Hello,
First of all I suffer from bad health anxiety. I worry about being sick and getting something that can't be cured.
Recently I went to the ER for chest pains and stomach pains. They did multiple tests that day on my heart that included EKG, chest x-ray,blood work and stress test. Everything was fine and they said it was most likely anxiety or muscle spasms, or acid reflux.
I felt better but the next day, my abdominal pain got worse. So I went back in and they took a urine sample, blood test again and all was fine. They then did an ultrasound of my abdomen and everything looked good. So they chalked it up as muscle spasims and sent me home.
Long story short, I'm still having abdominal pain and freaking out about it. I'm convincing myself I have some type of stomach or colon cancer.
I am assuming if I had some type of cancer, they would have saw it in bloodwork or saw something on the abdominal ultrasound?
On top of the pain, im freaking myself out and could use some rational advice!
Hi jay, so sorry to hear that you have been such a stressful experience and don't feel any better. You've had so many tests and investigations and the doctors have reassured you that your ok. You have to believe them. I think you may have ibs which is made worse by anxiety. I know I've got it and get worse when anxious. If you keep looking for a cause it makes you more anxious and ill. The stomach is the 2nd brain and responds to stress by getting upset, which the doctors kind of suspected when they said it could be acid reflux. The only way out of the vicious cycle is to get help for your anxiety and try to relax your body's fight or flight reaction. I hope you can feel better.
Not sure about rational but I'll try at the advice part LOL!!! Anxiety can cause all your symptoms without any help from any other illness, disease, or issue. Have you had a follow up exam with your doctor since the ER visit? Let them know you are still concerned, ask them to review the tests from the hospital with you, they will be able to answer your questions about if they would have seen signs of cancer from the testing done. You can also ask about a referral to a gastrointestinal specialist. They might be able to help guide you into further testing, like colonoscopy or endoscopy, if they feel your symptoms warrant such testing. Of course if it is anxiety, muscle spasms, or acid reflux you should start off by trying to treat the reflux and muscle spasms and see if that helps eliminate your pains. If it is anxiety alone, these things will probably not help much. Look into seeing a mental health specialist for therapy and medication or both. Good luck, and try to rest easy knowing they didn't find anything of major concern or they wouldn't have sent you home.