner store when I buy a loaf of bread. The past two weeks I have been having a burning/tingling sensation on the top and the back of my head. I usually notice it at bed time, and once I get up in the morning. It seems to go away for a few hours after I exercise. This burning/tingling sometimes shows up in my feet. I routinely feel light headed!
I have been seeing a therapist but did not find that the sessions were helping. I just made arrangements to see a therapist who has previously helped me out.
I really can't shake this. Knowing how I feel now.....If I could go back in time, I would have sought help sooner. I feel like it's too late and that I am losing control of myself. I definitely am not acting like my normal self! Each day is a struggle. I don't live by the motto "Take it one day at a time". I have to go follow the "Take it one hour at a time".
My wife has been very supportive, but I am sure she is getting tired of hearing my daily rants about me dying. I don't want to stress her out! She has re-decorated our bedroom to make it more relaxing (which has helped me sleep a bit better). I have been going to the gym, relaxing in the sauna, utilizing breathing techniques, drinking herbal tea, etc. I have cut out alcohol and caffeine, and I have minimized the amount of fatty foods in my diet.
I don't know what else to do. Really need help here. Finding it much harder to put on my "I'm feeling fine" mask. I think that my co-workers are going to see through it soon.
Any advice, suggestions, support, etc much appreciated.
I consider myself to be a very social person. Always able to speak my mind, regardless of how many people in the room. But lately...I have been very anti-social, and I find it difficult to even go to the grocery store!!
I started experiencing stomach pain at the start of October 2011. I have underwent numerous medical tests (ECG, bloodwork, ultrasound, colonoscopy), and everything has come back normal (except a few small gallstones which were found, but doctor says they are too small to cause this pain). Well here were are, January 24th, 2012 and the stomach pain is still there. It is above my belly button and below my left rib cage. It keeps me up many nights, and has me constantly belching. I take medication for acid reflux which helps keep my food down, but it doesn't help with the stomach pain.
I make the big mistake by routinely trying to self diagnose myself using the internet. Somedays I have myself convinced that I have stomach cancer, or pancreatic cancer. Things got so out of hand in late December that I lost my appetite, began losing weight, and was crying on a daily basis (prior to this, I had not shed tears for may years).
I have a stressful job, and things at home are busy with my hyper 2-year old son. I am just so scared that I have some terminal illness, and that I won' be there for him. I have trouble sleeping, and am finding it difficult to go to work. I am finding it hard to even have a short conversation with the clerk at the corner store when I buy a loaf of bread. The past two weeks I have been having a burning/tingling sensation on the top and the back of my head. I usually notice it at bed time, and once I get up in the morning. It seems to go away for a few hours after I exercise. This burning/tingling sometimes shows up in my feet. I routinely feel light headed!
I have been seeing a therapist but did not find that the sessions were helping. I just made arrangements to see a therapist who has previously helped me out.
I really can't shake this. Knowing how I feel now.....If I could go back in time, I would have sought help sooner. I feel like it's too late and that I am losing control of myself. I definitely am not acting like my normal self! Each day is a struggle. I don't live by the motto "Take it one day at a time". I have to go follow the "Take it one hour at a time".
My wife has been very supportive, but I am sure she is getting tired of hearing my daily rants about me dying. I don't want to stress her out! She has re-decorated our bedroom to make it more relaxing (which has helped me sleep a bit better). I have been going to the gym, relaxing in the sauna, utilizing breathing techniques, drinking herbal tea, etc. I have cut out alcohol and caffeine, and I have minimized the amount of fatty foods in my diet.
I don't know what else to do. Really need help here. Finding it much harder to put on my "I'm feeling fine" mask. I think that my co-workers are going to see through it soon.
Any advice, suggestions, support, etc much appreciated.