Anxiety and IBS cycle hell. How can I escape?

[mumtothreeeeeeeee]

I have recently been diagnosed with anxiety and have just started some CBT for this. My anxiety symptoms used to be light-headedness and worry that I would faint but since being diagnosed with anxiety I have told myself that this isn't going to happen etc etc. However, my main worry now seems to be my tummy and it is the thing I am anxious about over anything else in my life ( busy life with 3 DC!). I basically need the loo within a few mins of waking up and it is TMI, always loose. I am pathetic but this really upsets me as I don't feel right for a while after either and mornings are busy. I M waking in the night worrying about my tummy the next morning. I just want a break from having an upset tummy every morning:( I feel my anxiety would really improve if I did. I know you should really treat the anxiety but the diarrhoea is now the main source of my anxiety. I feel like I've come quite a long way to overcome some of the previous issues. I've never taken Immodium in my life but now wondering if I should as a short term solution/ or break!! Or how about those Kalms- has anyone used those in a similar situation?

I apologise for my post. I did not not mean to cause distress to anybody, it is just that i had thought that I recognised the signs and ignored them whereas if dealt with early enough Crohns is manageabe without surgery, etc and tests to rule it out are fairly straightforward. I now realise that this is more of a supportive thread for IBS and the anxiety issues so I will leave it, again, apologies and I wish you all, all the best. I think my anxiety is that I now overreact to health issues such as these.

saturdaygirl I think you were absolutely right to post what you said.

There is no benefit to head-in-the-sand, and you were honest and not alarmist.

I HAVE SUFFERED WITH THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS ALSO....My best frind also started about 5 years ago...she had mainly D. anyway her doc told her it was IBS with no tests. I wont say what she actually has on here so as not to upset anyone but it is something that if her doc had tested her for would have ruled out IBS from the start. So my advice is push for as many tests the doc will give to rule out everything else. Do not put up with loose stools and excessive wind and let the doc say its prob IBS. Good luck to everyone on here..x

I agree, Saturdaygirl, I think the issue with ibs is that it frequently a misdiagnosis for other conditions! I agree anyone with a ?ibs diagnosis should ensure other conditions are ruled out first.

saturdaygirl is quite right. TBH Crohns isn't even the worst thing it could be. Ovarian cancer has similar symptoms to IBS, I'm having an ovarian ultrasound scan this week funnily enough. Better safe than sorry .

I'm going to get tested / scanned for everything under the sun, and if that's all clear then I know it's IBS.

Exactly. In fact, my DMum had ovarian cancer and didn't realise. Her scan that found the cancer also showed up diverticular disease which had never been diagnosed. Since I have an ibs diagnosis and that family history, I get a regular check up with my GP.
Bottom line is, ibs is awful, and I think a poorly recognised and ime managed problem, but it's vital that other potential health problems are eliminated before you get to the ibs diagnosis.

So pleased I found this thread. When I have an IBS flare-up I get horrendous pains after eating and have to run to the toilet, there is no particular food trigger either so I guess it's anxiety related. Makes me panic if we're going out to eat or to a friends house for food, the only way to control it is to eat tiny portions.

I also have other HA related issues, for example I had a bad migraine last year, it was my only one but was admitted to a&e with stroke-like symptoms. Since then I've had shooting pains in my head and a lot of pins and needles in my hands and feet and I'm convinced I've got a brain tumour or M.S. I've cried in bed too wondering how my dh would cope raising the dc without me :(

However, at the moment I've found the IBS symptoms have reduced since I started taking the pill cerazette at the start of the year.

I can see both sides to saturdaygirl's post. To begin with I was a bit as this is an anxiety thread but you are totally right in what you say, these things should be investigated even though the thought of anything being put up my bottom whilst I'm awake fills me with panic :( :(. I am having blood tests on Thursday so will see what happens from there. Please don't stop posting. :)

From a personal point of view though I do seem to have a phobia of loose stools and the feeling of an unsettled stomach especially when in charge of my 3 children. I HATE mornings at the moment as I feel so anxious about it all. I havent actually had the runs since Friday :) and have been every other morning with normal poo! But I am still a mess, unsettled tummy, shaky, sweaty thinking I'm going to have the runs any minute. The thing that seems to settle it is distraction especially leaving the house even though that terrifies me if I'm on my own with a child or 3. Can anyone else identify with this? I get to the evening and my body aches as if letting go of a couple of hours tension from the morning. Can't be at all good for me.

Hello Mumto3!
I have just read your posts and I am in shock because what you wrote is pretty much EXACTLY what I have been feeling like for the last 16 months. The physical symptoms are exactly the same as yours. Morning emergency trips to the loo ( nice!) gradually getting better through the day but with the feeling my bowels are bruised from the morning's trauma!! Then bed then wake up needing to go to the loo, .... It has changed me as a person. It has shattered my confidence. I was a teacher but had to stop. Stuck for a whole hour teaching a class of 30 teenagers without being able to 'escape' to the toilet was horrible. :-( . Although i was always prone to anxiety, it has become a hundred times worse since the bowel problems started. I firmly believe I am anxious BECAUSE of the bowel problems, not the other way round. I also have young children and too often it stops me from doing fun things with them. Trips out in the morning are often marred by an embarrassing frantic hunt for a public toilet ( with pushchairs in tow...)
I really hope you are having a good day! take care and try not to worry too much! ( easier said than done!)

