Strange Eating/stomach Problem

[Guest Gauvain]

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to mention a few eating and stomach problems I've had... Well first of all, there are times where I'm always hungry and eat a lot, but for my age, that's normal so I'm not really worried about that... What I am worried about is that whenever I get upset in any way, like being sad, angry or stressed, then I stop eating and drinking for a long time. Normally I would put my health into consideration and eat something despite feeling so horrible, but if I'm upset for some reason then I can't even drink water without my stomach starting to get really upset and painful. The only way for me to be able to eat normally again is to be cheered up somehow, but because of constant stress at both home, school and everywhere in between plus my lack of friends and close family makes that very hard... These phases normally go on for many weeks (of course when that happens, I manage to eat a little, but no more than one or two very small snacks a day) and I always have trouble getting rid of it... There was one time where I dropped about 20 pounds in about six weeks, which really isn't good...

Another thing that sometimes stops me from eating is my severe stomach pain that occurs often even when I'm not upset, but is normally more severe when I am. This started about 1-2 years ago and has done nothing but get worse... I went to a doctor for it and got a lot of tests taken, including testing for an ulcer, but they couldn't find anything wrong. I starting to think the pain is caused by stress and things like that. I've tried to relax to help ease the stress, but with my parents constantly yelling to either me or each other about something doesn't help... Especially when new things to worry about seem to be added on a daily basis...

So between the problem where I can't eat when I'm upset and the severe stomach pain, I just haven't been eating much lately... Even when I'm in a good mood and feel like eating something, my parents rarely ever cook anything and I don't know how to cook either, so I'm always stuck eating unhealthy snacks and frozen dinners... Things aren't looking good, and I don't know what to do... x.x

[Guest Gauvain]

Okay, thanks a lot! I'll try those methods.

[Guest Puppy Girl]

That sounds distressingly familiar. Have you considered that you might have a food allergy or intolerance? I lived for 6 years with exactly what you've described, then got diagnosed with Celiac disease, which means my small intestine literally attacks itself any time I eat something containing gluten. That means anything containing wheat, barley, rye or oats gives me horrible stomach pain in even tiny amounts. If you're mysteriously ill every time you eat convenience food, like frozen dinners or cereal (which almost always contain gluten or one of the eight most common allergens), it could be that something in what you're eating is setting off your immune system. Look for patterns; actually read the ingredients on things you eat often and monitor how you feel. Celiac's is really common and getting more so.

One test you could do is get yourself some plain brown rice; you can even get it pre-cooked (Uncle Ben's, for example) since cooking is difficult for you. Try eating only that for a meal and see if there's a difference. Hardly anyone is allergic to brown rice, so if you don't feel any better, that could rule out the whole idea. On the other hand, if you gain energy or even have less pain than usual after eating it, you might be allergic or intolerant to something really common in processed foods. Usually, cutting whatever it is out of your diet can make a huge difference in your quality of life.

Or, it really could be stress, and the best antidote I've found to that is Buddhist self-help books. You can probably find some at a library; anything by the Dalai Lama is great, and you don't have to be a Buddhist to appreciate the anti-stress thinking strategies. Just reading one might give you a little bit more control over your stress.

I really hope that helped. I hope, for any reason, you can start to feel better.

-Puppy Girl

[Guest Gauvain]

Thanks for the advice!

I'm pretty sure I don't have Celiac disease... I was tested for a lot of different things and even got an ultrasound and stuff, but they didn't find anything... Also, pretty much everything I eat during those phases hurts my stomach no matter what it is. Even beverages including water...

But thanks anyway, and I'll try out those self-help methods. I'm pretty sure it is stress, so hopefully that will help.

[Guest seanjamie]

Goodluck man I hope it does start to feel better .

My lil' sister has been having alot of these problems for about 3years , at times being in such agony we've had to take her to the hospital via ambulance, she had tonnes of tests and nothing would show up. They ended up sending her to the pain management specialists at the childrens hospital and a dietitian.

So I can understand to an extent how sucky that is ... ( hated seeing her in pain ) I hope you find a way of dealing with the pain and I sincerely hope it gets better mate.

Maybe with relaxation try something as simple as finding a quite place or just a comfortable place, begin by closing your eyes and counting how long it takes to take a breath in then out and just try to focus all your energy on this as you breath and repeat.

I also found that loud music can be helpful at times as it can block out some of the source of the stress such as your own thoughts or other people around you , this one is a personal one so it may or may not suit you but there are various methods to de-stress and each works differently for each person.

Goodluck again with the pain mate I hope it gets better.

~ Sean

[Guest Gauvain]

Thanks Sean!

I'm sorry to hear about your sister, I hope she'll feel better soon...

The music thing might help me too, though. Music has gotten me through a lot before so hopefully that could be another way to help.

[Guest seanjamie]

Thats good hopefully the music will help some .

She seems to be a bit better since limiting her dairy products and hasn't been rushed to hospital in a little while but it hasn't resolved completely.

I hope You both feel better soon .

[aura willow hazel]

sounds to me like a stress pain to me hun, find ways to relax watch a decent movie, music, taking a walk, really whatever helps. Other than that all I can advise is t ensure meals are balanced right when you are stressed so at least you're still eating right, and avoid snacky crap like the plague.

[Guest Gauvain]

Thanks, I'll try all that.

So far, music's been helping a little... So hopefully that's at least one way I can try to get better.