IBS question...

[Galadriel]

I was just thinking, this one summer when I was in college a few years back, I was home, and admittedly not doing anything for the 3 summer months but being home taking care of the house/doing yard work, and I do have mild IBS, but for those 3 months it was like I was my old self again. I didn't have any IBS symptoms at all and it was great. Now, does this then prove that my IBS must be sheerly anxiety related? When the time came to go back to college, it started in again. Has anyone else had this happen?

[xroofusx]

Hey, sorry about that. My friend had hat happen to her, she had ibs through her school months, then when it was the holidays it calmed down. The same with me, when i stopped going to college..and well going out,my anxiety wasn't as high, same when i stopped eating my ibs wasn't bad, now its come back as my anxiety has. So i think it is more likely to be the stress and anxiety going back causing it to become worse.

Ruth x

[marieb73]

OMG, you sound like me. Whenever I am around my parents (they live in NY, I live in CA) I am NEVER sick. My IBS doesn't bother me, I don't obsess about v*.....nada. After experiencing this 3 or 4 times, I've decided it is anxiety for me. Maybe you too.

[kate1966]

Well, I am no doctor, and don't claim to be, but my experience is this....any stressful situation, or high anxiety situation is going to make ibs flare up....there's no doubt in my mind about that. But, i also think ibs is there no matter what, in most cases...like me for instance...i can not be stressed about a thing, and it will still flare up....so i don't know. I just know that stress and anxiety make it worse. I know this really doesn't answer your question, but for me this is the way it is....i just know that stress and anxiety make mine that much worse...but it's always there for me. And of course we all know that we all handle stress and anxiety differently, so it may not cause worse ibs symptoms in some people.

[Galadriel]

Hmm, well, the thing is too naturally life itself has stressors, and I can't just live hiding out under a rock (lol), so I guess its just trying to deal with them. I wonder if say I got on some anti anxiety med, that it would go away completely, because then I wouldn't be feeling all those little stressors that I tend to feel during the day.

There are times tho when I don't seem to be under any stress, but its still there some, so I'm not sure? I just thought it interesting that for that time that I felt real secure that it was completely gone for that time.

If it say was just stress, or me bringing it on, I wonder if there is a way I could mentally make it stop manifesting itself into IBS symptoms. I doubt that, because the brain is way too complex, but that would be something.

Edited by: Galadriel

[kate1966]

If it were only that simple....i would have had mine licked 20 yrs ago...i don't know the answer...but it's very very weird how some people don't suffer a bit from any stomach related stress and anxiety.....but i do know some people are just more prone to stress and anxiety and the way the handle things.....my great great uncle had panic disorder...so i do know it runs in the family and is inhereted how you handle things...my sister and brother do not have these problems at all...now i know my brother has somewhat of a panic thing, but nothing like me......and i've only known him to actually have a break down once in his life.......so each person is different...that's why it's so hard to figure out......


I don't think we would ever bring this on ourselves intentionally. I know i wouldn't. I have a prescription for xanax...anti anxiety....but i only take it when i really feel i have to. I don't want it everyday, and it's a very low dose....it just relaxes you and allows you to focus on other things, and just be calmer than normal...so you might want to give it a try.

[Galadriel]

Hey Kate,
Yeah I know none of us would ever choose something like this. I think tho that probably everyone has a weak spot. What I mean is that some people have back trouble, others get headaches, while we just seem to get it in our stomachs. That is just where the stress manifests itself. Like I know my cousin gets horrible headaches, and she has to deal with them in some form almost every day, whereas I've never really had headache problems. I guess for us it is just in our stomachs.

[jodi054]

The precise cause of irritable bowel syndrome is unknown. The condition often begins during a period of emotional stress and symptoms worsen in stressful situations.


Up to 60 per cent of people with the syndrome have psychological symptoms such as <ACR&#079;NYM title="Anxiety is an unpleasant feeling when you feel worried, uneasy or distressed about something that may or may not be about to happen.">anxiety</ACR&#079;NYM> and <ACR&#079;NYM title="Depressi&#111;n is when you have feelings of extreme sadness, despair or inadequacy that last for a l&#111;ng time.">depression</ACR&#079;NYM>. The disorder sometimes develops after a gastrointestinal infection. An increased sensitivity or intolerance to certain foods, may also contribute.


hope that helps

[tootsieroll]

Yes, I know exactly how that feels. I had IBS really bad when I was a child, and then when I got into 9th grade everything has disappeared, It was amazing but then just last year I got pregnant which I did surprisingly well with when it came to nausea but I was almost 7 months along and I delivered a stillborn baby. It was really sad and sent me into depression and then, all of my childhood fears that I thought were gone for good are back. It was really REALLY bad for about 6 months after I delivered and eventually eased up. I still have it dramatically but it's not the first thing on my mind when I wake up and the last thing before I go to sleep anymore. I am handeling it a lot better just know that there is an actual name for the fear that I have been dealing with ( I just found this site, like a month ago). Just knowing that I am not the only one helps me, because when I have the nausea I can say well we all get this because we are so worked up about our constant thoughts of vomit, and I am learning to cope with it so I can lose the nausea now but when I take the anxiety attacks I am still not to sure what to do then, I haven't took one since I have been using this site but hopefully when I do (or maybe I wont) I can learn to get myself out of it. I have oversome this whole fear before, although I was still afraid of vomiting or seeing someone else vomit I lived my life just like everyone else, and I am sure I will be able to do it again, and you will too, just give it some time and try to stay focused on your school and you will do it. good luck to you [img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[Galadriel]

Thanks tootsieroll. I am so very sorry that you had to go through that. I believe he/she is waiting for you up in heaven.

Can you remember the day that it dissapeared? Did you have bad IBS cramps and such, then all of a sudden it was gone, or was it some event that stopped it or did it gradually ease up?

I think its interesting how our minds play into things. I got IBS during a very stressful time, I had a real stressful job that I didn't like and also things in my life around me weren't going good at all really. I know that had to be a major factor in getting it.

[tootsieroll]

It all gradually got better with time. The more I pushed myself to still go out and have fun the less I thought of it and the less stressed I was. I was enjoying myself and laughingand it was almost like I forgot all about it, and the more days that went by I did forget all about it. It was gone. The key is to still enjoy your life, even though some things are hard to enjoy with IBS, but you have to remember to laugh and be happy. You still need time for you to be able to go out and just not think about it. The more you worry about it or even think about it at that the longer it is going to stay. Try and get a good book and look up jokes on the internet. Go for coffee with an old friend that you can reminiss on the good old times and laugh with and I guarentee IBS will be the last thing on your mind not saying that when you leave there it wont be there but the less it's thought of the more it helps. I did have very bad cramps and a lot of bloating, and I didn't even have to eat anything. but fortunatley I was never constipated just a lot of diarrhea. I hope I helped a little bit. Thank you I truly believe my little girl is waiting for me to. even though she is not here where I can hold her hand, I am holding her in my heart and really feel that she is with me.

[Galadriel]

Hi tootsieroll,
Yeah I think that is part of my problem, if I leave the house sometimes I'm thinking "oh no what if IBS acts up" and the thought is in the back of my mind, so then things start cramping and stuff like a self fulfilling prophecy. This happens a lot, so I think there is a degree of it that is mental. I really don't have it bad, its most noticable like when I know I have to go on an away from home trip, or sometimes work, but there are times that it just seems to happen for no reason.
Mu husband lost a daughter (stillborn) in his previous marriage, and he says he knows she is safe, and that she didn't have to endure any of the trials here on earth, so she is safe in heaven waiting.