# I need someone to hear me out. IBS,SIBO, & Anxiety related. Please help me!



## djkodon (Nov 20, 2012)

So hello everyone! This is my first post here on IBS group, and I hope there are some people out there that can hear my story. Please be kind and just try to offer any type of helpful advice you can think of. Thanks!

Well hello again, My name is Aaron. I am a 19 year old college student suffering with IBS (not really sure if it's C or D?), Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth, and some anxiety issues. Since the summer of 2011 I have been dealing with these issues, and it's time I take a stand against it. I wouldn't normally go to an online forum to look for answers, but my situation has led me no choices. Plus, I believe there are a bunch of people out there that might be going through the same thing as me.

So how it all started? As shameful as it is to say, it all started after a drug related incident. Not sure if im allowed to talk about this, but it was just a bad cannabis experience. I basically got way too dysfunctional, and I had my first ever panic attack when I was under the influence. Talk about a nightmare. It was physically and mentally scarring. Since the day, I have never done it since.

Fast Forward a month or two, basically the fall of 2011. During this time I went through many panic attacks, but they subsided after a month or so. Once that died out, a new problem arose. My IBS. I started out just belching a lot, just a lot i mean a lot! I have to reiterate that point because it was true. I would burp at least 20 times an hour, maybe more. Time progressed just that symptom, then 2012 mainly consisted of the following symptoms: bloating, lots of gas, no weight gain at all, and a general decline in health. In 2012, my body was just out of wack. I went to see many GPs, gastro docs, and even psychologists. I was never diagnosed with anything serious from any of them (except for sibo). I went to the ER for the first time in the fall of 2012 cause the trapped gas inside my chest and abdominal area was making my chest hurt. I also had some weird pain going on in my stomach. ER docs said I was fine and sent me home.

In the fall of 2012, I had to quit both of my part time jobs because my IBS and anxiety was killing me. I would get bloating, nauseous cramps, and need to use the bathroom often at work. That right there was just way too much to deal with at the time.I also started to lose my appetite out of nowhere. One morning in Oct 2012 my appetite just straight up dissapeared, haven't had one since. I also got diagnosed last fall with SIBO. It was good to know that the doctors may have found some kind of lead to what has been going on. I just started treatment for SIBO about 12 days ago. 200mg, 3 times a day, for 30 days. I'm on Xifaxan (rifaximin), and it has cut my gas problems down a bit, and made my stools more regular. I'm just concerned cause whatever appetite I did have for the past 3 months (even the slightest) is now gone. I didn't feel any hunger at all for the past 24 hours. Im not sure if the antibitiocs are working, or making my condition worse.

Anyways, in conclusion. I have been plagued by IBS, SIBO, and anxiety for awhile now. I've lossed about 10 lbs since the start of this ordeal. Used to weigh about 124 in 2011, now im 114. Hasn't dropped past 113, so im still monitoring that. I always burp at random, and I also have no appetite. I'm not sure whats going on, and I am only 19. I keep thinking I have cancer or something because of all these issues. I really want to find out whats going on...

I hope some good people can hear me out and give me any advice. Thanks


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

You don't have to be C or D, some people alternate between constipation and diarrhea, but if you are one or the other most of the time then that may indicate if you may want to take anti-diarrheals regularly or work more on preventing constipation. Often people who alternate find controlling the constipation stops the diarrhea as they don't trigger a "flush it all out" reaction if they don't get too backed up.

Some antibiotics can kill the appetite, so I wouldn't assume this is making things much worse. That is just the anxiety finding something to ramp itself up with, IMO.

Some people with anxiety do tend to swallow air without realizing it and that can make you burp a lot more than usual. Do you drink anything fizzy? Chew gum, suck on hard candies or smoke? All those can increase the amount of gas you swallow. Also really try to not talk while chewing as that can also be a problem with that. And anxiety alone can kill the appetite.

If you are eating less because you don't feel like eating that can totally explain weight loss. Serious things will make you lose weight for no reason even when your appetite is strong and you are eating more food than ever.

If you can get some support with the anxiety that may help a lot. Anxiety will make all symptoms a lot worse than they would be otherwise, and IBS symptoms seem really prone to ramp the anxiety up. Some treatments for anxiety can help calm down the gut nerves and may reduce the IBS symptoms as well.


