anxiety?

[Jasmin_]

I have what my doctors think is silent reflux and it causes me to feel nauseous and this makes me worry about daily activities. Recently i have been feeling quite faint as if im just going to collapse, i dont feel like im really there and i have terrible brain fog and lack of concentration. Its really difficult and it makes me worry even more because i cant seem to escape it. Is this likely to be anxiety or should i maybe try and get tested for a food intolerance or something else? Im only 17 and have had silent reflux for almost 2 years (although sometimes im not even sure it is that) I feel like my doctors have given up, i've had plenty of tests and they have all come back normal. Its a struggle everyday and just wanted to know if anyone else feels like this or has any advice for me.

I am currently on ranitidine for acid reflux.

tests i have had: MRI brain scan, ultrasound, gluten allergy test, blood, H.Pylori, eyes test (looked at the back of my eyes)

thanks

[erin626]

you're definitley not alone. and stomach problems are a major symptom of anxiety. nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite, heartburn,  are all common symptoms of anxiety. i hope you see a gi doc. that way if they rule out any real physical cause for your stomach issues then you can work on anxiety and once you have control of that then the stomach problems will clear up on their own.

im still not 100%, i have good days and bad days. sometimes a bad week. but im so much better than i was last year. ive gained weight back, im eating again. and purely because ive addressed my anxiety and found out about my food allergies. good luck. keep us posted about how youre doing.

[Jasmin_]

Thanks for the help! i haven't seen an actual gi doctor because it never got recommended to me by anyone, the doctors just assumed my only problem was acid reflux so i just accepted it, but i think its definately worth it after reading your story. i haven't been on ranitidine long, i recently swapped from omeprazole which did nothing for me to ranitidine, so im still giving it some time before i rule out whether its working or not (although so far im not feeling much difference) I didn't realise that food intolerances may not come up in blood work, thanks for that information! seeing an actual gi doctor will be my next step.

I really need to get a hold of my anxiety too because i know it makes it worse, its just really difficult to take your mind off of feeling ill, it kind of consumes you.

Thanks so much for the advice, its nice to know im not the only one who feels like this, and hearing that your doing much better now is really great! :)

[erin626]

I should add though that anxiety did make my symptoms a lot worse. So anxiety over your symptoms could be causing your nausea to feel more intense. I know it did that to me. I took ranitidine for a long time and didn't notice much relief from it. Has it helped you at all? I ended up switching to nexium which was amazing. It stopped my acid reflux in its tracks. But getting a handle on my anxiety also worked wonder for my reflux and I rarely get it all anymore.

[erin626]

I had severe nausea for a long time and lost a ton of weight from it. So many doctors kept telling me its just anxiety. I finally had a complete blood workup and stool tests. The stool tests came back positive with a fructose intolerance and another test showed a lactose intolerance. If you didn't get a small bowel biopsy done, gluten intolerance could still be a culprit. Gluten intolerance doesn't always show up in bloodwork. Have you gone to an actual gi doctor? Since they specialize in stomach disorders I would check with one if I were you. I had to go to a gi doc to get my answers after suffering for almost 2 years.