# IBS and social anxiety



## czimkus (Dec 30, 2002)

hi. i'm charlie. i'm 24, and i have IBS-D. "hi charlie!" thanks everyone.i just joined the club and i wanted to share my story. my IBS seems to be linked to my social anxiety, which results in a cruel cycle: i'm nervous in social situations, so my stomach gets upset, which makes me more nervous, which makes me sick, which makes me want to avoid those social outings all together.for the past few months, though, i've been doing much better. i've been doing yoga, talking to a therapist and slowly been going out . i even went on a date a couple weeks ago -- quite a victory for me. but around christmas, my stomach started getting really jacked up. D, mucus, cramping and a startling feeling of urgency and frequency. and these symptoms aren't tied to specific events or worries; i've been feeling like this every day for the past week. the last time i had this kind of attack was six months ago, and it took a couple months for my system to return to "normal." now i am afraid to continue with the progress i've made in the past few months. i just want to stay home and relax until my gut is under control again. but i know that isn't the way to go.i'm sure some of you suffer with these symptoms or worse all the time. any suggestions?thanks, this message board has been comforting.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Sometimes IBS can flare up which means it can take some time to get yourself back in sync, if you catch my drift.With my IBS i will be fine almost all month, until a few days after my period when i wil have D. Then once i get myself sorted, eat carefully and stuff i become much more stable. I wil have the odd one off where my IBS will flare up for NO reason at all. But that is the nature of this affliction.YOu are definately not the only person to experience problems with social occations. Although my IBS is no longer that bad i get very nervous about going out. I have to make sure i KNOW i will be ok before i will go out. Its sad that our bowels rule our lives.Are you on any medication for this at the moment. An antispasmodic could help. Peppermint tea is also very good for relaxing the gut.Hypnotherapy is excellent and can really help with the social anxiety thing. There is a program specifially for IBS that i and a couple of other members of this forum have done. If you are interested check out http://www.ibsaudioprogram.com Hope this helps.Spliffy


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