What is wrong with me?!

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This topic has 7 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 2 months ago by Nekoshema.

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August 2, 2016 at 2:27 pm #111348

J
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I was diagnosed with acid reflux in 2013. I was prescribed medicine and the acid reflux got better. I didn’t have any problems until last year when I took a teaching job in August. It was my first time teaching after working a retail job and the job was so stressful that I was having panic attacks. And the panic attacks and anxiety made my acid reflux get worse. I went to my doctor and a therapist and was prescribed famotidine, lexapro and buspar and I started to do better. But my constant worrying and stressing out over everything didn’t stop. After I left this teaching job, I still had to make a monthly payment of $450 for the remainder of the teaching program I was enrolled in. My worry kind of subsided once I got a job at Sears. I started this job in April and I was fine, but after a couple weeks I met this new manager who is over the group I work with and my moods have just been going downhill ever since meeting her and I just HATE THIS JOB!

Now my stomach is doing it again! I feel nauseated. I have constant gas. I have abdominal pains. My chest and stomach will slightly burn and I get nauseous and feel like I have to vomit after I have a bowel movement. It also doesn’t help that I have emetophobia. I just wish my stomach would feel normal. I didn’t have this problem when I was in college and college was stressful, but it wasn’t anxiety-inducing for me. I have a trip to Vegas in a week and my stomach is the last thing I want worrying me. I try eating food, but the only things I can eat are soup and maybe a banana. I just wish my stomach was normal! Please help!

August 2, 2016 at 7:13 pm #111376

Anonymous
Guest

Dear J:

You are suffering and I am so sorry to read that you are. Your stomach problems are very distressing- I know these kind of problems. On the other thread I suggested you consider quitting your job. Just because you had trouble with the teaching job (which is very stressful for many) and you hate this job with the manager you are having, does not mean there is something wrong with you. There still are jobs out there that will not be stressful for you!

Working in a very low key, low stress environment will be right for you.

Will a hot bath help, real hot? A fast walk of half an hour, at the least. Any relaxing activity such as listening to relaxing music…?

Got to find a way to relax, take deep breaths.

let’s discuss your job and the idea of quitting it on the other thread and here, the relaxation techniques…?

anita

August 2, 2016 at 7:49 pm #111379
Miniature Bodhisattva
Participant
Hi J,

I’ve recently battled acid reflux myself so I can speak to this a little bit, but before I do I have to give the standard disclaimer of how I’m not a doctor, seek professional advice on medical matters, etc. etc. Whew! I feel better having got that out of the way! 🙂

Acid reflux is no joke. In my case it got so bad it gave me heart-attack like symptoms. Like you my primary care doc gave me some prescriptions to calm it down, and after a month I’m now symptom free! My doctor is now going to try to pull me off the medication as some recent studies have shown that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) drugs have been linked to dementia. (Better safe than sorry I say!)

Stress is a huge contributor to acid reflux but it’s not the only thing – diet is another. (I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.) I had to cut some foods from my diet (soda, coffee, chocolate, and limit citrusy foods) as they tend to cause your stomach to produce more acid. Bland foods like the bananas you’re are already eating, rice, steamed veggies, oatmeal and decaf teas do wonders to help calm your tummy down (bear in mind you’ll have to practice portion control). If that doesn’t help you may want to explore the possibility of a food sensitivity or allergy.

Hope that helps! And yes, like Anita says, do what you can to get out of that toxic job. Your health my very well depend on it!
- This reply was modified 8 years, 3 months ago by Miniature Bodhisattva.
August 4, 2016 at 12:59 pm #111541

J
Participant

Miniature, acid reflux really does suck. I really have a problem with stress and worry. I tend to worry about everything. My mind just won’t stay clear when I’m trying to relax. Then I had a friend at my house last week and I felt good, but I wasn’t doing great with my diet. I was eating a lot of ice cream, sweets, pizza, and some fried foods. So I wasn’t really doing what I was supposed to be doing that week, and then seeing my crazy work schedule probably just gave me stress and that added to it. I’m trying to just eat bananas. My stomach keeps growling, but at the same time I feel nauseous, but when I take a small bite of banana, I still feel nauseous. I just don’t know what to do. I just want my stomach to be normal. It also doesn’t help that I can’t really rest. I work today and am off Friday and Saturday, but I have to work Sun-Wed night and this before I have to board a plane for Vegas the next day.

