Been unwell for 4 weeks with viral gastroenteritis unable to move with nausea sickness and diarrhoea, exhausted with poor sleep quality. All Symptoms still severe preventing me going to work or functioning.
GP thinks this may now be due to health anxiety as I am petrified of any illness or symptom or medication. Im not convinced Has anyone else experienced this and if so please could you share how on earth to just feel better. Thank you.
You name it I've had it, any symptoms and I'm convinced something is wrong and the worst part is that the anxiety makes the symptoms worse I hate it man seriously you just want a doctor to do a full body 360 degree mri scan and a whole hospital to convince me I'm OK but still those symptoms just feel real. I've had a lot going on the past two weeks with my body slowly giving me problems and they just keep getting worse.
Thanks for responding. It's awful. I do actually have physical symptoms of diarrhoea and nausea, so I'm so worried and fed up of feeling so ill 5th week now.
Hi
I don't think this can be viral if you're now in the 5th week.
Have you had any stool samples sent to the lab for examination (Culture & Sensitivity test) ?
I had Campylobacter and my symptoms were like yours - diarrhoea and nausea - no vomiting. It didn't show up until a Consultant took a 4th sample about a week or so later. First 3 came back negative. This was probably because they only grew it for 24hrs and Campylobacter has an incubation period of 2 to 5 days. Salmonella, however, shows up within 24 hours.
Have you lost weight. Check that. Are you able to eat anything at all?
Make sure you drink lots of water. I also recommend Pepsi. Buy some mint imperials that are made with peppermint oil. Also boiled fruit sweets. Try Fox's Glacier Fruits and Fox's Glacier mints.
To stop the diarrhoea you could eat some marshmallows.
Until you are eating properly and diarrhoea has subsided make sure to suck the sweets and drink plenty to keep your glucose levels up.
If not eating at all take some blackcurrant flavoured Diarolytes. Some supermarkets sell their own brand Electrolytes replacement sachets which are a bit cheaper.
You could ask for some blood tests to check for dehydration & Anemia but if you do the above these things should help you feel better till your eating properly again and bowel movements have normalised.
Yes I had it from February through March I have a whole story about it if you look back through my stuff. Long story short ask him for zofran for 3 days and also pepcid a.c. 2 times a day for 7 days and get kefir because its got all 14 good gut bacteria in it to restore. You have been throwing up and water bowels so long you have disrupted your ph balance in your stomach so every time food goes down the acid makes your esophagus inflamed and you vomit or it runs through from to much acid and it runs. I also had to take my ativan to get the urge to eat and the courage to try. Get better soon!!!!! Gentle hugs!!
Thank you so much for replying. I'm in such a state about it, petrified and fed up.
Oh sorry and I lived on ginger ale and Powerades and my first day was a bowl of mashed potatoes that I ate at all day.
I have absolutely experienced this and I definitely understand being unconvinced by a GP. I think the answer is you have both the anxiety will enhance and worsen symptoms and stress will stunt recovery the best thing to do in all honest is try and find all the things that relax you and do as much of them as you can rest as much as you can hot water bottle anything to comfort you but just keep te
*telling yourself it won’t last forever
Claire Weekes, whose books have cured more people from anxiety than any other, wrote that the stomach is the organ of the body most sympathetic to anxiety. So you are in good company, it is a very common symptom of anxiety disorder known as health anxiety.
I had it a few years ago and was falsely diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Symptom. In fact it was my mind's reaction to the premature and sudden death of a dear friend. It lasted about a month though wasn't as bad as yours. You alone must know what triggered your health anxiety.
As someone else has mentioned here, the time honoured relief is as follows:
1. Obtain from any supermarket a root of fresh ginger.
2. Slice it paper thin with a very sharp knife. The more ginger the better.
3. Infuse it in hot water for at least 10 minutes before drinking it. Sip it throughout the day even when cold.
You will recover sooner or later, let's hope sooner.
I had it too, I had a bug, then it all got out of control with fear. I had diarrhoea every morning I felt so I couldn't eat, I list weight and that scared me, it went on for three months it was miserable.
I had some tests done, even an endoscopy. Everything clear, but still it persisted.
In the end I had to take a diazepam to calm me down enough to eat, and when I did eat I felt so much better. One day while out with my husband I actually cried while eating a sausage roll cos it felt so good, and normal, crazy eh?!
I was still getting diarrhoea in the morning, as I woke with the fear of what the day would bring. But Jeff1943 told me to eat porridge to bind me up a bit and it worked... Thank you Jeff!
Hope I have helped you a little? And I hope you feel much better soon. Let us know. Best Wishes xx
Thank you funkyfaerie! (What a great name!)
It really is miserable isn't it and how you got through 3 months of it???
I do realise I get myself in a state making everything worse but is out of my control and just feel so ill. Off work and useless mum because I have been literally unable to stand up.
Try and ask the doctor to give you a short course of something to calm you down so you can eat, you'll feel much better.
But also I know it can be frightening but we must all get checked out at the same time.
I got told it was irritable bowel, but it was more a nervous /anxiety thing for me. I still get it sometimes, but I know how to cope with it now. And stomachs are the first thing to react when you're nervous!
Check out the gut to brain axis. It's very real in that many hormones and neurotransmitters produced by your stomach have a role in impacting your brain. Some doctors/nutritionists might recommend trying a probiotic as well to improve your gut flora (enhancing the good bacteria over the bad). I had (still have but it's better to the point I don't use meds) acid reflux as well as what was considered IBS-D. I doubt I actually had the latter since it was more than likely a reaction to anxiety. This especially given the gut/brain axis. Health anxiety is very real and our body can surely convince both ourselves and our mind that something isn't right. During the time I dealt with the above, I had endoscopy twice and a colonoscopy once. Nothing really major found. In my case, I was a little overweight, so I began eating better (sort of helped) and exercised (helped immensely and that's for more than just the stomach issues). As Funkyfaerie said, you might ask about something to calm you for now from your doctor. If this improves your situation, I think you have your answer of anxiety or viral issue. You can try the many natural remedies like ginger, many other herbs, and I've even heard of apple cider vinegar helping (though it's quite acidic, so maybe not). Avoid foods that might trigger a reaction from your stomach. I would guess that a lot of the sleep and exhaustion is from not being able to keep food and water down. Hydrate when you can hold it down. Just a guess on that, not medical fact. I'll say this much: if I'm having bad issues with anxiety, my stomach is usually one of the first areas I feel it and that expresses displeasure. Hope this helps....I think for over two years I dealt with anxiety and stomach issues. I had every test in the book (gall bladder test, the endoscopy, colonoscopy) and nothing was found. Best of luck and I truly hope you feel better soon.
Hi
I also began my anxiety disorder with what appeared to be a stomach upset that would not go. In the end the answer for me was to start on antidepressants. I know not everyone feels able to take them. They are not an easy option as they often make you feel worse before you feel better. I also found learning not to be afraid of my symptoms and taking on little challenges each day was what turned my life around. I now feel great, just a few minor symptoms in the mornings now. Excercise, when you feel well enough is particularly important also.
Very good luck, I hope you feel better soon.
Kim
Yes. The best thing I did was go to counselling and have CBT. I also read books about health anxiety and stayed away from Dr Google. I still have my moments of doubt and What if? But I try to stay grounded and here in the moment.
Bad health anxiety. Please HELP! 
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