# Not entirely sure if I have IBS...



## afi567x (Sep 8, 2011)

For about...well, my entire life, I've been getting pains in intestines which almost always leads to me hitting the toilet. Over the past 6 months or so, I think I've been coming to realize that this pain is, a lot of the time, caused by stress. It's strange, however. I never really feel stressed out, until after my stomach begins to hurt, at least. I've hypothesized that I get stressed out subconsciously without even knowing it. A great example would be: I started taking guitar lessons at the end of January. It's about a 10 minute drive from my house, and then about 50 minutes at the lesson. Every day I have a lesson (once a week) I would start to get pains in my intestines about an hour to 30 minutes before every lesson. I usually suck it up and go to the lesson, because if I don't cancel early enough, I can't make it up. I feel that this may be mixed with a bit of Agoraphobia. Whenever I know I have to leave my house, the pain will start and I'm back to the toilet. Even right now, on the first day of my second year of college, my stomach began to hurt at around 5:30am, and I've been in the bathroom since about 6 (it's been about an hour so far). I've also lost my health insurance as of the end of August, so I can't get a note from a doctor explaining my situation. I usually just suck it up and deal with it, and the symptoms fade over the course of time, seeing as how no medications I've taken has been able to help me.I would've tried to make this a bit more detailed, but I still need to get ready for school, while still being plagued by stomach pains for who knows how much longer. I'd just like to ask if any of you can give some insight, tell me if this is IBS or not (which I'm assuming it is), and share some of your similar stories. Thanks.


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

Don't know if it is IBS or not. But I would start working on the Agoraphobia and anxiety. And perhaps your gut will calm down some. Some links for you:http://helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htmAndhttp://www.rxadvices.com/relaxation-techniques/4-relaxation-techniques-for-anxiety-management/You are very astute.. you may be feeling the anxiety or nervousness subconsciously. So I would engage in some positive self talk _consciously_. Positive thoughts lead to more positives. So tell yourself you will be fine and use some of the techniques in the links above and that could make a serious difference for you.


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