August 5, 2016 at 8:27 am #111580

Anonymous
Guest

Dear J:

You are very anxious, you were when you posted the above. This is what is wrong: anxiety. Anxiety triggers your physical symptoms and the physical symptoms in turn trigger more anxiety. You need to relax, calm yourself. Pay attention to HOW you calm yourself. If you try to calm yourself with foods that trigger your physical symptoms, what you will be doing is in effect increase your anxiety.

So how to calm yourself? In any way that doesn’t hurt you. Hot baths, aerobic exercise, listening to calming music, hot tea- different things at different times.

At times, when the anxiety is too much psychiatric drugs may be necessary for a while.

Psychotherapy for anxiety where you will learn techniques (meditation, mindfulness…) to calm yourself will be helpful.

Quitting a job that is very stressful may be another way for you to take.

Getting social support is yet another way. If there is a way to get your mother’s understanding, that will be a good thing. You need someone in your corner, on your side so you can rest being in the presence of that person.

Anything and everything that will calm you (and not harm you later, such as eating wrong foods) is what you should do any and every moment and day… and night.

anita

August 5, 2016 at 10:46 pm #111654

Miniature Bodhisattva
Participant

J,

Until you start taking steps to deal with your anxiety and improve your diet, the acid reflux will probably continue to be an issue. Anita has some great suggestions for how to tackle the anxiety issue. I challenge you to try something off her list tomorrow. If it doesn’t work, try another one. Keep going until something sticks.

As for the diet, it sounds like you use food (to some small degree at least) as a self medication for your anxiousness. This is not uncommon, and I’ve done it myself. If you’re not in a place to give up all the junk in your diet, can you at least part with the worst trigger food? For me it was soda. I made a deal with myself that I could eat all the other crap, but no more Coca-Cola for awhile. I then started drinking a ton of water and decaf tea – which is important, because when you give something up your body/mind will search for something to fill the void. Try it. Even if it’s for one day – or one meal. Work with a nutritionist to see if there’s healthier versions of your favorite dishes. I got turned on to fruit infused water which tricked my brain I was still having a sweet, sugary drink.

I’m sure what Anita and I are saying is probably causing you to be anxious. That’s OK. Don’t aim for perfection – aim for progress! Your body will reward your efforts, even the small ones.

Good luck. Hope you had a safe trip to Vegas.

August 6, 2016 at 11:27 am #111725

Bloo
Participant

Hey J,

All you need to do is to be aware of what is happening and accept it. If you have health issues, go fix them don’t be lazy or afraid. If you hate your job actually go out there and do something you enjoy.

Stop sitting on your ass and wait for stuff to happen cause it won’t. And don’t forget that the past and the future does not exist.

August 10, 2016 at 8:35 am #112049
Nekoshema
Participant
i know the feeling of frustration once being ‘normal’ and now a medical thing throws a wrench in life [for me it’s my feet, but my anxiety does cause me to hyperventilate] i suggest diet and exercise, don’t go off the medication, but destressing yourself, as well as diet and exercise can help. by diet i mean keep a food diary, try various foods and record if they effect you in any way. if they cause your stomach to become more upset, cut them out [main reason i don’t eat pork] for exercise, pick things that help you release tension, relax and/or unwind. eventually you should find a way to manage your stress and your acid reflux, but don’t stop or it will return. that’s something i do, i’ll stretch daily for 3 weeks then shrug one day thinking ‘feeling fine, i’m going to skip it’ only to fall out of my routine and less than a week later my feet are being a pain again.
- This reply was modified 8 years, 2 months ago by Nekoshema.
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