Hi everyone, well my health anxiety is out of control again as for the past 5 days I've had the worst pain ever just below my sternum, I can't/don't want to eat and am just drinking water. I've tried every heartburn remedy going with a little relief but it's short lived.
My concern now is that it is in fact Pancreatitis...please don't tell me to trust my instincts as they really are totally Untrustworthy...anyone relate?
Thank you.
Hi Whatnext,, Severe pain and burning just below breastbone and sometimes radiating to the left, tender to touch, occasional croaky voice, burping, gurgling, constipation, weeing a lot, pressure below breastbone particularly when sitting.
Things I've tried are ACV with water, lemon water, baking powder and water, Gaviscon, apples...
I would advise you contact your doctor and get relavent tests to know if you do indeed have pancreatitis or indeed any other ailment,
However, I had a near death experience when I was younger and my children were small and realising they could have been left without a mother set of anxiety. Then acdear friend died suddenly on Boxing Day 2000 and I just freaked with grief together with my fear of my children living without me. So I convince my self I had a blood clot. ( it was when their was a lot of hype about people suffering blood clots when flying ) my obsession was so severe that i was anxious all the time and couldn't sit still, had to keep moving to stop one forming, infact if I saw a report on front of news papers referring to blood clots , I would be physically sick right there and then.
Once I was finally on medication that actually worked to slow me down and calm the panic three months it took with some times 13 pills a day which didn't even touch the sides.
I found that I could not watch some of my favourite programmes like casualty and londons burning, due to the subject matter and the suspense.
I could only watch light hearted TV x
That's my fear, leaving my children! I don't watch any medical programmes at all.
Glad you are felling better now.
i can associate with you,have exactly the same pain in sternum area -also pressure against sternum,cant eat -never hungry.no clue as to why -
Sorry t o hear that, how long have you had it?
not sure how long-at a guess two years- but appetite has been diminishing for few years -was diagnosed with Hiatus hernia and dysphagia in 2014/15.Doctors have always put my increasing abdomen down to at one time IBS and then Diet(even tho not eating)
and age then tell me i need to diet -even though they recognised i have distended abdomen but keep changing what they say it is.still dont accept its nothing to do with my diet.
i saw the gp this morning -gave her a list if all that I had been diagnosed with and when and the main things i needed to discuss -told her all my symptoms -that it was too painful to eat and of pressure against stomach etc and she just said there's " no need for further investigation at the moment ,come back and see me in 4 weeks".I cant walk without the pain and pressure -only time it doesnt cause pain is walking down hill.couldnt even eat soup today.
asked her if she would see me re another outstanding problem-head - -wouldnt make another appt,but wouldnt deal with more than one thing either.
How unhelpful and lacking in any empathy...bloody doctors.
I agree you should see a doctor, but I'll tell you my story. I had 3 co-workers die of stomach cancer within 5 years of each other. I've never had ANY GI issues in my life. I suddenly started having chest pain, an "icy hot" feeling spread across my chest from the inside out. Then I would freak out thinking it was my heart and throw myself into a tizzy. I have access to an EKG machine so I was able to get a reading while having the problem. Everything was normal. I had it one night and swore it was different so I went to the ER. I am an ER nurse and you have to understand for me to go to the ER I really thought I was dying. Anyway, the EKG was normal, Troponin was normal and I was diagnosed with gastritis.
Fast forward a few months and I had convinced myself if it wasn't my heart, I had stomach cancer. I had an upper and lower GI done. There was some inflammation/irritation, but no cancer. I was given a prescription for a PPI which I only take when I feel an episode coming.
Here is the best way I've found to see if it is heartburn....drink some ICE COLD water. Pay attention to how it feels going down your esophagus into your stomach. Can you feel the water pass over the burning area? If so, it's GERD. I keep a bottle of Mylanta in the fridge and use it instead of ice water now that I know what I'm feeling for.
Again, please see your physician about your symptoms. I only speak from personal experience, and am not a licensed physician.
Hi all, went to the docs yesterday and have to do a stool sample to see if the acid reflux is caused by an infection, I'm assuming H Pylori.
Hi again worryworm, when I first went with the same symptoms as yours I was tested and treated for H Pylori, but symptoms remained. Then had gastroscopy that found hiatus hernia but nothing else to explain symptoms. Then sent for scan which found gallstones. Eventually had them and badly infected gallbladder removed, which had been the cause of all my problems.
Hopefully you'll find out what's going on soon. Good luck.x
Mainly central, but eventually it was so bad I couldn't really pinpoint one spot. The pain also went through to my back. Didn't feel much until I ate something. Hoped it would go away itself but finally had to go to gp after I couldn't eat for 4 days without being sick.. Had the pain several times over the previous few months but it went away. Gp said my haitus hernia was probably caused by continuous vomiting.
Asthma or anxiety?
Depression, or a bug?
Is this normal or...🤔
needing advice &/or ❤
Health Anxiety?! .. or.. Hypochondria?!?..
