Severe Anxiety From IBS...Feels Like It Will Only Get Worse...Any Ideas??

[Nsutton88]

Hi, Ill get straight to the point. Apologies if this ends up being a long post! I have had issues with my stomach (sudden urgent need to go the bathroom/unpredictable/irregular patterns) for going on 13 years now. It stems back to a stomach bug I had at 13 that manifested into IBS. Around that time I remember going on a school trip to theme park and spending the whole 3 hour (seemed more like about 23) coach journey panicking about needing to go to the bathroom. I managed to hold out and go when we got to the park. However, whether or not that was the catalyst for my now severe social/traveling anxiety all that matters is that it seems like it is getting more and more unmanageable.

I am now 26 and have had to quit 3 jobs because of it. I have never been on a date or had a relationship with a woman (not to sound big headed, but I have had to turn down a lot of opportunities to....most men do in 13 years!). I find train/bus/coach travel terrifying. I can do it but spend the whole time panicking. If the train stops in a tunnel I normal completely lose it. I have often had to get off the train at random stops to use the bathroom. I think most of my symptoms are brought on mentally but do mostly become physical.

I have tried medication. For just under a year I was taking a tablet a day but found I was drowsy, dizzy, lethargic and had slurred speech. Not to mention that I felt awful if i missed a pill. For those reasons I decided to take myself off the medication and try other avenues. One of those was NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). I visited a top London-based therapist for 8 sessions (5 of which he agreed to see me unpaid as he couldnt understand why I wasnt cured after 1 or 2) but with no improvement.

Here are some of my worries that cause the anxiety:

Being unable to get to bathroom. Going to the bathroom when it seems sudden and noticable to person/people I am with. Being stuck on a train/bus or in a lift/elevator. Having to be in the bathroom for a noticeable amount of time when out or on a date. Not being about to leave a meeting or occasion to get to a bathroom.

Has anyone been through something similar or got any advice that could help?

Appreciate any replies.

[Veeper]

I had something similar a few years back. I had always had weird bowel problems and stomach issues. I never really got a diagnosis, I just figured it was the stress I was under. I remember many times leaving a stressful situation and driving home at the speed of sound to just barely get to the bathroom. It was debilitating. If I went somewhere I always found out where the restrooms were. I never took a medication for it. One day I realized that it wasn't happening as much as before, I was learning to relax. One thing that is really important to remember is the times you NEVER had an accident! I was worried about what could happen and forgetting about what didn't! I am better now, but when my stress level rises my bowels are always affected. Concentrate on the positive.

[bruxby]

I have had this experience over the past month. It started when I was feeling very stressed out, sick and other feelings of anxiety during my time at school in November. I didn't feel like eating much in the morning but I also felt sick so I took a vitamin C lozenge and nothing else for breakfast. After that period I have been experiencing IBS everyday for the past 5 weeks. I get it more often when I am in stressful situations like just before a presentation or going out. I know a coworker that has gone through it and she has had to change her whole diet, giving up smoking and trying her best to abstain from alcohol and other food groups altogether.

I haven't given it too much thought but I was considering going to a dietitian or  maybe just browsing online about what certain foods are better at reducing symptoms of IBS. But I feel like the major symptom to deal with for me is stress and anxiety so that is what I am focusing on for now.

Good luck on your recovery

[eber]

I have IBD, IBS, and anxiety.  I have been hospitalized for the IBD.  The worst part is that they can and do each aggravate the other.  And none of them, even when properly diagnosed, have a definitive cure.

That said the only approach I know of to get out of the truly viscous cycle is to be honest with your doctors and have each of them try to reduce the symptoms on their end.  I know this all is easier said than done. The best thing I did for my IBD/IBS was reduce my diet to the most basic foods and then start adding in simple foods until I found a simple but rounded enough diet that works for me and keeps me steady.  I also find that keeping myself continuously hydrated with vitamin water helps me feel better.

There are still issues, I still instinctively find the bathroom as the first order of business when I go somewhere.   I still avoid new foods.  I still walk out of meetings if they go on too long and explained why to my boss who was quite understanding.  I still go to the bathroom way too often in awkward situations (I was once pulled away by airport security and interrogated for too many trips from the waiting area to the restroom!) but I smile and deal with those around me who need to know why.

On a personal level, I find that mentioning IBS and IBD to anyone who actually cares is not hard to do nor off-putting.  What they usually do not want or need to know, is the details of intestinal disorders unless they initiate further inquiry.

[misscus]

I had IBS and IBD fo 50 years. I stopped eating wheat, white flour, and very little sugar. I have had normal bowels for two months. this was unheard of my entire life. I too made many sidetrips a day to the bathroom and it has disrupted my life dramatically.  It feels so good to not have the problem anymore, it was hard to stop eating those foods, but I made it a priority and it is working as nothing ever has before.  I read the book called Wheat Belly by Dr Davis which educated me about wheat and it's effects. I no longer have joint pain. I now have more energy and my blood sugars are in the normal range.  As long as I don't eat wheat etc, I am normal,,, and loving every moment.  ALL of our wheat is genetically modified, and causes so many digestive problems, and the food pyramid advises us to eat 6 to 11 servings of it a day!   Dr Davis is a PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGIST.  I am a research RN and this book contents made so much sense and was based on studies, and Dr Davis's couple thousand patients.

[alanastrums]

I'm a little late to reply here, but I have the exact same thing! It comes and goes in severity, but lately I've had so much anxiety around going to the bathroom. In my case, I have stomach issues as well as an overactive bladder. I get incredibly anxious whenever I'm not in easy access to a bathroom. Even carpooling with friends on a 30 minute drive can cause me a lot of anxiety, and things like takeoffs and landings on planes or being on buses (where using the restroom is truly not possible) is the worst.

I wish I knew how to help. I'm working on treating the overactive bladder, but I feel like so much of it is anxiety, so treating the condition is only part of it. It sometimes makes me feel better to remember that, in most cases, I can get to a bathroom if I really need to. Even if it means inconveniencing friends or family with me or causing me to take longer getting somewhere by having to stop, just knowing I can get to a bathroom if necessary eases the anxiety a little. Also remembering that often the urge will pass if I wait makes it easier to deal with the pain of feeling like I have to use the bathroom urgently.

[peggy67]

Completely agree with cutting out wheat.  Wheatbelly is a great read.  I suffered from IBS most of my life.  It was just something I learned to deal with.  About a year ago, I cut out wheat and my stomach and digestive issues changes almost immediately!!  Good luck