Awful bathroom issues and longterm stress - surely there’s a link?

[MerryMidwinter]

My lovely DP is 54 and as long as I’ve known him he’s suffered with terrible stomach pains, bleeding, constipation, bloating and more. He’s been seen by various doctors for 10 years (I’ve only known him for 3) and they’ve suggested IBS, food intolerances and various other things but nothing has really changed. Last year he had surgery to remove some polyps and they ended up taking a large part of his colon as there were signs of cancer, he’s been told he’s clear of that now but the problems still remain.

Without going into too much detail about someone else’s issues, he’s had a lot of stress in his life from a young age and to a certain extent still has now. Could this be the root of the problems? I know it can be linked but I’m convinced it’s more relevant than anyone else is suggesting.

I hate seeing him in so much pain and just want to get to the bottom 😳 of it. Can anyone help or suggest anything?

Anyone?

Funnily enough I read recently that children who had difficult childhoods were more likely to have IBS, maybe it's the stress element? Obviously diet is a big part but the best approach may be to alleviate the stress. You can't avoid stress but you can change the way you deal with it. Exercise, meditation etc. Strong mint tea can be calming, buy the best you can afford. There's something called colpramin which is basically peppermint oil which might be helpful. Hope he finds something to calm things down soon.

All of that makes perfect sense, I do think the stress has done physical damage somehow.