# Self-diagnosis: IBS



## Ray Kinsella (Jul 15, 2010)

Hi everybody, I am new to this community.

I am 40/m. I have been anxious my entire life. It was sporadic without much recognized pattern for about 30 years. In my 30s, I started to notice the patterns. The anxiety was never debilitating except that I had diarrhea or frequent urination. Frequent urination was the worst since it caused me to have fear of being away from a bathroom. In times of stress, I would need a bathroom literally every 10 minutes. My bladder would have filled up almost completely.

It got worse when it became a problem for my wife on our road trips or during any travel situation. It became a quasi-phobia for me to travel. Weeks before the trips I would stress about them and inevitably have anxiety on the day of travel and the days leading up. Some trips I would recover but some (like when we stay with relatives and have little personal space) they would linger until I got home. I wasn't ALWAYS anxious. The relief of a trip being over would produce a euphoria that would last for a while. I would be able to eat what I want and do what I want without much effect.

But over time, the anxiety got worse to the point where I had to go on medication because I couldn't control my anxiety any longer and it had seeped into every aspect of my life. Work. Play. Home. Everywhere. I could handle the diarrhea or frequent urination but then it started to seep into a constant adrenaline surge and general discomfort that just spiralled me into a near depression. I don't know exactly what depression feels like but I imagined that I was standing about knee deep in it.  It got to the point where I was feeling adrenaline rushing through my body constantly, or at least, it felt that way.

I knew that eating better could stop the diarrhea and the urination bouts but there was nothing I could do to stop these surges of adrenaline or just general discomforting feeling of uneasiness. I can't even completely explain them.

I had 2 separate bouts that put me on Effexor XR and the drug generally helped me to get out of the funk I was in. I stopped stressing as much and the adrenaline surges went away after a few weeks. I didn't like the side effects though (who does?). Detachment during sexual activity. Sweating. lack of deep sleep. Feeling like a failure. Inability to feel much joy or sadness. Coming off the drug was tough but I did it twice. I am now 2 months removed from my latest run of Effexor. I have the equivalent of Ativan/Xanax to help me through tougher times and its helping me right now.

Over time, I have realized that food/diet are a major contributor to my symptoms. Caffeine seems to be the cause of my frequent urination but ONLY during times of stress. I could have 3 coffees and 2 soft drinks in a day (I rarely do) and nothing bad happens but with an impending trip or stress, forget about it. I wake up the next morning and pee about 6 times before 9am. Dairy and Chocolate also have a negative effect on my stomach. On days when I eat a lot of these treats, I end up with stomach problems the next morning. In times of non-stress, I can deal okay but during times of stress, its painful and horrible.

So I've been reading up on IBS and it seems as though almost all my issues are food/stress related. If I eat well during a time of stress, I am fine. Otherwise, I'm a basket case waiting to happen.

If I look back into my history, I can correlate almost all anxiety attacks with food. Based on this, I have determined that I am IBS-D.

During times of poor eating in the past, I have had stomach spasms that I was able to stop only with relaxation techniques. And now, I am having adrenaline surges again. The same surges that made me go crazy last time.

These "Surges" for lack of a better word are my main curiousity because I know how to deal with all the other symptoms. Diarrhea. Frequent Urination. Spasms. I've figured those out. These adrenaline surges, however, are my achilles heel.

Anyways, I hope to learn a lot about IBS here and I am glad to be part of the community.

Have a great day!


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## Feathers_McGraw (Aug 28, 2013)

Forgive me if I missed it, but it didn't appear like you've talked to a doctor about these symptoms. To be safe, I'd suggest you have a few blood tests done and maybe a colonoscopy. Many times, IBS if falsely diagnosed and the symptoms are actually caused by something either easily treatable or more serious that requires medical intervention. To be safe, you should rule out these other possibilities.


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi Ray Kinsella,

As Kathleen mentioned in another thread, I think you should look into mindfulness meditation. Although I have not been practicing lately, I find it a calming activity. It does take time for the practice to seep into your life at times other than when you're actively meditating, so it's not a fix-it-immediately type of thing. But I think it can be very helpful for the anxiety-symptom-anxiety-symptom cycle over time.

As far as diet goes, I have become a firm believer that many or most cases of IBS can be mitigated to at least some degree by a dietary change. Many people find the low-FODMAP approach helpful. I am a Specific Carbohydrate Diet convert, so I highly recommend getting a copy of Elaine Gottschall's book, "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" and reading through it to see what you think. In this post and another, you mention dairy, chocolate, sugar, and caffeine, and based on just that information alone, I suspect that a dietary change avoiding those foods would help somewhat, and that the SCD would help a lot.

Whichever approach you choose, good luck! Changing your diet can be difficult, but know that everyone here understands your frustration.

