# Life at a Standstill



## YoungCurmudgeon (Aug 24, 2016)

After reading through this forum a few times I decided that I might be able to find some help if I posted my story/symptoms. So here it goes:

I've had social anxiety for the past couple years. Never been one for going outside to begin with, but once I developed anxiety I refused most chances to go out with people. Fast forward to April 2016, I'm in my senior year of college so stress is at an all time high. One of my awful habits is that I hold it in for prolonged periods of time because I'm afraid to excuse myself. I feel as though this triggered something because, out of nowhere, I began to have unrelenting flatulence. It's loud, smelly at times (especially after I eat eggs, I've since cut them out of my diet) and I can't hold it in for more than 15, 20 seconds until it bursts out. If I don't try to withhold it, it comes out an average of every 5 to 10 seconds. It worsens after I eat or wake up, and slows after I spend a few minutes on the bathroom, regardless of whether or not I have a bowel movement. If I do have a bowel movement, it subsides for a minute or two before coming back. *As a side note, it stopped completely for a half hour during a hiking trip (I had been walking for the past hour) and when, for the first time in months, a movement came without having to put forth any effort.* Unfortunately, I can't tell the difference between the flatulence and a legitimate bowel movement anymore. My bowels have been so desensitized to pressure, in fact, that the only way I can tell that I'm passing gas is when I feel it rolling down my leg when I'm sitting, or by sensing the contractions in my colon. As such I have to go the bathroom 7-10 times a day to see if I have to pass solids. If I don't, usually mucus and incredibly loud gas (louder than normal) comes out, like it's pressurized. If I do pass it's usually soft, the consistency of a thick paste, but it still takes 10 to 15 minutes to fully pass (the constant straining has caused my rectum to prolapse when I push too hard, which doesn't help either). Other times, however, it does act like a paste and clogs everything up. Shortly afterwards the urgency to go returns. When I have 'attacks', as I call them, I'll be on and off the toilet every five minutes because I haven't fully emptied. With the volume of stool I end up passing it seems like my entire colon is purging its contents.

My other symptoms involve digestion and include abdominal cramps or discomfort after eating certain foods (American cheese, PB&J on white bread, whole milk). I feel as though I'm not properly digesting food, as indicated by the aforementioned problem with eggs and because I'll have a PB&J and my gas will smell just like peanut butter the day after, as if none of the oils broke down in my gut. Also, I developed an aversion to meat (Im not sure if this is psychological or physiological, either way I have to force myself so I get protein), so most of my meals are some form of carbohydrate. I usually have a banana or apple for fiber but it doesn't seem to help. A Celiac test came up negative, as did tests for possible infections.

Needless to say my social and professional life is on hold until I figure this out. This has come at the worst time since I've just graduated college, am trying to find a job, and just trying to begin the rest of my life in general. Of course, no one will hire someone who emits a thunderous roar from their backside every 5-10 seconds. The inability to find a job has since added to my stress as has the loss of control over my own body functions. My girlfriend is supportive, but we've only been together half a year so I feel as though we don't have enough of a connection that she would stay with me for much longer. Every aspect of my life has just become another point of stress for me, so I'm having incredible trouble finding a way to relax and solve this logically. I appreciate any advice given to me, and thank anyone with the patience to read through my rant and respond. I can provide additional information or clarification, if need be...


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