Feeling unwell but have health anxiety

[PookieDo]

I am 39. I have not had the best health in recent years, but nothing very serious

I have anxiety and especially over my health and DC health. I’ve had CBT and try to manage my worries by talking it out with myself internally and reassuring myself. I have tried to be a ‘wait and see’ person instead of panic and react. I try not to go to the GP too often because they often can be dismissive (nice but offer me anti depressants!)

I have been suffering with heartburn and indigestion on and off for years along with IBS. I did have h-pylori about 5 years ago. The heartburn has returned with pain under my ribs on the right side (so not my stomach). I also have lower and upper back ache which is worse when I am sitting down. I did see a GP about this and they gave me omeprazole which helped for a while. I’m a bit overweight and don’t always have the best diet habits (fizzy drinks) so I think some of the indigestion is self inflicted.

Recently I have had 3 separate episodes of an awful upset stomach - shaking, chills, unwell on the loo for hours and fatigue but then seems to pass and return to normal.

Also recently a few people have separately commented to me that I look like I have lost weight, and not in a just being polite way, one of them was my daughter. I do not weigh myself so I don’t know if I have or not. I’m not on a diet. This has really set my anxiety radar off.

I didn’t sleep well last night and I have woken up my neck glands are swollen, sore throat/chest, I am shaky, ache all over and feel generally awful. I also felt like this when I woke up on Saturday, but I felt great yesterday so if it is a virus it seems to come and go which is odd

I don’t know anymore what is anxiety or illness and basically I am just miserable and tired and unwell every single day lately and it is getting me down. I’m not enjoying life and I don’t know if I am actually unwell or not. I feel like I don’t seem to have major specific symptoms to go to the GP about, so I am trying to deal with it by myself. Just feeling down today I think

[PenguinsRabbits]

If you don't weigh yourself its quite easy over a period of time to either lose or gain weight without realising. It is also quite common for people to say people have lost weight when they haven't. I would weigh yourself maybe once a week over a month and consider what you are eating, should be roughly 2000 calories a day for normal activity level. If you are eating that amount and your weight still falls a lot over the month then raise with the doctor. In the past when I've been anxious I haven't eaten enough and then my weight drops but that's fine as long as you aren't underweight to start with.

I would try and cut out fizzy drinks and see what improvements that makes. I am guilty of drinking too many fizzy drinks but they can make you feel ill if you have more than 1 and they rot your teeth and mean your diet is far too high in sugar.

The glands my guess would be a virus but if it doesn't improve after say a week go to the doctor. You can have good and bad days with a virus.

It maybe worth getting the doctor to run some blood tests to check there's no underlying problems. If you don't feel your doctor takes you seriously can you see a different one. I think there are doctors who once you have anxiety put everything down to anxiety though when you have anxiety you tend to be hyperaware of things too.

[Imnotaslimjim]

Has your doctor mentioned gallbladder issues? Try keeping a food diary and compare it to the pain issues - gall stones are mostly affected by high fat. If the pain continues please do go and get looked at. Even those with health anxiety can be genuinely physically ill. Hope you feel better soon.

[PookieDo]

Thanks for replying

I have had lots of blood tests in recent years/months.

I was severely vit D deficient but I have rectified this. I am anaemic due to on going gynae issues

I’ve just last week had a load of bloods looking at my hormone levels, blood sugar and thyroid because something did show up on a previous test for raised prolactin. I haven’t had any results yet (consultant)

When I am having a flare up of IBS or heartburn you do tend to eat less because you feel unwell. I also am trying to cut out fizzy drinks

The episodes that trigger my upset stomach was actually when I had drunk some beer. I was so ill!

I think I have something viral at the moment it really feels viral. Probably unconnected

Never had my gallbladder checked no

[PenguinsRabbits]

Have you been tested for gluten intolerance?