# On and Off IBS



## ncf0308 (Jul 6, 2011)

Hello all,I first learned of this site over two years ago but since one of my "episodes" (I guess the proper term is "flare") stopped around that time, I never got around to registering on here and starting conversations. I fear that I'm going through another episode.. The first time this happened I was around 10 or 11, and the doctors told me I was lactose intolerant. But my stomach pains weren't triggered only by milk-based products; it was pretty much anything. It was also at that time that my mind began to exacerbate the problem. I remember being at the supermarket and feeling intolerable pain and fearing the worst: that I would go right there in my pants and make a fool of myself in front of everyone. So thinking about the problem would make the pain worse. I've never actually had an accident, but I just know that I will one day. My dad has had too many to count. His IBS started in his late teens, just when mine got worse. I fear that I am following in his footsteps.So flash forward to when I was 17 years old. My frequent stomach pains and stomachache-related fears had virtually disappeared. I was in the park one day with my then newbie boyfriend and something remotely nerve-wracking happened involving my mom, and boom: I thought I wouldn't make it to the bathroom. I had eaten a pepperoni and mozzarella sandwich that day, so I assumed that all the grease combined with the panic from what had happened had triggered a stomachache. Until I kept having to immediately rush to the bathroom with watery diarrhea (sorry for the graphic details) EVERY TIME I ATE ANYTHING. I was having a flare. I went to a gastroenterologist who diagnosed me with IBS and recommended that I try dieting. I did, and it didn't work. This flare lasted about 8 months or so, and it made me miserable. It was the worst stage of my life. Then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. I'm 21 now. My IBS came back for a short while in 2009, and again in the beginning of this year, but this time only for around 2 weeks. And now I think it may be happening again. Every time it happens I notice a number of different things that could trigger it: excessive consumption of cranberry juice, stressful event looming in the near future (I don't handle stress very well), stressful event in the recent past, vacation (e.g., cruise, plane ride to a far away place) in the near future, or any novel situation in the near future. For example, in January I started a new job that involved driving with strangers to far away schools in bad neighborhoods (high anxiety situation for me. I just want to know if your IBS is triggered by any of these things. I am a highly anxious individual, and I know that can't make it any better. I have been in counseling to rid myself of the fear of having to go to the bathroom when I'm in places where I can't escape or find a bathroom easily (e.g., car with strangers, in a car during red lights, at the beach, etc). However, since I know that it's not all in my head, that I actually have IBS, I have lost faith in myself to bring myself back from the scary thoughts and to concentrate on getting better. I think if I could tell myself that I will feel bad and then I feel bad, I can tell myself that I will feel better and then feel better. But the latter is so much harder than the former.So sorry for the verbose post.


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## KevinClark (Jul 6, 2011)

Hey dude. I know exactly what u mean about stress! Even the slightest thing sets me off! Couldn't tell u the last time I didn't suffer a major symptom in a week. I dunno how to handle it and was wondering what u do? For me it's a nightmare at work. I'm only 20 and work for a supermarket. We had a meeting just today and right at the beginning I started getting the symptoms cramps, needing to go right this second, and it came from nowhere! All I can do is just squeeze and hold on. What do u do? What goes through ur mind at this time?


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## Jackmat (Jun 13, 2005)

If both of you acknowledge that anxiety is causing your stomach symptoms, then the solution is reversing that anxiety - and hopefully, nothing else.My story below should help you with that. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what happens to your symptoms when you laugh for a couple of minutes.Fear, anxiety and negativity can make you sick; laughter and a positive frame of mind can make you well, ... almost spontaneously.


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## patience2 (Sep 26, 2006)

I feel your pain! Stress is a big trigger for me.I found this site when I was at my worst about 4 years ago. After I started taking anxiety meds and using counseling techniques taught to me, my IBS got much better. I stopped visting the site regularly because I was soooo happy to not think about having IBS everyday! In other words, I wanted to feel like a normal person who didn't have to talk about/deal with their IBS all the time.I am now back and I owe it all to stress! This year has been abnormally stressful for me...stomach flu (I never get sick!), job change, moved to a new state, had a car accident, etc. It has felt as if the drama will never end. The stress continued to build and I noticed that my IBS was starting to take over again. I've had more bad days than I usually do and my mood has been slightly dampened.The past few weeks have been better. I'm getting settled into my new job, house, life. I've tried to get back to my exercises and de-stressing tricks. I've tried to refocus my thoughts and mood when I'm feeling down. I think it's working but I know it will take some more time. I have to keep at it in order to get back on the right path.I also learned to be pro-active instead of re-active. I used to engage in relaxation techniques only after starting to feel stressed and crappy. Now I do them reguarly to prevent the problems and it works!


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## ncf0308 (Jul 6, 2011)

KevinClark said:


> Hey dude. I know exactly what u mean about stress! Even the slightest thing sets me off! Couldn't tell u the last time I didn't suffer a major symptom in a week. I dunno how to handle it and was wondering what u do? For me it's a nightmare at work. I'm only 20 and work for a supermarket. We had a meeting just today and right at the beginning I started getting the symptoms cramps, needing to go right this second, and it came from nowhere! All I can do is just squeeze and hold on. What do u do? What goes through ur mind at this time?


I don't cope very well at all when I'm having pain. All I can do is imagine the humiliation I would go through if I were to have an accident. Then I try to remind myself that anyone who would laugh at me or think negatively of me because I had an accident is probably not worth my time, and so it's not worth getting bothered. But still, imagining disastrous scenarios does not do anything to make the pain better. In fact, it exacerbates it.


