Has anyone been really poorly, and the cause was psychological?

[plannedshock]

Hopefully I can explain myself a whole year ago I lost my favourite person in the world, lost A LOT of weight but put it down to stress.
Then realised a few moths after I physically can not eat, I vomit or feel full after about a mouthful, got diagnosed with gastritis.
No medication has helped now I've gone from 10st to 7st 11lb, I'm 5ft 8" so look awful, I have been hospitalised twice from passing blood from back passage, I go to the toilet over 10times daily, always loose.
The thing is all bloods are normal, flexi sigmoidoscopy was normal.
Question being, has anyone had serious physical symptoms and felt rotten, I can't even lift my babies I'm so weak, and been told it's psychological, or stress?
If so how the hell do you get better?

Stress can trigger major illness, but I don’t believe for a second this is just from psychological causes. Have you had X-rays, CT scan, MRI? Because you need that and a colonoscopy if you are passing blood. Back to your GPS urgently and demand some answers. If you aren’t good at being forceful, write down a list of questions and take them in, or get someone else to go with you who will advocate on your behalf.

Yep, me. Kept being sick, passing out, couldn't eat. Really thought I had a serious illness but GP took one look and said anxiety and prescribed me Citalopram which really worked.

DD had been v ill so I was stressed out and it had been months and I lost lots of weight but it never occurred to me I was anxious as didn't have racing heart or sleep problems which I associated with anxiety.

I only had to take the meds for a few months to get my rhythm back and then weaned off slowly. Need to take stock every now and again especially if I get sudden bad news etc but been fine now for years.

See your GP and mention all that you've said here. for you OP.

Im a GP - bleeding out your back passage is NEVER psychological/stress related. It can have 'simple' causes - like piles - but coupled with the weight loss id be suspicious of crohns or ulcerative colitis.

to start, whilst you are having symptoms, you need to ask your GP for a blood test for inflammatory markers (CRP & ESR) and a stool test for faecal calprotectin. (try to do these when you are having "bad symptoms" else they can come back as falsely clear on quiet days.

Flexi sig will only show the bottom part of the colon, not the whole picture, id be organising you a colonoscopy and if thats clear a small bowel MRI.

stress can do alot and come out in strange ways... but can't make you bleed. hope you get it sorted.

Thank you for your replies, I just can't believe it's been a year and I'm no further forward, I'm in for colonoscopy this weds.
I feel like I present myself to drs with a lot of blood, stupidly scrawny and just get "poor you"
I just want my life back, a whole year since I've eaten an actual meal.
I think I'm just freaking out what if they can't find a solution? I'm going to disappear I feel.

OP it's important to take on board what vinobell has recommended. All possible physical causes need to be ruled out and while you may not feel like pushing for that, you owe it to yourself and your DCs.

Also, it sounds as though you have been suffering from something like 'complicated grief' and it hasn't been resolved. What seems likely to me is that your difficult, significant bereavement hit you extremely hard and you didn''t have anyone to help you work that through sufficiently. Chances are you've experienced it as a trauma psychologically and emotionally, which has impacted on your sense of self and your thought processes. Now that you're dealing with some concerning physical health issues your mind is struggling with the sort of anxiety that brings fearful thoughts like "I feel like I'm going to disappear." Since you've lost so much weight and are still struggling to eat properly you may well be dealing with an eating disorder that requires psychological intervention now. I would not let this be overlooked by your GP, who ought to be referring you for a mental health assessment, in my opinion.

Please consider approaching this organisation for support. It might seem 'on paper' that your bereavement is 'in the past' but I'd disagree and say it's very much still active and needs some expert counselling:

www.cruse.org.uk/

Depending on where you live there might also be a local bereavement counselling service. Your local council and in fact your GP should be able to tell you if there is.

My professional sense is that you need a two-pronged approach to this, physical and psychological. Please do your best to assert your concerns with your GP and make sure they act to support you properly at this stage. DON'T feel like a nuisance or as though you're exaggerating things, YOU'RE NOT.

I've never used private messages on here before but if you know how to use them and want to message me, please feel free.

Avuncularis thank you so much, now I just need a gp to think like you just did.
I'm a "coper" I think I should've fallen apart and I didn't, it's obviously gone somewhere.
I've questioned myself in terms of am I struggling to eat or am I convincing myself I can't.

So glad to see Vinobell has given such sage counsel on this because alarm bells were ringing for me but I'm just a patient.

