Acid Reflux

[peaches]

Hi,


As a new member I am incredibly pleased to have found such a site as this. I am 23 and have been an emet as long as I can remember and i am not even sure when it started. When I was 18 I went off to college and was living with 8 people who like to drink alot. As you can imagine my phobia took on new heights and I started to be constantly n*. It took two years to discover that the n* was caused by acid reflux possibly caused by stress. I have now had acid reflux for 5 years, where I have an over production of acid in the stomach. As a budding Psychologist I am intensly interested in whether this development of acid reflux may be related to my phobia and am wondering whetehr any one else has developed similar problems.


p.s this site is brill and everyone seems so friendly xxxxx

[sage]

Hi peaches,


I can see how physical symptoms of any kind may be related to emotional stress (such as leaving home, perhaps). I could be that both the phobia and the physical symptoms worsened at that time. I have listened to hundreds of people on this site describe physical symptoms and they sometimes get diagnosed as "IBS", "acid reflux" or other chronic (gastrointestinal) illnesses for which there is no actual "cure". I wonder whether curing the phobia would go a long way in alleviating the symptoms of the acid reflux!


As a budding psychologist, you will know the importance of doing your own work in therapy. This can only help, both physically and emotionally.

[samara's on tv]

I sometimes wonder if my hiatal hernia and acid reflux disease would just go away if I would still be so afraid of V*ing. I feel crappy most of the time (the past few days especially) I wonder if feeling like you are constantly going to V* makes you even more afraid of the actual V*ing it's self.


~Monica

[blueiz25]

I have acid reflux and gastritis. I think this constantly feeling nauseous is what made me an emet. You never know when it is the "real thing", or just the disease flaring up worse than usual. Therefore it brings an intense fear of going places because you feel like you are going to be sick. I am nausous 99 percent of the time. I believe that the acid reflux came first , then the emet, then the stress caused by it all,which in turn made everything worse, and now there is no way out of the cycle, even with meds.

[crazy_me_84]

I have acid reflux too and it definately doesn't help with the phobia. The phobia started first and I think maybe the stress and anxiety made the acid worse. Then I'm constantly worried whether this is just acid or if I will really v*. My psychologist told me that the traumatic event I had experienced a few years back which caused me to v* is very unlikely to happen again and if I did v* again, the situation was very different. This way of thinking helped for a while but although the traumatic event will not happen again, I still fear the v* becuase the acid might casue it instead.


I'm so worried now that I cannot even distinguish symptoms and now associate every gastrointestinal symptom as a sign that v* could happen... Does anybody else feel like this? Not being able to distinguish between 'normal' sensations and what might cause v*? and mistaking 'normal' sensations for the dreaded event?


Question for peaches and others, I want to become a psychologist but this phobia and other anxiety disorders and depression (and everything else) makes me feel like I'm not good enough to become a psychologist. From a psychologist's point of view,what do you think? And others, does this sound silly???[img]smileys/smilies_05.gif[/img]


Annabel


xxx

[djwright]

I have acid reflux as well. It didn't start to develope until my phobia was made known, maybe they're connected in some way?

[shiva]

I have been diagnosed with many different stomach disorders.. hiatal hernia, functional dyspepsia, acid reflux, gerd, IBS... Bla bla f***ing bla.... My stomach hurts because I am stressed and a nervous person. I obsess over how my stomach feels, therefore, I am going to feel every twinge of everything and then make it into something worse just incase.. Isn't that how some of us work?


I am very confident that if I took the time to meditate, eat healthy, and work on my anxiety and phobia more digilently I would not have the digestive problems that I do. Unfortunately doctors are just interested in handing out pills so that they can go out to nice dinners on the pharmaceutical companies. It makes me sick that no physician has ever considered my stress levels while diagnosing my stomach problems.


So I think definitely YES! There is no doubt that there is a major correlation between our stomach problems and our phobias. Think about that one. Think about all the money wasted on acid reducers and ppi's when all we probably have to do is relax and gain control over our anxiety. Not to mention upper gi's and endoscopy and bloodwork. It makes me sick. But, I think it's hard for us because we feel safer taking a pill from the doctor (sometimes.. unless nausea is listed as a possible side effect) than taking control over our own lives. I am really frustrated at this phobia right now... UGH!!!