Mental health issues?

[Thirstycamel]

I've been suffering from bad adominal pain and nausea for 2 months - clear blood tests though no other tests yet carried out (waiting for an ultrasound). The problem I am having in particular is that I think my GP is making me feel like a nuisance and a fraud and that I'm making it all up as she can identify no cause. Its made me feel unwilling to contact them anymore as I just feel very anxious and embarrassed talking to anybody about it now. I am also at the moment feeling a little better (it comes and goes) which has left me wondering if its all in my head. Can this be possible? The pain and nausea feel very real, but if there's no physical cause maybe it is psychological after all?

[Rubyron]

I am in exactly the same situation with the pain and nausea - for months now - and the accompanying mental health issues. (In fact, I've just been to the GP this morning!) Your GP should be more helpful, and should be reassuring, NOT making you feel like a fraud! Maybe you can ask to see someone else in the practice? There is a very close connection between the brain and the gut, so even though it may appear that it's "all in your head" - it really can be in both! One affects the other, and it's very often hard to know which one it is, or if it's both! I've suffered with anxiety and depression all my adult life (I'm in my 70s), as well as IBS - the two seem to go hand in hand for me. Four years ago I was diagnosed with diverticular disease, and I'm wondering if you've been tested for that? My main symptoms were pain and nausea. Also - do you know what blood tests were done? You should have been tested for inflammation markers, infection markers and, if you're female, for ovarian issues. You should also have done a stool sample and a urine test. If any of those weren't done, your GP hasn't been thorough enough. If they have, and if everything, including the ultrasound (and possibly a colonoscopy) is clear, you can start investigating things like CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy), which can be helpful with gut-related mood issues. I hope you get the help you need, and that you feel better soon.

[xjrs]

Your GP should know that if you are suffering from something like IBS, that they carry out tests to rule out causes other than IBS. IBS diagnosis arises from a process of elimination of other causes they can test for. IBS as a condition does not yet have absolute tests and treatments that can fix it, just ways of managing it, as the science is not there yet. However, the associated symptoms are absolutely real and not made up or 'all in the head'. Your GP should know this. In fact, if they are making you feel this way, tell them (or have an advocate tell them on your behalf), since if they are making you feel this way, they are not doing their job properly. I suppose they are taking you seriously enough to do the scan.

If you are diagnosed with IBS, check back in here since there is much that can be done to help your symptoms. Good luck.

[Pajarorose]

It sounds like food intolerances. Take 25 mg. Meclizine for relief. Go on low Fodmap elimination diet to discover food intolerances.