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## ncf0308 (Jul 6, 2011)

Jackmat said:


> If both of you acknowledge that anxiety is causing your stomach symptoms, then the solution is reversing that anxiety - and hopefully, nothing else.My story below should help you with that. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what happens to your symptoms when you laugh for a couple of minutes.Fear, anxiety and negativity can make you sick; laughter and a positive frame of mind can make you well, ... almost spontaneously.


Thanks so much for responding and for writing that story to begin with. I have tried many times to apply those principles when I am experiencing symptoms. Sometimes it works. But it's a hassle. It requires so much work and self-talk. I will try to keep your advice in mind next time I find myself experiencing pain and negative thoughts.


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## ncf0308 (Jul 6, 2011)

patience2 said:


> I feel your pain! Stress is a big trigger for me.I found this site when I was at my worst about 4 years ago. After I started taking anxiety meds and using counseling techniques taught to me, my IBS got much better. I stopped visting the site regularly because I was soooo happy to not think about having IBS everyday! In other words, I wanted to feel like a normal person who didn't have to talk about/deal with their IBS all the time.I am now back and I owe it all to stress! This year has been abnormally stressful for me...stomach flu (I never get sick!), job change, moved to a new state, had a car accident, etc. It has felt as if the drama will never end. The stress continued to build and I noticed that my IBS was starting to take over again. I've had more bad days than I usually do and my mood has been slightly dampened.The past few weeks have been better. I'm getting settled into my new job, house, life. I've tried to get back to my exercises and de-stressing tricks. I've tried to refocus my thoughts and mood when I'm feeling down. I think it's working but I know it will take some more time. I have to keep at it in order to get back on the right path.I also learned to be pro-active instead of re-active. I used to engage in relaxation techniques only after starting to feel stressed and crappy. Now I do them reguarly to prevent the problems and it works!


Thanks for sharing. I am happy to read that you are settling into your new life and that you have been getting better. I wish you the best of luck, and that I can follow in your footsteps.


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## Nyrunner (Aug 14, 2011)

ncf0308 said:


> Hello all,I first learned of this site over two years ago but since one of my "episodes" (I guess the proper term is "flare") stopped around that time, I never got around to registering on here and starting conversations. I fear that I'm going through another episode.. The first time this happened I was around 10 or 11, and the doctors told me I was lactose intolerant. But my stomach pains weren't triggered only by milk-based products; it was pretty much anything. It was also at that time that my mind began to exacerbate the problem. I remember being at the supermarket and feeling intolerable pain and fearing the worst: that I would go right there in my pants and make a fool of myself in front of everyone. So thinking about the problem would make the pain worse. I've never actually had an accident, but I just know that I will one day. My dad has had too many to count. His IBS started in his late teens, just when mine got worse. I fear that I am following in his footsteps.So flash forward to when I was 17 years old. My frequent stomach pains and stomachache-related fears had virtually disappeared. I was in the park one day with my then newbie boyfriend and something remotely nerve-wracking happened involving my mom, and boom: I thought I wouldn't make it to the bathroom. I had eaten a pepperoni and mozzarella sandwich that day, so I assumed that all the grease combined with the panic from what had happened had triggered a stomachache. Until I kept having to immediately rush to the bathroom with watery diarrhea (sorry for the graphic details) EVERY TIME I ATE ANYTHING. I was having a flare. I went to a gastroenterologist who diagnosed me with IBS and recommended that I try dieting. I did, and it didn't work. This flare lasted about 8 months or so, and it made me miserable. It was the worst stage of my life. Then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. I'm 21 now. My IBS came back for a short while in 2009, and again in the beginning of this year, but this time only for around 2 weeks. And now I think it may be happening again. Every time it happens I notice a number of different things that could trigger it: excessive consumption of cranberry juice, stressful event looming in the near future (I don't handle stress very well), stressful event in the recent past, vacation (e.g., cruise, plane ride to a far away place) in the near future, or any novel situation in the near future. For example, in January I started a new job that involved driving with strangers to far away schools in bad neighborhoods (high anxiety situation for me. I just want to know if your IBS is triggered by any of these things. I am a highly anxious individual, and I know that can't make it any better. I have been in counseling to rid myself of the fear of having to go to the bathroom when I'm in places where I can't escape or find a bathroom easily (e.g., car with strangers, in a car during red lights, at the beach, etc). However, since I know that it's not all in my head, that I actually have IBS, I have lost faith in myself to bring myself back from the scary thoughts and to concentrate on getting better. I think if I could tell myself that I will feel bad and then I feel bad, I can tell myself that I will feel better and then feel better. But the latter is so much harder than the former.So sorry for the verbose post.


 Stress is a huuuge trigger for me and what caused the problem in the first place. I typically handle stress extremely well and usually very laid back. I used to play worst case scenario with my friend when we were feeling anxious about something. The worst case scenario game clearly does not work when the worst case scenario is pooping your pants! I feel your pain about grocery stores, I tend to fill extremely anxious when food shopping. I also live in the city, so riding the subway is bad too. Anyway, I would definitely recommend Bikram yoga...I almost feel 100% for a week after a session. My doctor also told me to try cognitive behavioral therapy as a lot of my symptoms are caused by me worrying about them, which is awesome. Sometimes I actually digest better if I have a glass of wine before a meal, I think is just calms me. Good luck!


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