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## Traci Jo (Feb 5, 2013)

Hi Aaron, your symptoms sound so similar to mine. In 2012 I started not feeling right, it's hard to explain but things that were fun were no longer fun, I know now I had anxiety/depression kicking in, there were some things going on in my life that to some people would not have been a big deal but I am prone to worry, and that wrecks your body. So my mental state got worse, I was hiding it well but the physical symptoms were starting to show, panicky, tight chest, didn't want to be around people, then the stomache pains started....it all got worse, my dr. Had me have a colonoscopy, my anxiety got even worse because colon cancer runs in my family, I could hardly function because of the anxiety, and even as I type this right now I can feel it spiking. Anyway, test results showed nothing so they are assuming it is IBS. I started on Linzess last week but I am not feeling better, the only thing that is helping with pain is Xanax. I am so tired of the pain and anxiety, I just wish it would go away. I know you are worried something bad is wrong but I think your mental state brought on IBS, and it is nothing more. To help calm myself I have 2 devotional s that I read, one at breakfast, another at lunch, one that I would recommend is by Joseph Prince, it is VERY encouraging. Also, stay away from any negatives...the news, negative friends..you need lifted up, this will pass, I experienced it about 10years ago and beat it, its returned but there is hope!


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## Traci Jo (Feb 5, 2013)

Hi Aaron, it's me again, I forgot to add, I also have no appetite and have lost 15 pounds so you are not alone, I have to force myself to eat, I had the throat scope done at the same time as the colonoscopy and everything was ok so I believe it is just part of IBS that stinks.


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## Aschecte (Feb 4, 2013)

Hi Aaron !!! I'm Aaron as well and i feel your pain. I'm more than double your age but my issues began in my youth around 7 or 8 when they diagnosed me with spasticYo colon and anxiety. Anxiety has always been a major issue in my life and with IBS c or d it's like a revolving door as the IBS causes anxiety over everything at least with me from eating or not eating to going places to a general fear of no bathroom being at my disposal. Also Anxiety causes a brain-gut signal that exasperates IBS symptoms. When i was younger there was nothing besides pepto bismol and some beladonna class drugs but they only helped me for so long. Your quite lucky to be 19 in this day as there are way more options for you ( and me ) today. Go to your GI it sounds to me like a bacterial overgrowth as the burping and gas are produced by the bacteria. i am no expert but IBS based on the rome III criteria is more focused around bowel movements such as frequent diareah or constipation over "x" amount of time or chronic worry about it etc...... if diareah is a concern I would look into drugs such as diphenoxylate and atropine or loperamide and other anti spasmotics and anti diareahl's. I'm not sure what to tell you about the burping etc.... the GI will be your resource though in the interim try simithicone gas-x. As to a life lesson I have learned with IBS is to not let it control you. I have lost jobs, girlfriends, my kids gowing up etc all because of diareah. Don't let it control you, your a young man and have a full life ahead of you. Who cares crap your pants, burp all over the guy at the check out register, and freak out !!!! it doesn't matter really it doesn't to anyone but you and if you feel your missing out on life then push back and just say F**! it and do it anyway as what's the worst that going to happen ? you'll take a shower change your underwear and move foward. Oh yeah don't smoke pot anymore it's not worth all the stuff that goes with it. best of luck and pm me i you need any help.


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## DEUCE CLICK (Jun 20, 2012)

Hey Aaron, you posted on my story, and now I'm returning the favor. Of all the stories, yours is the most similar to mine that I have seen. Our starts were similar, as I started out with a mixture of diarrhea and constipation. After about a year or so, I weakened my body so much with diet and laxatives that I only have extreme constipation. Your story seems just like mine except you are a few years younger and have gone through shit for 2 years. I am now going on 4 and a half years of all the issues that have arisen. I know exactly how it feels--none of your friends understand, your parents are supportive but think you should just move on and deal with it. You tell people you aren't hungry and they say "go smoke pot". I did that and still had no hunger. You have extreme anxiety and fear as well as depression. It all starts from lack of digestive energy. I also smoked marijuana to cope, but I didn't have panic attacks, but I would get nervous and paranoid. I used pot to deal with my overactive mind and depression of being let down by doctor after doctor. It made me very anti social and even fearful of leaving my environment (my parent's house). Obviously you have quit now, and don't ever smoke again. Another thing that sticks out to me is how eerily similar our symptoms are. We are both very frail, can not gain any muscle, have NO appetite, bloating, decline of health, decline of happiness and lack of vitality and have had to put their social and pragmatic (school, work) life on hold. I also used to burp all the time. I, like you, was diagnosed with SIBO and given Rifaximin. At the time I took it I felt cured. My bloating went down a little, I could poop regularly with no diarrhea or constipation. I felt more energy and happiness. But this only lasted for the 2 weeks I took it. I would get a 2nd course and nothing would change. Some questions I have for you that might help. Do you also have extreme amounts of white phlegm from your throat? Especially in the shower? Do you hate being cold and/or damp? Are you always fatigued? Do you have trouble falling/staying asleep? Do you feel compulsive about your behaviors? (when to take supplments, when to eat, what to eat, etc...) Have you always had troubles gaining weight? Do you have rapid, incessant thoughts? (racing mind) Were you born premature? Do you have neck/shoulder soreness and stiffness?

