# IBS.. ANXIETY OR DIET?!



## Elly_Jelly (Sep 24, 2014)

Hi people 
I have had many highs and lows During my 2 yrs of ibs (I have already written a post about my story)
When I'm happy I just don't think about it even though the symptoms are there and I get trough the day..but the next im back in IBS hell 
I feel very lonely because no one understands and I don't understand myself either sometimes..
I really don't know if it is anxiety based or it's all about the diet,.
I usually flare up when I'm scared anxious or stressed.. This has brought me many problems such as panic attacks about ordinary things a young adult should go through life. 
I feel miserable because eve fasting won't help me too much. I even went gluten free for weeks but nothing 
I'm lost
Is there someone just like me???

Sorry for any grammar mistakes


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## Corydalis Aurea (Dec 14, 2014)

Elly_Jelly, hi sorry to hear you are suffering. I am 37, and as a girl I deal with PMS, and on top of it the IBS, I don't know how old you are or if you use birth control, (sorry I am assuming you are a girl cuz of your profile pic and name-forgive me if your not-but this still may apply a bit to even men becuase they too have hormone fluxes) but from my own experience, at certain times of the month when estrogen and progesterone are lower in the body, anxiety naturally increases, serotonin goes down, making us feel just grossly miserable, many gals say that their IBS symptoms are almost cyclic as well, my guess is these hormone dips play a role in that. If a gal is on birth control, she is trapped in a hormone range, unfortunately this range is in that place where anxiety, fatigue, depression and irritability may be higher and may also make the IBS flare ups worse, closer together or last longer.

I would like for you to do some research on this idea to see if it fits you, if it does, than in a way it is good news, it means that you are reacting to a natural ebb and flow, the downside is that to change that might mean some serious changes, but it may be easier to cope if you know, but if you have other underlying issues, that you may need a therapist for, I hope that you can feel safe to confide in someone...

Best wishes


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## Michelle88 (Apr 8, 2013)

*Hi Elly_Kelly. I feel like i just read my own forum. um. haha. hi! I'm 21 & been dealing with IBS & stomach issues since mid senior year of High School. (so since 2012) I'm surprised i even graduated since i didn't show up for half of the winter/spring semesters. jeeze. But since then I've learned to control & deal with my IBS more. Its funny cause when I'm happy & hanging out with friends (if i can even make it out of the house) i forget about my health problems...i even forgot i'm hungry & then when i come back home i suffer the consequences of being hungry & mentally exhausted. Sadly. I feel like my mind & gut are very connected and i need a couple days to recover from all that social interaction. I'm not even sure where this IBS came from. I know i had anxiety all my life & never got it treated so maybe that caught up with me & gave me IBS?? But then there's all these doctors telling me to change my diet & i did that multiple times & just can't stick with it or it doesn't help. To get through the days while eating food i have to take many herbal & natural supplements. Medications/probiotic make me feel worse than i already do so i can't do any of that crap anymore. I've pretty much gone all natural with trying to heal myself. Half the time i'm just lying down at home feeling sorry for myself. I also don't understand myself too. I feel like IBS has taken over my identity & i feel like i've lost myself at times. I've always been a positive person but the anxiety mixed with my IBS has made me a totally different person. I can be fun & positive all i want around friends & family but i still have this evil shadow of IBS just haunting me wherever i go. I've also sort of lost confidence in myself & feel judged by others (i had a past of verbal bullying & so this could have caught up with me after all these years) i go to cognitive behavioral therapy to talk about my health or get hypnotherapy while there for my visit. Really relaxing & helpful...but then i go home & everything is back to crap until the next week i have to visit. I also use alot of anxiety relaxing hypnosis videos on youtube & they REALLY DO help me for the time being. When you say you flare up from feeling anxious or stressed....its like you sometimes don't even FEEL those emotions but your STOMACH feels more effected than your brain is right? Its like something you can't control & it sucks. It can really take a toll on your mental stability right? I wish we could enjoy like regular young adult life & learn more about ourselves...but it seems like we've hit a wall & now have to try & break through it. So don't worry, you just found someone like you!! & I just found someone like me!! I hope we feel a little less alone now. I hope you can find happiness in life with this shitty (literally) health issue we got. here's to feeling miserable & occasional feeling that positivity that we need oh so much!







