People think I'm nuts

So.. I've had IBS for about 3 years now. It started after a D&C in 2004. I did a lot to try and calm it down. I tried more fiber (I have IBS-D), acidophilus, and even went to a GI who prescibed Donotal. Around October or November of last year I was watching TV and saw a commercial for Activia. I decided to take the 2 week challenge. It actually worked! I was able to stop taking the other stuff and I just had 1 yogurt a day. I was able to go out again with out too much worry and even eat at restaurants. I felt like I had my life back.

In December I started having some bad chest pains. I couldn't figure out what was causing it. I couldn't breath, meaning I couldn't really take deep breaths without trying a few times. I felt like my chest was tight and heavy too. The pain would rotate around from the center of my chest to my sides and back at times and I would feel some tightness in my breasts. I had also had a fall onto my chest around that time, so I wasn't sure if it was related to that or not. I finally went to an acute care center who told me I had a sinus infection and acute bronchitis and gave me a prescription. I took the medication and found that I got a little better, but it didn't fix the problem. I lived like this for months and then decided that I couldn't take it anymore. So I made a doctor's appointment. She told me that I had costochondritis (possibly due to the fall) and that I still had a sinus problem. She gave me a z-pack and some allergy meds and sent me on my way. These things moderately helped as well, but didn't fix the chest problem. So I went back. She then sent me in for an EKG and a chest x-ray. They found nothing. I had blood tests done... nothing.

Then I began to have problems swallowing on top of it all. I went back to the doc. She decided that I could have some acid reflux and put me on Prevacid, but said that if this didn't help she would write me a prescription to have an EGD done. I was on it for about 2 months with very minor improvement, so I scheduled the EGD. I had that done about 2 weeks ago. They found that I had some bile in my stomach and irritation in my esophagus and that I should stay on the Prevacid. Other than that, they found nothing. about a week before the EGD, my IBS-D started flaring up again too. I did have a lot of stress around that time, my sister was getting married and I had a lot on my plate on top of being sick. I also have 4 kids, so I'm always busy.

Since the EGD I've had some minor improvements in swallowing, but not entirely. I made a follow up doctor's appointment for next week, but I know she's just going to think I'm nuts still. I get these pains on my sides, next to my breasts, a little lower than my arm pits, but I don't feel any lumps or anything. I feel like the left side of my rib cage sticks out more than the right side and that I can almost feel muscle or bone sticking up near my breastbone on the left side (but the chest x-ray didn't show anything). My back hurts, I still have some trouble taking deep breaths and my IBS is still here (even after the wedding). I feel pain near the bottom of my rib cage on the left side, sometimes sharp... which I assume could be stomach problems associated with the bile I guess. But I feel tightness and pain sometimes all across the bottom of my ribcage.

I feel like I'm going nuts. I can't take it anymore. I can't take being told that there's nothing wrong with me or that it's just anxiety or allergies. I know I have allergies and I know I can be anxious, but this stuff never seems to subside. I'm so worried that it could be something worse and they're overlooking it. What else can I do??

Hi Liz,

Thanks for your response! I have been spending time reading other posts and have seen a lot of similar symptoms to mine. I wish no one had to go through it, but it makes me feel a little better that I'm not alone. I just feel so out of options at times. Ugh...

I'm not yet on any anxiety meds yet, but I'm sure that topic is going to come up when I go back to the doc on Tuesday. Even the doc that did the EGD said prior to them doing the procedure that if they didn't find anything that anxiety meds would be the next step. Since they found all the stomach bile and irritation in my esophagus, he says that anxiety meds would probably be a good idea. That bile like that is mostly from anxiety.

It's just always so hard to tell the doctor about every little pain I have and to have them look at me and say "are you an anxious person?". I just want them to tell me that this is curable. Anxiety does make sense though, I've always been kind of high strung, ever since I was a little kid. I just wish I could find better ways of coping. Anyone ever try a punching bag? LOL. It could always be worse though, I know. I need to stop whining so much and just enjoy life more. :D

me too, i had all the symtoms you had the ibs and trouble with my chest, and things just went on till i started really having anxiety attacks , i mean bad episodes, now that i'm taking anxiety meds i'm getting better day by day, i did like you i felt like one side of my ribs was not right, i had trouble swallowing too, still do alittle, i also started experiencing muscle twitching all over, but thats too is getting better.

check with doctor about it and good luck to you

Yea, I guess I just have to start putting my faith in the docs and believing that it's just anxiety and that they aren't overlooking something. I just worry because I have young children and I don't want anything scary to happen to me.

I was a little worried today though because I was taking breaths and this spot a little bit under my right arm pit on my side started to hurt, like sharp pains with each breathe. Is that normal for anxiety too? My chest is especially hurting today. Just hard to breath and such.

I can't wait to go back to the doc next week.

Hey Kitty,

I'll tell ya, one day I was "normal" ha ha whatever that is... then all of a sudden, quite out of the blue, I felt like I couldn't take a deep breath (totally freaked me out) then ALL of these ailments started snowballing... I felt like I couldn't swallow (there was a lump) had a "deep throat analysis" all fine just slight irritation in my esophagus from the reflux that was (amazingly) due to the anxiety... long story short, I managed to "develop" every symptom for every life threatening illness I could research on the internet. I ended up losing 30 lbs in a month because I was too nervous to eat and I literally did not sleep for more than a few minutes at a time for 11 straight nights... it was horrible and I was terrified. That was 8 years ago and since then I have periodic episodes of heightened anxiety some panic attacks and can really easily convince myself that I have a catastrophic illness... but the reality of it all is that this is part of me. I can do my best to recognize it and to learn different ways to deal with it... but to get angry and wish it were different is counterproductive IMO. It's a lot easier for me to say this right now because I am not particularily anxious right this moment. I too am a mother (I have 4 children) they are all quite young (I'm 29) and a lot of my fear stems from what would happen to them if I wasn't around to protect them. Parents have a lot of extra weight to bear... (the best weight ever though :)

Try to imagine the worst case scenario, let's say there is something medically wrong with you (with the time you are spending being responsible and looking into it they would find it if it were there) now does something medically wrong ultimately mean the end for you? Of course not, we are so amazingly advanced in the medical field that chances are even if you did have something wrong it would be easily fixed and if there isn't anything wrong then you've spent all of these beautiful days worrying in vain... Sometimes thinking this way helps me...

I hope you feel better!!