How Specifically Does Anxiety Affect Stomach?

[Kenny11]

Hi, I'm struggling through some fairly severe ongoing stomach issues that are initially triggered by a fairly specific, intense anxious event. Initially, I awaken with heart racing and/or a 'flushing' feeling around my heart, then it goes straight to my stomach where it immediately feels like a burning sensation, then severe pain and nausea.

Unfortunately, even after the anxious event/thoughts are removed, the stomach issues continue on for some time. This latest episode has lasted over 2 months. The last episode I had was in 2002 and lasted over 6 months.

When I'm not going through an 'episode', typical anxieties/fears may creep up on me, but none cause any sort of ongoing physical symptoms as these do. I don't suffer from panic attacks or most of the symptoms of general anxiety disorder.

- So to help me diagnose what is happening with my stomach, I'm curious to know exactly what is happening to the stomach during an extreme episode of anxiety?

- Some process is causing my stomach to become severely inflamed. Is there a scientific explanation?

- Anyone have severe, ongoing stomach issues resulting from an initial bout with anxiety?

Thanks. I understand a bit about adrenalin and how it affects the heart in this situation, but topics about stomach always seem more vague.

[Paxiled]

First, if it's constant burning, you might want to see a doctor.  You don't necessarily want to do what docs tell you to for treatment, but you do want a diagnosis.  It could be an ulcer, it could be anxiety, but how can we tell?  As for me, for treatment of most stomach problems I find medication is just not very good for long-term treatment, as it causes rebound acidity.  So I treat my problems with natural remedies such as aloe vera juice and DGL, for example, which coat the stomach and help repair the mucosal lining.  But you do want to know what you're dealing with.  Not everything is caused by anxiety, and as to the above post, I don't believe crohn's disease is necessarily caused by anxiety it may be bacterial in nature or a result of forcing wheat and dairy into one's body when they aren't tolerated or the overuse of antibiotics killing off beneficial digestive bacteria.  Again, anxiety isn't responsible for everything.

[jenrenek1017]

This was over 20 year's ago. But I deal with crones daily, my anxiety level increases. Then my stomach reacts almost immediately!

[jenrenek1017]

I was I'll for years with stomach issues. When for the 3rd time in one night. My mother refused to take me home from the er! It ended up a month in the hospital.  12 inches of my intestine, appendix. Removed! Crones disease!  Now older every time I get upset my body aches! Fibrobialgia. So your feelings/rmotions Do contribute so much to your body!

[valmag]

I am struggling with a very severe stomach burning pain that is constant.  I just recently went through a bout of severe anxiety and now my stomach is all messed up.  Seems like that is when it happens.  Am trying to self de-stress but don't want this burning to go on for to long.  Do you do anything to relieve your stomach between times for it to heal?

[mabuhaylagi]

hi,ive had your symptoms for so many years now ,mine will start with my heart like skipping a beat and then surges into extreme palpitation and after i struglle to relax myself and the palpitation subsides the pain in my stomach will be unbearable ill have cold sweat and another bout with anxiety until all my strenght is drained and when i fall asleep for just a moment the pain goes away and after all the check up with heart specialist coming back negative i focused on the pyschological side of it and struggled to solve the riddle of my trigger and after all the councilors and seminars finally i faced my trigger and solved it and it becomes clearer and everytime it comes it becomes easier to get by and now my trigger and my symptoms went for a vacation for 2 years , until yesterday when i took pills that would block fats from being absorbed but the side effect would be like having diahrea or stomach pain at first i know that its only the side effect but when it didnt go away fro 12 hours i started to be irritated then worried and in the end having that part of my syptoms haunt me again, like you im also wondering whats happening to my stomach when anxiety hits me and if any specialist is reading this correct me if i say that its like clenching a muscle in your stomach for a long time and having it cramp on you just like when you swim you cant do anything about it at that time but when you let go and believe that it will go away soon it will happen.
    hope this helps because when my first episode happened im in grade 6 and now i have 3 beautiful kids my eldest is 22 and my yougest is turning 18, you have all my prayers with you including all that posted here, there is always hope dont give up on your research to find out what really is the scientific explanation for our symptoms

[nicki2826]

Doctors are made to think your crazy they get money everytime they perscribe you something if they can't find an answer your crazy , I was sick vommiting for 6 months in and out of the hospital stomach felt like I swallowed battery acid cant function think I thought I was going crazy ! So was doing a bunch of research an learned about h pylori , so I asked a doc to check for it and it came back positive ! I wasn't crazy gatritis is a symptom not an illness soo if you have stomach problems before the anxiety there's something going on physically not mentally soo stick too your guns don't listen to these docs all they wanted to do was put me on depressants anxiety pills so on .. Sad the world we live in today