*


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## m1993 (Jun 20, 2015)

Hey Elly_Jelly,
I can relate! I've been seeing shrinks since for so many years (I'm 21 now) because everybody says it's 'all in my head'. 
I see it as a circle, it starts with a 'real' physical problem (ibs), anxiety makes it worse, ibs gets worse, anxiety gets worse etcetera.
I'm 21 one and have been dealing with this since I was 16, I can get so sad of all the things I'm missing (traveling, getting own place, college etcetera) so many 'normal' things. 
It's terrible that when someone has a idea for things to do, my first thought is 'is there a toilet? where's the nearest?' etcetera.
Like you said, there are highs and lows. A bit cliche, but because of IBS I enjoy the little things way more than before.


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## david_b (Aug 2, 2015)

Michelle88 said:


> *Hi Elly_Kelly. I feel like i just read my own forum. um. haha. hi! I'm 21 & been dealing with IBS & stomach issues since mid senior year of High School. (so since 2012) I'm surprised i even graduated since i didn't show up for half of the winter/spring semesters. jeeze. But since then I've learned to control & deal with my IBS more. Its funny cause when I'm happy & hanging out with friends (if i can even make it out of the house) i forget about my health problems...i even forgot i'm hungry & then when i come back home i suffer the consequences of being hungry & mentally exhausted. Sadly. I feel like my mind & gut are very connected and i need a couple days to recover from all that social interaction. I'm not even sure where this IBS came from. I know i had anxiety all my life & never got it treated so maybe that caught up with me & gave me IBS?? But then there's all these doctors telling me to change my diet & i did that multiple times & just can't stick with it or it doesn't help. To get through the days while eating food i have to take many herbal & natural supplements. Medications/probiotic make me feel worse than i already do so i can't do any of that #### anymore. I've pretty much gone all natural with trying to heal myself. Half the time i'm just lying down at home feeling sorry for myself. I also don't understand myself too. I feel like IBS has taken over my identity & i feel like i've lost myself at times. I've always been a positive person but the anxiety mixed with my IBS has made me a totally different person. I can be fun & positive all i want around friends & family but i still have this evil shadow of IBS just haunting me wherever i go. I've also sort of lost confidence in myself & feel judged by others (i had a past of verbal bullying & so this could have caught up with me after all these years) i go to cognitive behavioral therapy to talk about my health or get hypnotherapy while there for my visit. Really relaxing & helpful...but then i go home & everything is back to #### until the next week i have to visit. I also use alot of anxiety relaxing hypnosis videos on youtube & they REALLY DO help me for the time being. When you say you flare up from feeling anxious or stressed....its like you sometimes don't even FEEL those emotions but your STOMACH feels more effected than your brain is right? Its like something you can't control & it sucks. It can really take a toll on your mental stability right? I wish we could enjoy like regular young adult life & learn more about ourselves...but it seems like we've hit a wall & now have to try & break through it. So don't worry, you just found someone like you!! & I just found someone like me!! I hope we feel a little less alone now. I hope you can find happiness in life with this shitty (literally) health issue we got. here's to feeling miserable & occasional feeling that positivity that we need oh so much!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You two have me as well and vice versa







. I am 30, with exactly same symptoms. I wonder why I have burning in some part of the large Intestine and no where else at all?


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## alexxa (Aug 10, 2015)

Hi I'm new on here and i'm so happy I found this forum. I honestly didn't know people had this too. I'm not sure if i have ibs because i haven't been diagnosed with it but by reading all of your guys stories THIS is honestly the only thing I've ever related to. I have been like this since elementary I am now in high school. If any of you have these same problems please let me know. When i'm in class im always afraid of the room being quiet because my stomach starts to growl, i get sweaty, bloated, and my heart starts pounding because im so focused on my stomach and just feeling like i need to rush outside of the classroom. I have gone to my doctor and they said I was lactose intolerant but I can handle milk. They keep telling my to change my diet but none of it seems to work I even exercise regularly. I've just gotten to the point where im scared of starting school after summer break because I know im going to be stuck in a quiet room. I am confused as to what ibs is really and how I should control it. Is it anxiety or is it my diet?


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