# Anyone had biofeedback?



## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

I'm starting this treatment now.Has anyone else had it or know what it involves?What the physio has told me so far sounds a little different from what I'd been expecting and I fear I'll be disappointed.Your feedback would be appreciated.


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## Guest (May 17, 2003)

Yes... I have experienced biofeedback... many years ago already. I am not sure what your therapist told you, but for me.... it was quite an eye opener in that I discovered both how anxious I was (I blew the top off the Richter scale with anxiety).... and also how much control that I COULD have over my body's responses. Basically the therapist will attach electrodes to various parts of your body and ask you to perform a few functions... and will talk you through a relaxation process. He/she may also provide you with biofeedback relaxation tapes to take home with you to use on your own.I have personally seen better effects from utilizing the IBS Audio 100 Hypnotherapy program offered here on the CBT/Hypno Forum.There is nothing to fear and a whole lot to gain. Biofeedback is excellent. Hypnotherapy is even more excellent. I recommend it highly. Check out the CBT/Hypno Forum on this board for more information.Hope this helps, Evie


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

IBSed, just fyiBiofeedback & Bowel Disorders: http://www.aboutibs.org/Publications/Biofeedback.html http://www.med.unc.edu/wrkunits/2depts/med...erv.htm#BIOFEED "BiofeedbackBiofeedback is a technique in which a person is trained to change a specific physical response, for example, fingertip temperature, heart rate, or muscle tension, to reduce undesirable symptoms. Biofeedback has been used to successfully treat many diseases and disorders such as IBS, migraine and tension headaches, hypertension, insomnia, and anxiety. Biofeedback requires equipment that can be used in a therapistï¿½s office, or can be purchased or rented for personal home use. Over time, a person gains sufficient control over his or her physical responses as a way of managing the unpleasant symptoms so that the equipment becomes unnecessary. It is important to note that one or many of these techniques and therapies can be used to manage a personï¿½s problems and symptoms. One of the goals of psychological treatment is to provide a person with a variety of "tools" which can be used to cope with the GI symptoms. This type of psychological treatment is tailor made for each individual, and tries to maximize a personï¿½s natural skills and abilities. It is used in collaboration with the personï¿½s other health care providers, and with other things, such as medication, to manage GI symptoms. "


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

MANY thanks to both of you !


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## Guest (May 18, 2003)

You're welcome. Hope we helped. Let us know how things are going for you.Take care, Evie


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

there are different types of biofeedback just as there are different types of hypnosis. biofeedback has been shown to help with ibs-c.tom


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Have had two sessions so far and find it HORRIBLY embarrassing - worse than the tests I underwent beforehand.To cap it all,I don't like the physio I'm working with - creepy guy if you ask me.I think anyone considering this treatment should bear in mind it involves a lot of very intimate exposure and it helps if you're doing it with someone you feel at ease with.Personally,I feel quite miserable about it - just hope it pays off and the gain will be worth the psychological pain.


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

did you talk to him or her about your discomfort?they might do something about it if you tell them?tom


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## Guest (May 23, 2003)

IBSed..... I didn't particularly like my biofeedback therapist either, but to counteract my personal feelings, I tried more to focus on the biofeedback. I hope your feelings about the first therapist won't prevent you from benefiting from this excellent therapy. Have you tried requesting another therapist? That would be perfectly reasonable. It would be a shame for you to miss out on the healing benefits of biofeedback due to a personality conflict. I hope that you will stay with it long enough to learn the techniques. After that, you can participate on your own and you will have a wonderful healing tool at your command. Hope this helps, Evie


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Thanks for your comments.Actually,I've been thinking of telling my GP about my misgivings - it's worth a try.After all,I AM paying for my healthcare,it's not like they're doing this out of pure kindness !


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## Guest (May 24, 2003)

Sounds like a great plan, IBSed... by the way, I am 100% Schweitzer.....


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Embarrassed to say I'm not actually Swiss myself !Plucked up the courage today to tell my GP about my misgivings regarding my physio - am waiting for him to call me back.I've realised I actively dislike my therapist because he doesn't really listen to me (not helpful when trying to communicate in a second language that I have never mastered),is extremely pompous and irritating.Feeling very down because of all this - especially as I'm going thru' a bad period of bloating and constipation.Would so LOVE to have a normal life.


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## Guest (May 27, 2003)

Normal? What's that? A wise person once told me that it's in the heart of the beholder.Take care and don't beat yourself up for something you cannot help. With the right kind of treatment/therapy, it will get better.I also use the self hypno and actually find it even more beneficial than biofeedback.Best Wishes,







Evie


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Thanks for kind thoughts."Normal" for me means,particularly,things like going on holiday and BEING ABLE TO ENJOY IT rather than what usually happens (ie.it is miserable and I get more constipated than ever,end up having no appetite,sleep badly,have no energy,blah,blah,blah...)The last time we tried a "holiday" I ended up almost going crazy and disappearing into the backstreets of Naples,leaving my poor husband completely at a loss.We don't "do" holidays any more - it's more of an ordeal than a pleasure.See what mean? I used to love travelling but now I avoid it,as even weekends away are difficult.


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## Guest (May 29, 2003)

I guess I do avoid some things, but overall I still participate in most of the same activities that I used to and even a few new ones.I am a firm believer in the "Bumblebee Theory" (Nobody ever told it that it couldn't fly)







I have also learned to take the IBS in stride, come what may, and accept its constraints without getting down on myself about it.I also love to travel, and when I can do so, I am very careful about what I eat a couple of days before. We usually "camp out" at one site and take mini trips from there. It's like being home away from home. I do understand the anxiety that goes with traveling, though. Evie


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

I would like to start this sometime - not for IBS but for other things - but I am not quite set up to do so yet. It's going to cost some bucks, etc.Ugh, what do you mean by it being very intimate? Do you mind giving an example? I hope your sessions begin to get better for you.