I hope you get on here, because I have found a solution to my issues. I can look back 2 years and where you are is. I was 6 foot, about 120 pounds. I dropped all the way down to 96 lbs...now I'm back to 110. where I was then It won't change overnight, but in the last six weeks since receiving this treatment I am pooping on my own, I am not depressed, I have energy, my sleep cycle has normalized, I don't take any more supplements (other than natural calm and the herbs he gives me), and beyond everything else I feel hopeful and happy. My bloating is still there, but my doctor says its food passing through my digestive tract and is noticeable because I am so thin and lack muscle tone. My anxiety and racing mind is slowly easing. I still lack an appetite, but I eat every few hours and look forward to it. Also, I went about 8 hours without food and felt a sense of hunger for the first time since I can remember. I can go into more details about why this happened and why symptoms appear if you message me.

I'm going to post what I sent you and others in a message below here.


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## DEUCE CLICK (Jun 20, 2012)

For Aaron!

Hello Everybody! Thanks for reading my story. I am 22 now! You and others that have digestive problems truly know how devastating and life changing everything can be. Sometimes the digestive issues are the least problematic, it's the mental and emotional (fear, anxiety, anger, hopelessness, envy,lack of confidence, fatigue, brain dullness) that can be the worst. But we must fight on and never give up.I have great news. I am recuperating. It will be a long process, but each week I feel better. I am starting to feel stronger as I have finally found a doctor and a mindset of thinking that works.

First of all, as hokey as this sounds, having spiritual guidance and positivenss is the most vital portion to healing, based on my experience. I was once an extremely intellectual, pragmactic atheist that thought Christians were stupid idiots. I used to wholeheardetly believe there was no God. But since learning about the realms of health I have discovered that their is indeed a God. Luckily, where I live in KC metro area, I have easy access to IHOP (no, not the restaurant).http://www.ihopkc.org/ It has a church, but where I found myself was the prayer room. I like it because there is no pressure to talk to anyone, to stand up and sing and dance. You can simply sit and immerse in God's presence. I will also tell you what made me come to Christ, though it took years of suffering for me to finally swallow my pride. I first started feeling ill in January of 2009 but I still didn't think my illness was serious at all. By Easter of 2009 I was still ill, but didn't realize how serious it was because I was an arrogant, prideful 18 year old. My parents dragged my brother and I to church on Easter and during the service the pastor exclaimed, "God is telling there is someone with digestive problems in the audience and they should come up to receive healing." Of course I thought it was BS and that my parents had told the pastor to say that. It was literally the first time we went to church in 2 years, so I thought their was a backdoor deal made. By January 2012 I was at a new low, I had dropped out of school for the 3rd or 4th time, had to quit my job, and cut off ties with most of my friends because I felt so lousy. I didn't feel like dealing with anybody. One day, I went to the aforementioned Prayer Room and the experience was amazing. I felt God's presence as soon as I sat down and then remembered that Easter of 2009. On that day, God offered me healing, and looking back on it I feel like the biggest idiot in the world for not accepting. My life would be completely different. However, being Ill has given me a definition in life I was now want to become a doctor naturopathy and oriental medicine. I feel as if that day God knew I wouldn't accept his offer, but it would eventually be all the proof I needed to become a saved Christian. It has been about 15 months since then, and I have finally found the doctor and methodology that has helped me.

