# A Student's Note on IBS



## Alex V (Oct 19, 2011)

Since prep school I got terrible build-ups of pain and desperate need to go to the toilet when in quiet situations (assembly etc.). It was awful. Later in secondary school it re-emerged and in the worst of contexts. I was a pupil at a school that incorporated Quaker 'collect'. For those who don't know, this is a period of declared silence over which anyone can stand up and say something. A nice idea, but to this anxiety-ridden wreck a nightmare. With that behind me and a move to a college for A-levels things seemed better. Yes I still encountered tricky situations but never on a regular basis.But then university rears its ugly head. I had completely forgotten about my troubles until, one day, out of the complete blue I had a sudden urge to go the loo. It was horrible, the noise more so. I was trapped in the middle of a back row, stuck, and I stayed there sitting out the rest of the lecture for an unbearable 20 minutes. Since then it has occupied my mind all the time. I went to the doctor and she ran the usual tests for coeliac disease and gluten-intolerance but these all came back negative. I never received a formal diagnosis of IBS but I had long experienced anxiety issues so this was recognised as a problem. I was recommended a self-help book which didn't captivate me at all. I'm a rational being already, I knew the psychology behind my anxiety. The trouble is it's never as simple as just 'brushing it away'. Even people who have experienced anxiety can still never really relate to the nuances of someone else's issues. Anyway, I eventually stopped going to all lectures. Most of the material was posted online so I got by. But that wasn't the point, as I'm sure you'd agree. After scraping my first year I returned with a will to make things better. As term time approached I cut out all fizzy drinks completely which also meant caffeine. This was a major plus. I had become unaware of caffeine's effects after constantly drinking Coke and Red Bull. Not only did they cause most of my gassy problems, but after cutting them out I was able to get to sleep at a good time because I felt properly tired for the first time in an age. I also made sure to always eat before a lecture. (My anxiety of noises had extended to include hungry stomach gurgles.) This helped but I always needed something small in my bag as a backup during the actual lecture. I was never actually hungry before a lecture but I had to force myself to eat. If not, my stomach would twinge, it would feel empty, my anxiety would kick in and, unsurprisingly, my stomach would introduce itself to the rest of the audience. The specific food I ate was Sainsbury's ready-made wraps. An expensive option but I considered sandwiches to be a no-go. The trouble was I got so comfortable in lectures that I became complacent and yesterday I did indeed scoff a a sandwich. In the lecture all seemed well until I registered a tiny twinge. This then escalated, through simple fear, into a full blown anxiety attack with extreme discomfort. I have no idea if that twinge was related to the sandwich or just 'normal'. The result is that I won't touch bread again before a lecture just to be safe. Seeing as bread and wraps both contain wheat I have charged *yeast* with crimes against my stomach (although I could never prove it). Yesterday's troubles meant I had to leave the lecture theatre. Luckily I had employed the tactic of always sitting on the end of a row. I would always recommend this. Firstly, it greatly helped me when I needed to leave discreetly, and secondly, it reduces anxiety considerably. If you know you can get out and stop any embarrasment at any time then you should relax okay and thus prevent any problems from occurring. I'd be careful about getting too used to it though. Sometimes I'd be fine on the end and then a late arrival would ask me to 'budge up'. After automatically doing so I would regret it as the realisation dawned that I was back in the position of that first lecture in year 1. My advice would be to pick a row that only has one or a few seats left at the end, thus reducing the chance of someone trying to get you to move up. If it does happen though, simply stand up and _let him in first_ then sit back down in your claimed seat. These techniques are so detailed for something so simple but that's what it's like to live with this kind of anxiety. I hope some of my story gives others ideas for coping strategies.


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## SarahLund (Aug 16, 2010)

Hi. How are ya?







I have I.B.S-C. I found that being my own nurse helps often. Probably better that way anyway, given that i know how i feel at that moment i get stuck on the toilet. lol. Nice to see a male my age talking about it. I always have to have the most amount of patience, when i'm at my worst with it. Well at least we're all in the same boat on here. lol. We're all here for one another. Have a good day


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