I was diagnosed with crohns after pooping through the eye of a needle continuously during a redundancy process. Luckily I had a sharp GP like Vinobell who immediately suspected more.

I do think the hideous stress sparked something off though...

Good luck and remember to be kind to yourself both physically and mentally.

Something similar happened to me. I did have a physical trigger (norovirus) but it came during a very stressful period in my life and unlike the rest of the family I just did not recover. Couldn't eat, lost loads of weight, constant nausea, diagnosed with gastritis, upset stomach all the time. Would have reactions to eating. I looked terrible. People thought I had lost the weight on purpose and were so rude about it. It was a very physical experience but looking back I know it was exacerbated by where my head was at at the time and the fact that I hadn't dealt with a stressful situation properly. So it just spiralled.

I am loads, loads better now but I am 9 years down the line. I was on high dose omeprazole for 4 years. Now I take it for a few days if a have a flare up but it's easily dealt with. I figured out some foods I never reacted to and just ate as often as I could. Didn't eat dairy for 4 years and gradually reintroduced it. Now I can eat anything and I've learned to love food again and cooking but I'm so much better at looking after myself. I had terrible health anxiety but I have figured out ways to keep in control of it now.

I think you're a huge step ahead of me though in that you've accepted there might be a psychological element. I was fixated on finding a medical solution. One doctor suggested that anti-depressants can help this kind of thing and I was horrified, but I do wonder if they would have helped me recover faster. I didn't give myself a break at all and I should have been kinder to myself.

You can recover from this. It is possible. Sending hugs.

I've questioned myself in terms of am I struggling to eat or am I convincing myself I can't.

Sure, and the difference between those questions is very important. You realise that and you're right, a GP needs to be acknowledging the significance of those questions too. You can tell him/her that you've been advised to ask for whatever support your local secondary care services provide for psychological issues. If you have any worries about that (like feeling it might be stigmatising to receive mental health support) then these links might help you:

www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/s/stigma-and-discrimination

www.time-to-change.org.uk/

And if it's helping, keep sharing on here

You ladies have been so sound thank you.
I'm going to get my colonoscopy out of the way tomorrow and get myself back to the gp, I think there's a lot of deep rooted issues obviously. I'm usually so assertive with everything bar myself so it seems.

Hope the colonoscopy went well. Keep your chin up.

I definitely think you need a colonoscopy with bleeding and that weight loss. Anxiety can cause lots of symptoms but sometimes doctors will put everything down to anxiety if you have it and use it as an excuse not to test properly. My friend got told she had anxiety went back to her home country and immediately diagnosed with thyroid issues and put on medication with which she improved a lot. She had anxiety too which needed treating but it shouldn't mean they don't run proper tests. I am very skeptical when doctors take one look at you and say anxiety - I had one say you don't look like you have cancer, you just look anxious, the NHS is laughing at you. Nice.

Having said that I have been through a year of tests for cancer as had lots of irregular bleeding - bladder, bowel and rectal and these have come back negative. I've tested anaemic, enlarged adrenal gland, severe urine incontinence, infections all the time, fibroids and cyst but rest coming back normal and doctors now saying its anxiety. I get so much better on antibiotics though. I don't think hormones are right but once they have ruled out cancer they aren't interested. Work have made me get signed of and its a nightmare jobwise and I will probably lose my job but can't get any sensible help via doctor. I am mid 40s and suspect it maybe perimenopause, also had a very weird bite after holiday last year in rainforest and got very ill about 3 weeks after that. I am sure they are missing something - I would be the first to say if I thought it was just anxiety but I went to suddenly feeling very, very ill after being very active almost overnight. Anxiety has been there but constant. Can see its difficult as NHS is at breaking point but so frustrating, sorry for the rant but I love my job.

I had my colonoscopy.
It's rectal cancer.
I'm 33
I have two beautiful children.
I've been undiagnosed for a year.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Now it has finally been diagnosed I hope it can be sorted xxxx

I'm so sorry

So sorry, OP. I hope the treatment works well.

2ww now for tests to see if it's spread

I’m so very sorry to hear your terrible news.
I wish you well for the future 💐

Oh no that is frightening

Not sure what to say but

So sorry to hear this. Sending you

That's awful. I hope that it hasn't spread, and that you get some decent treatment now. Can you go private and speed things up?

I just wish and hope it hasn't spread.
My babies 😥😥

I'm so sorry. For some reason you have been in my thoughts today. Keep that chin firmly up as you go through the next round of tests and planning for how you tackle this.

OP, you say you lost someone you loved very much a year ago. Was that your partner?