Please talk me down - I'm anxious re health and blood test

[Ruby0707]

Hi all,

I went to the GP this week as I've had 'unsettled' bowels for a few months (sorry TMI). I've also lost a stone in weight in the last year and although I've been trying to eat a bit healthier, it's unintentional. I do have IBS so put it down to that at first but the weight loss is concerning.

Bloods came back and said I'm anaemic which is unusual. I stupidly googled it and that could be a sign of something more sinister. I need to go for more tests.

I'm anxious by nature but totally freaking out that something is seriously wrong.

Any words of comfort would be lovely.

I get it I really do. I suffer too with health anxiety and being tested for mystery back pain which I I google , I struggle to focus on sensible possible causes
You could be anaemic but nothing seriously wrong. How is your diet ?
You'll get checked and they'll give you a good MOT so try not to focus on it.
Try to focus on what you fear v the reality and facts. That helps me

Thank you for your reply, I really do appreciate it.

I am a vegetarian but there is no reason for me to suddenly be anaemic after all these years.

I'm so stressed.

I wouldn’t try to worry OP, fellow IBS sufferer here too and lack of nutrients is fairly common among sufferers as the nutrients don’t get time to absorb before leaving the body

Ok thank you, thank you.

This is what I need. Sensible, logical thoughts!

Doesn't help that the message from the GP said it 'was unusual'

They've asked for a stool test that looks for blood in the stools.

Don’t worry OP, I fully get it, I sugger from health anxiety too, or have done in past mainly. I’d follow the process and give whatever they require just to be sure, but chances are that’ll be it. Always here if you need any advice or to vent though 😊 x

OP, it is absolutely normal to fret about health issues where the reason isn't clear . The vast majority of people would also be concerned. However most of the time it turns out to be something benign and treatable, but with similar symptoms to other more serious stuff. You won't know until the tests are done so brace yourself for a bit more worry, you can't help it.

What are the tests you are having? I'd imagine an endoscopy and colonoscopy are in there somewhere. I had them too with similar symptoms to you. I was very concerned naturally. It turned out I had H Pylori infection with a small bleeding ulcer. There was blood in my stool which came from that bleed thus leading to anaemia. I was treated for it and am fine again now. Putting the weight back on was too successful though lol . The colonoscopy showed polyps which were benign and diverticulosis which is trouble free and I would never know I had them!

It's good to get an MOT anyway, that's the way I looked at it, and I can now relax.

Thank you for your lovely response, really!

When you say in the past, how did you resolve it?

How do 'normal' peole feel when something like this happens?

Sorry you went through that but really reassuring to hear.

It's just more blood tests and a stool sample at this stage to try and find the cause.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, it really helps.

I didn't realise how much weight I'd lost until I saw someone at the gym who I barely know, for the first time in a couple of months and it was the first thing she commented on. That's what made me go to the docs.

I had similar couple of years ago but was iron deficienct rather than anaemic but wasnt losing weight. Had colonoscopy and gastroscopy. They found some polyps which they removed and gastritis and diverticulitis. Didn't find the reason for the iron deficiency. I'm actually deficient again now and on another course of iron. I'm wondering if my stomach issues are causing malabsorption. Sometimes I go multiple times a day and veer between the runs and constipation.

Sorry you're still dealing with it! Sounds stressful ❤️

Thank you for some of the comments on here. I am re-reading them to calm myself down.

Step away from Google! Easier said than done, I know.

Make sure they are doing the blood test for Coeliac Disease. But also you need to be eating lots of gluten every day for 6 weeks or so before that test (bread, pasta, weetabix, biscuits, noodles, cake etc) to make it accurate. An elderly family member was chronically anaemic, but no diarrhoea. Her doctor did the Coeliac test before looking for cancer. Turns out that was the cause of her anaemia!

Good luck.

www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/coeliac-disease/

Thank you. I think they have done that test but I'll check.

Didn't sleep a wink last night 😞

Hi OP

First of all well done for acknowledging that you have health anxiety (which we all do to some degree). That’s a really good starting point.

I think it’s natural to want to seek additional information but (as you know) it is really important to rely on reputable sources and remember that they are presenting all scenarios, usually with only very small reference to likelihood.

You have absolutely done the brave and right thing by going to your GP and are now on a route to getting it sorted. It is easier said than done but do try and ignore/rationalize the words that medical staff use, which are sometimes a bit strange and can seem insensitive. Me (or parts of me) have variously been refered to as puzzling, confusing, abnormal, strange, not-quite-right, shouldn’t be happening at your age (both too young and too old!)… and I welcome the candor and have to laugh as it is quite typically me to be an awkward mystery! The long and short of my ailments is they’ve been treatable (or are manageable) but they did take a little while to diagnose and involved a few null tests, which was a bit frustrating and disheartening but also a relief at some points!

I say this not to be flippant, but to highlight that throughout those medical issues the NHS has been amazing and you will get clarity on what it is and the care you need.

All step by step, and wishing good health and good luck.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I feel silly but also so anxious at the same time. My partner doesn't quite understand why I'm getting so stressed out so I feel a little alone with my thoughts.

I wish I wasn't like this but I have convinced myself it's something serious.

It’s not silly at all OP! It’s understandable to feel emotions, but it’s equally really important to stay on top of them.

have you had any therapy for anxiety eg CBT etc? Maybe you can describe to your partner how it feels and what you need from them?

fwiw With my own DH, we have developed a bit of a code for when to talk it out, just listen and when to leave alone with thoughts me being left alone to ruminate. It’s also ok to change our minds! It hasn’t always been this way - my tendency was/is to shut down when something is stressing me and we’ve both had to work on communication around that.

Are you supplementing B12? B12 deficiency is a pretty common cause of anaemia in vegetarians.

I'm due to start CBT on the NHS but my appt keeps getting cancelled or rescheduled.

My partner tries to be understanding but I can tell he's a little frustrated and just tells me not to worry. Wish I could!

I did take a few berroca type vitamins last month that had b vitamins in but not regularly.

It is normal to be anxious in these circumstances. And the Doctors will be looking for the most sinister causes first (because the earlier detected the better the outcomes). But also things can change over your life time and stress can cause physical changes too. I am sure my autoimmune conditions were caused/made worse by stress but conversely getting on top of stress helped a lot.
And people who have never had a health problem can struggle to empathise.

Sorry to hear you haven’t been able to have an appointment yet. There is some self-led information on the nhs website - see ‘talking therapies’ and also ‘every mind matters’ for some of the course info while you wait

Thank you, that's useful and I will take a look.

My stool test has come back to say that my calprotectin levels are high and I need to go for a colonoscopy.

Totally losing my mind here.