I have this problem too - I have a thread in Mental Health ('does anyone share my odd phobia' sorry, don't know how link from my phone). I've just started sertraline and I've been referred for cbt. It's no exaggeration to say that it is taking over my life :-(

Hi pigsney that all sounds awful. Have you had any treatment, taken any meds? I am coming round to thinking my bowel problems are due to my anxiety.

Have had a pretty rubbish Easter as I've finally taken the plunge and started sertraline. Awful night following first dose on Friday night but I've then switched to taking it in the mornings on the advice of the lovely ladies on the mental health board. So today has been better, ie I haven't had every side effect on the leaflet today! Still feel very weak though, been in bed most of the weekend thanks to my lovely dh :)

Hi keithlemons I haven't seen you on the MH board today. Are you ok?

Well done for biting the bullet and taking the setraline mummy. I know you struggled about wether or not to do it but do I think antidepressants/antianxiety meds can be helpful to get on top of issues. I took citalopram for a while and know it's about dealing with side effects - for some people, they feel drowsy so they're better taken at night, some get bad sleep on them - better taken in the morning. It'll take about 4 weeks before you notice a significant difference, but the feeling of taking control may make you feel better sooner.

Hi mum23, I have suffered with IBS on and off for years and at its worse the anxiety left me almost housebound!!! The IBS triggers a (at times irrational fear) that if I am out and about and need the toilet that I won't be able to get to one in time.

When the IBS is at its worse I need to get to the loo really quickly and the longer I have to wait the worse the anxiety gets until I feel like I am going to throw up or pass out!!! This fear can if I let it dictate my whole life, everything has to be planned around the thought of 'well if I go there and the need the loo can I get to one quickly enough'

I manage this by taking immodium if my tummy is bad, I find it works really well and is reassuring for me and gives me peace of mind. I don't listen to the irrational thoughts much and refuse to allow myself to let IBS rule my life!!!

I have had some counselling in the past for the anxiety which helped a bit but the main thing for me is refusing to 'listen' to the anxiety thoughts, it really is a case of feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Which I know is a lot eaiser said than done but the more you listen to the anxiety the louder and more powerful it becomes ime. There are some good anxiety self help type books, I ordered one from Amazon which was helpful and gave me some good tips.

Hope you are o.kay, you are definately not alone!!!

heey, I have the exact same problem and I'm only 18 :'( unfortunately it is a viscous circle! I can get soo stressed out and then because I know I'm stressed out I get stressed out even more knowing I'm going to get a dodgy tummy! I find that alcohol plays a part in it as well as after I have been drinking I tend to get it, I know how upsetting and frustrating it is because you feel you can't do normal things! Anyway I went to the doctors and they printed me out a leaflet that I read through and some natural remedies were suggested such as peppermint oil capsules as it naturally improves you digestion so I've started using them. I am also thinking about using kalms just for when I'm stressed out to try and lower the anxiety, I have previously used the Rescue range which I found quite good they have products such as lip balm which absorbs straight into your blood stream and also calming pastels which taste yummy! Anyway hope this helped and sorry about the essay! hope it improves for you!!

xx

Hi guys, I may have IBS - just need to go after eating and have chronic diarrhoea so bad that have had accidents which leads to anxiety re eating out/going out/leaving the house/public transport etc etc it's a nightmare vicious circle anxiety-diarrhoea-anxiety.....Saw a consultant last wk who has done blood tests and made me an appointment for a colonoscopy an endoscopy and a bottom scan (joy!) all I know is I was fine until I had my daughter 3 1/2 years ago....Someone mentioned that they were fine when they took the pill and I was fine when I was on the pill but now have a contraceptive implant so just wondering if that might be causing it?? Or whether it's just a coincidence that stopping the pill coincides with pregnancy......? I had a dodgy tummy when I was pregnant also but put that down to pregnancy...!
Glad I found this page :-)

I am not a mother but saw this on internet wen I was looking up ways to deal with ibs and anxiety. I am only jst 20 an have been suffering wid ibs and anxiety for last few years dont really kno why or wen it started :/ its nice to kno im not the only one but I hate it an dont really speak about it 2 many ppl. Doctors have not really helped iv had test an they jst sed they think its ibs an probs due 2 stress? I have been prescribed fybergel drinks and imodium I stoped taking the drinks a few months ago as I dont think they do much but I take the imodium a lot more than I probs should sumtimes. But im so scared to go anywere otherwise evan down to walking 2 shop I hate going anywere by myself coz I panic so much that I feel like goin home :( its stoped me doing so much always cancelling things wid friends boyfriend or family coz of having an upset tummy I jst wana be how I used 2 be b4 this I try 2 be possitive but its so hard!! Iv stoped eating anything that I think will give me a bad tummy,
Any advise, tips or treatments would be really helpfull ?? :)