cancer anxiety from weight loss

[[ex...]]

Hi guys, as I am aware that many of you have undergone dramatic weight changes whether weight loss or gain, I want to specifically focus on those of you who have lost weight here.

 

I've been benzo and psych meds free since April 2017, yet I'm still losing many weights and as I try to eat, the foods just seem to disappear inside my stomach, in other words, I feel empty after eating. This, alongside the weight loss, fatigue, dizziness, weak muscle including the knees, have led me to have extreme anxiety that I had cancer.

 

Not too long ago, because I felt tension on my gallbladder area besides my weight loss, I had my abdomen checked, from ultrasound, ct scan (ct scan itself gave me radiation anxiety when I discovered its high radiation effect afterward), blood tests, all of which didn't show any abnormalities except for my liver scan, it said "benign calcification post inflammation". My doc said this was not dangerous and he was not concerned, although I was scared to death as I debated him, convinced that I had liver / gallbladder cancer.

 

Now the tension became reduced, my anxiety still runs toward my weight. Even stepping on the scale scares me. It seems no matter what I eat (I eat as healthy as I can and avoid any junk food), I keep losing weight. Then my mind wanders from whether my doc had missed something, or that I had cancer on another areas such as the brain, esophagus (I had GERD, now manageable), blood cells, etc.

 

Does any of you guys have this intense anxiety about weight loss, and what do you do about it? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much.

[[ly...]]

 

 

I lost as much as 25lbs and now about 22 at a month off.  I weigh 118 and am 5'8" (skinny).  I never worried about it much as it is a common wd sx.  I expect it to take awhile to start gaining back.  I eat high calorie foods and drink 2-3 ensures per day.  I don't have health anxiety (but did on psych meds - always dying of something but did not care).  It seems that you have been checked out and all is well.  What do you do to help calm down?  Do you speak with a therapist or listen to CBT tapes/videos?  Was this fear (anxiety) present pre-taper?  I'm sure some buddies will have recommendations.  I think knowing that this is very common and discounting the "benzo lies" your brain is telling you - together with a concerted effort to eat - would help.  Are you restricting your diet?  I eat whatever I think would appeal to me.  This is not a time to restrict things that I can and want to eat.

[[Li...]]

Hi

I have health anxiety and have been referred for EMDR Therapy. It can be viewed as a type of trauma.

I have only been for one initial  set up session. Getting into the real problem soon. I do feel a little better already though.

[[ex...]]

Thanks a lot, guys. Yeah, I just think that my weight loss is very dramatic, as it almost reach my minimum body mass index, accompanied by fatigue and dizziness, although I have experienced those two from long time ago. I do have health anxiety as I had OCD.

 

Yes I also restrict my diet on healthy food, because it was the junk / fried food that made my liver to be calcified (it said "benign calcification post inflammation"), my doc said that was the cause, although he said this was not dangerous. Knowing this, how could I - as former junk food lover as well as fat guy) continue eating junk food? - although I also think that those psych meds also contributed for this as well.

 

I do think that my new healthy-only-food-eating endeavor may contribute to my major weight loss as well (besides benzo), however I have this vision that, I want to increase weight, including eating more and more, but with healthy food. As I searched on the internet, I found out that potato and rice help, but again, in my case I'm still losing weight.

 

I'm 32 years old, 5'7 and around 125 lbs (my max weight when I was still on meds as well as junk food long ago was around 176 lbs).

 

I'm also experiencing muscle (or bone?) weakness, including on my knees.

 

I just never imagined that my withdrawal effect is still taking place dramatically even after all these 4 months (I know the w/d effect can take years).

[[ly...]]

 

 

Yeah, I'd bet your change of diet has contributed but I do think it's going to be a matter of time.  Try to eat as much as you can and maybe have milkshakes and other things too.  I think it's a good thing to eat a healthy diet - maybe I'll get better about that down the road.  Your weakness may be due to the weight loss but also may be wd.  If your doctor says the calcifications are not a problem - I'd go with that.

 

Best wishes to you.

[[ex...]]

thanks so much, lynn33!

[[el...]]

I also suffer the same issue with weight loss. I've been lorazapam free for 1 year now. I eat alot amd seem to be maintaining my weight at 132 at 5'4" I weighed in at 128 a year ago at the doctors.  If I could gain a few more, that would be great. I just feel like I have no control over this issueand thats what's bothersome. Ive always had thin muscular legs but seem to have lost the muscle tone in parts like my thighs. I've had health anxiety over this but now seems to be not so much since its been a year. This seems to bother me more in the morning, then slowly I calm down as the day goes on. I tried protien shakes, eating alot of food but still wake up slim. I really don't know where it goes. Hopefully we will get over this. Its been a long time for me. Gkeep me posted on any good ideas on this subject. Love to you guys!

[[ex...]]

I'm sorry for what you've been through ellielocks. It's true that one thing that may really upset us is the fact that we have no control over our own body when it comes to healing through this process (you know, such as dramatic weight changes and any other weird symptoms).

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Each experience of the fellow benzo buddies makes me stronger, calmer and gives me more assurance that indeed I'm not alone, however long our distance may be. Thanks all and let's keep fighting! We can do this!