# 19 years in to IBS hell....



## Sarah Glazier (Jan 30, 2015)

I am 27 and have had stomach pain since age 8 when my mum first took me to the doctors about it - they said it was 'stomach migraine'. It became worse during my teens with the stress of school and exams. I was only diagnosed with IBS at 21 when I was at university and since then I have tried everything with little or no effect. To date I have tried.... medication from the doctors, homeopathy, reflexology, exclusion diets, low-fodmap diet, intolerance testing, counselling.

My IBS is rooted in my crippling anxiety which all began when my dad was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour when I was 6 years old.... he hung on for another 20 years with various interventions but he was left physically disabled and with epilepsy so ended up needing constant care. It was a very traumatic time for the whole family. He passed away just before Christmas 2013 in a local hospice.

My anxiety exacerabates the IBS, but my main problem now is with food. After so long I am now terrified to eat anything as I am unsure what will happen. I am having a particularly bad week as after intolerance tests I am now having to change my diet to reintroduce foods that I thought were bad for me (wheat, onions, garlic, apples etc) and the mental stress of eating things I have avoided for years is killing me. The anxiety is off the scale, I am not sleeping and can't focus on work or anything.

My doctor thinks that I have developed a phobia of food.... has anybody else had this battle with food as a result of IBS?


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## moufie (Jul 14, 2003)

Hi Sarah,

Sorry about your father, that must have been very difficult. I can relate to you in many ways. I was diagnosed with post infection IBS 18 years ago. The last 3 years I've been suffering from health anxiety and panic attacks. When I was younger I watch my father go through several heart attacks and another life threatening illness which has had a worsening psychological effect on me through the years which has no doubt impacted my IBS.

Your number one enemy right now is probably lack of sleep and stress. These 2 alone will play havoc on your mind and your body. You need sleep, you need to calm your mind.I too suffered from several anxiety last year. I couldn't function or eat. My mind was constantly in a negative state, which put my body in defense mode. Let me tell you its not a road you want to go down. This lasted almost 8 months, I finally dug my way out but still not 100%. My solution may sound silly but it helped, I basically stopped the negative self-talk and focused my attention on other things. It's not easy and took a lot of time so patience essential.

I'm sure you'll discovered a slew of people like you...

best of luck


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## marleyma (Aug 13, 2014)

I know for me at least, ibs has caused me to have a bad relationship with food. OCD behaviors (if i ate half a cup of something and felt ok, i MUST do exactly the same anytime i ear that food), fear of food due to just not knowing what can happen. I don't know a solution, but your definitely not alone.


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