Cheers,

Rich

Lifetime wonky gut

3 months SCD

http://omnivoreoncemore.blogspot.com


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## shelivin (Aug 8, 2013)

hi from what you have said it does sound like ibs d i too am a sufferer and also of anxiety .the as you put it adreniline rushes you have sound more like panic attacks .i have these frequently due to ibs d and also frequent need to pee .i am currently on the sick from work going into 6wk off as im to affraid to leave my home .working in a supermarket and being unable to just go to the loo and non understanding bosses and heavy work load pushed me to the point of a breakdown .im 34 female and have a understanding husband ,son and family thank god ! ive battled with doctors and specialists had tests done the lot ! 6 wks ago when i first lost it i seen a new doctor he was understanding and put me on amitripyline 1 for the bad nerves and 2 as its supost to be a good drug for ibsd .i was scared to take it at first as heard all side affects can cause ect. but been on it 5 wks now and it helps alot with ibsd and getting there with the nerves .just makes me drowsy 2hrs after take it n bit lightheaded but take it 2 hrs before bed .i do try to avoid trigger foods aswell .i know from experience that if im stressed out or upset its 10 times worse and no medication works .you should go and speak with your doctor .i wish you well ,and good luck!


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## Ray Kinsella (Jul 15, 2010)

Thanks for the comments everyone!

I have tried mindful meditation before and it has helped. It brings down my base anxiety for sure. Lately I have not been doing that. I actually forgot about thst as a helpful tool.

I have visited my doctor and he immediately put me on Effexor. He doesn't seem comfortable with dealing with ailments of the brain. I have gone to anxiety specialists, a psychologist and even NLP. All of which ultimately left me with nothing new I couldn't have found on the Internet. I have learned the most surfing and reading and finding what works for me.

I know that food is often the starting point for bad anxiety. I get nervous otherwise of course but poor eating and non-IBS foods always are like a spark to an anxiety fire.

I will look into the low FODMAP and SCD. ill have to navigate around the stressful times.


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## beenthere 2 (Sep 7, 2013)

I'm new to this forum and have been reading for over an hour so many of the horrid problems people have experienced. Ray, I chose yours to reply to for several reasons but #1 because of what you term adrenaline rush. I'm nearly 70, but have had anxiety and panic for half my life and before that, from the time I was 5 or 6, I can recall having scarey symptoms after eating. I don't know why I did not tell my parents, I just suffered by myself, wondering if I was going to have a heart attack due to my racing heart. Those symptoms came and went for some years, until I was about 30, and then the racing heart, anxiety, panic attacks came on with a vengence for the next 5 plus years - 24/7 or at least every waking hour, I experienced that adrenaline rush washing over me wave after wave - seeming to feed on itself - fear of it coming again created even worse fear. I tried for a short time, tranquilizers but I had two small children and couldn't function on that. Heart tests showed nothing but it did not convince me that nothing was wrong. I could not drive anywhere by myself due to impending attacks. That really was hard on my kids as I could not take them places. And as another person stated, I too could not confide in my (then) husband as he was not a very understanding nor sympathetic person.

At about agd 36, a miraculous thing occurred in answer to prayer - the 24/7 waves of panic were gone. No, my fears were not gone, but the wave after wave was. From then on, I centered my attention on finding solutions to the problem. I did alter my diet and noticed improvement in some areas. In my late 40's I came across info about colon cleanses and liver cleanses, and have done these nearly every year. Armed with what I believe to be indispensible aids to regaining my health, I have been somewhat comforted but still have experienced the racing heart after nearly everything I eat. Now, in the past 6 weeks, I have been having that terrible bloating that caused me to search out this forum. I cannot say I have unbearable pain, but the thing that concerns me most is the irregular heart beats that seem to acompany this bloated feeling. I have taken Atenalol for 30 years for the racing heart and though I take only a minimal dose, it does seem to help. Xanax has gotten me through rough times and it even seems to help with the bloating, probably due to reduction in stress about it all. For nearly 20 years, I have not worn a bra as I cannot stand the tightness of it, nor anything tight around my waist - by tight, I mean I don't want to even "feel" anything constricting in the least bit as it is terribly irritating.

I have been worried now about some dreaded disease I must have with all these latest symptoms. I just finished a liver flush (done about a dozen or more of them) but have not had the relief I read about recently. I am going to do another in a few days. I also finished a 10 week colon cleansing program (Holistic Horizons) and still not the relief I desire. So, having regular BM's has not given me relief. So...am now only eating really one meal a day, supplementing with home juiced veggies. I am 5'2" and weigh 102 pounds so I don't need to lose weight. I am just so much encouraged to have found this forum; as I can start hopefully worrying less and working more on what foods must or might be causing my problems. I do not have diarhhea or constipation - quite a puzzle, isn't it. I will be monitoring this site to keep my courage and hopefully help others and get help for myself. Bless all of you who have been through this nightmare.


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