Now for the physical part that I hope guides you to health. Everyone is unique-constitution, organ dysfunction, age, sex, personality, strength. This is why western medicine is horrible for digestive problems and I have found that chinese medicine is great--but the practitioner is the most important. I am sure you have given up on the medical route by now, but if you hadn't you must! Do not take Xifaxan or any other antibiotics. They will do nothing for long term help. Also, quit thinking that it's SIBO, it's really an issue with your organs becoming weakened, causing poor digestion, and parasites to rule your body. When I say stop thinking that it's SIBO, i'm not trying to be mean. You do have SIBO, as do I, but the underlying cause is an organ weakness, thus allowing the condition SIBO (amongst others) to occur. Also, when people have issues like ours, they tend to overthink, be overcautious and over-analyze everything. I know I do. We all tend to take tons of supplements, thinking they are helping us, when really they are hurting our organs (liver, blood) even more.The man I see simplifies everything and allows the patient to feel less stressed and less compulsive and rigid! I started seeing this amazing doctor about 6 weeks ago that has changed my life drastically. He is located in Kansas City. If you aren't willing to travel (you should) he may know of someone in your area that can help. His name is Chelton Kleitz and he performs chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. He isn't your typical acupuncturist either. He uses very traditional methods that he learned over 9 years in Japan. It's ultra traditional and uses herbs and acupuncture points that most do not understand. He taught me to look at the body completely different. Illness starts when one organ is lacking vitality, and this causes other organs to compensate. Over time this changes the body's perfect system as one organ compensates for another. But this is also what is amazing about the human body. If it didn't do this, death would occur because of that organ failing. When organs compensate for another this can cause weakness in the body, resulting in different health problems, and in our case poor digestive organ functioning. In my case I had a weak constitution at birth due to being premature. This caused my lungs to not develop all the way. Therefore, my body wasn't ready for solid food, as I should have still been getting nutrition from the womb. This began to burden my digestive organs. (The chinese term is Spleen, which encompasses the stomach, intestine, spleen, and pancreas as far as I know.) Due to my weak constitution my kidneys worked very poorly and began to develop a "Cold" condition. I have always felt cold and had fear, which is likely due to my kidneys and lungs being weak. Eventually my digestion (spleen) became incredibly weak and I started my journey to this website. After getting this diagnosis from Chelton, he gave me an acupunctural treatment on the spot that harmonized my body. It felt amazing! He also gave me herbs to assist my body's towards healing and harmonizaton. He will give you steps for diet and exercise. I am eating building foods like wild game meats (pheasant, quail, elk, buffalo, cornish hen, salmon, cod, ostrich, venison) and starchy vegetables (carrots, yellow squash, butternut squash, yams, parsnips, turnips, rutabegas. I also eat greens that are warming (Kale and Mustard Greens). I eat the onion family as well (onions, garlic, scallions, shallots, leeks). For oils I use Sesame Oil, Coconut oil, and Ghee. For spices I use sea salt, black pepper, cayenne, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, dill and tarragon. Everything I eat is cooked, and I prepare it baked, sauteed, stir-fried, steamed or boiled.

And as far as beverages, I drink only warm or hot tea. It's ok to have some room temperature water but avoid cold water. And make sure your water source is filtered and remineralized. He makes a warming blend, called Tea of Joy that is amazing. I also enjoy a cinnamon blend and a ginger blend from whole foods. I can also use tiny amounts of honey to sweeten the tea. For my constipation I use 1.5 tsp of Natural Calm (it's a magnesium supplement) with a quarter of a lemon and 2 teaspoons of honey each morning and evening and is has helped a lot. Also, make sure, if possible that all your food is organic, whole food! As far as physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional exercise he recommends Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Yoga, Jin Shin Jyutsu, and Meditation as well as positive exercises like walking, reading, and enjoying nature. Then as you get stronger you can jog,run, play sports, and lift weights. TV, Video Games, and Computer are ok in moderation but shouldn't be the basis of your entertainment. I've only been seeing him for about 6 weeks now, and It has been the best 6 weeks of my life since I started feeling ill in early 2009!

I hope this helps everyone on here, and I plan to make a post topic about this in a bit. If you have any questions don't hesitate to reply or private message me.


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## pukekonz (Nov 14, 2012)

Sounds very similar to me dude. I tried everything for 10 months and got nowhere -supps, fodmap diet, all manner of things -then I committed to the SCD diet. It was tough! This diet will NOT work if you deviate even 0.000001%! But the diet made sense to me so I stuck with it because I was desperate. 3 months into the diet and I am 90% symptom free and feel I am finally on the mend. I have a lot of the 24hr SCD yoghurt too. I had to learn how to make this yoghurt, had to learn how to cook, etc. It's been a long road but I am so much better lately it's unreal.


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