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Well.....intimate means revealing oneself from the waist down and lying with the feet in little footrests like a gynaecologist has(how more exposed can you get ?)/having a balloon pumped up inside you which you then have to squeeze on or expel - according to the instructions you're receiving.I could say more ,but it's not something I like to dwell on.By the way,what do you want biofeedback for if not for IBS?If it's not for IBS,the info I've given will not be relevant.


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

Ok, that's intimate! I had no idea. I want it for my general auto. nervous system dysfunction. One area that's the most important is to better learn to control my BP and pulse under stressful circumstances.Did you finish your bio. yet? Helpful?


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

Hipjan, this is biofeedback for digestion and there is biofeedback for other reasons. http://www.dstress.com/hbp.htm http://www.biofeedbacktherapies.com/


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## HipJan (Apr 9, 1999)

thanks! the tapes are similar to the ones I have ordered. have you used tapes like this before (not IBS)?


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## Guest (Jun 21, 2003)

IBS'ed.... what on earth kind of therapy did you engage in that required that you disrobe from the waist down? Did I miss something here? This just doesn't sound right.


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

*Essence* Yeah,I felt just like you ! That's why I stopped and changed therapist!!!!!I'm waiting to start with her soon (this time it's a woman)By the way Essence,did you know Switzerland is in a heatwave right now?Hasn't been this hot in June for over 100 years.Last week we hit 35ï¿½c . *HipJan* - there's your answer.Also,Eric is right.A friend of mine had BioF. for a hand problem and the whole thing was quite different.Good luck.


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Had first session with new physio today.I told her what the last guy did and she didn't reel back in horror - just said different therapists employ different techniques.It seems some of the things he did are not so unusual. Hope this reassures anyone who has a similar experience to mine and gets freaked out by it.


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

I'm glad to hear you're more comfortable with a female. Biofeedback for a specific problem like constipation is not necessarily like the kind of biofeedback you might have heard about or read about on the web. I would think it involves monitoring below the belt and this can be embarrassing. This is one reason i stress seeing a licensed practitioner.tom


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## Guest (Jul 4, 2003)

There is no reason for a patient to have to disrobe from the waist down for biofeedback therapy.... especially if it makes them uncomfortable. A credible therapist would know this and make concessions provided the patient expressed their discomfort. Anything else, in my opinion, constitutes abuse.Evie


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

I think this biofeedback is different than what you know? From what I know it involves special equipment and attaching leads for readings.tom


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Essence,You have to undress because the monitoring involves seeing how the muscles of the rectum deal with evacuation and training them to work better.The balloon that was put inside me was part of that process (and that was the part that was the least distressing !)


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

interesting that the balloon was least distressing. in IBS the rectum is supposed to be oer sensitive?tom


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## Guest (Jul 5, 2003)

The biofeedback in which I engaged was geared towards recognizing and resolving anxiety... which may be the single biggest offender when it comes to control of IBS.Was it necessary to succumb to the procedure of attaching electrodes to your pelvic area in order to get the diagnosis or qualify for disability? When it comes to alleviating the anxiety that is so often associated with IBS, I don't see the need for testing below the belt because the target is above the neck.Evie


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

right, most biofeedback you read about is not specialized like for IBS-C where it works by changing specific muscles. if you don't believe us chack with that guy from UNC and that's why i couldn't get any of the biofeedback people here to work with me - they didn't have the equipment. tom


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## Guest (Jul 5, 2003)

I don't think I've ever come across that kind of biofeedback therapy before, Tom. Since much of my distress is a direct result of parasympathetic nervous system failure, I doubt exercises that target specific muscles would be of any benefit to me, but perhaps for someone else it might be helpful? I also did Kegel's until I was blue in the face but it did nothing to help my bladder dysfunction which is also the direct result of parasympathetic nervous system failure.Evie


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

It's clearly not available everywhere but it is specifically recommended for ibs-c. You would probably have to call Mayo.tom


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

trbell,do bear in mind.......I didn't describe ALL the details of my treatment.If you knew,and if you were female,you'd understand why the balloon was the least of my worries !


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

I think I can guess. Is it helping? this is the important thing.tom


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Well,the first 4 sessions with the weird guy didn't really help but my one session so far with the new therapist - which involved a very painful abdominal massage and an exercise to do twice a day - has been followed by daily BMs,so this could be the start of something !


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## trbell (Nov 1, 2000)

The start of something is a very big deal when you've got constipation. Hope it continues well for you.tom


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## eric (Jul 8, 1999)

IBSed, I am glad to hear that is working out for you.







Good to hear and good way to feel better naturally. I remember going to a back person and she hooked me up to electrodes on my back and had the machine on high, but they were low down on my kidneys and she left the room. This was my first time there and I was getting therapy for a back problem and it really hurt and a weird kind of pain and no one was there and I wasn't sure how to get up. LOL Fortunetly someone else came in and turned it down. It should keep helping, hang in there.


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## Tracey Heynes (Nov 5, 2001)

Thanks for encouraging comments.I _am_ taking magnesium too but even so,this seems more effective too since the first massage etc.Feeling better has also encouraged me to get more physically active (something I neglect when I feel unwell and consequently miserable)This in turn helps to lift the morale.If things go on improving,I'll let you all know.If this works out for me,I'd like to share it with all the other people out there who feel hopeless and depressed about their condition.So,keep your eyes peeled,as we limeys say.


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