I am having really bad anxiety and acute diarrhea! I hate this!! Does anyone else have this problem. I’m afraid to go anywhere and when I do I look for the bathroom first thing. I know this isn’t a pleasant subject but need to know that I’m not alone in this!!
Linda
Go to the IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) site of Health Unlocked. You will find a lot of information. This is a common problem and there are things that can help, although unfortunately, no cure. You also might want to see a gastroenterologist for an official diagnosis, as anxiety can contribute to, but does not necessarily cause IBS.
I have been diagnosed with IBS. But I think the anxiety enchanted it! I see my primary care dr on Tues for yearly talk check up so I’m going to her about it. Thanks for your info!!
Doctor said it is anxiety but took lots of blood work to determine if some may be health related. She started me on vibertzi for the diarrhea. It really seems to be working. She gave samples to last two wks until I see her again. This medication is extremely expensive and my insurance does not pay for it(: one step forward and one step back!
Thanks for all your answers I am praying for all of you to find some relief!!
Linda
I have IBS as well as diverticulosis. A colonoscopy may be a good idea to see if you have diver too. Diverticulosis is little tiny pockets in the large intestine where things can get trapped, and if they do they can trigger a lot of discomfort and regular trips to the can, (or loo for out British hosts.) If something stays stuck long enough, it can lead to a life-threatening infection called diverticulitus, (any "itus" is an infection, like appendicitis, or sinusitus, etc), and trust me, it HURTS.
Different things can be troublesome for different people with it, so you have to kind of make an effort to remember what you ate the last couple meals if you have an attack, and you can eliminate things that are just he right size to mess you up. It CAN be caused by extreme stress, regardless of what any doctor may say. I know because I had it really bad by age 8.
To give you an idea, some of the things that really mess me up is pop corn, which almost killed me once, seeds from female eggplant, and corn tortilla chips. My mom couldn't eat grape skins, but I can as long as the grapes are fresh and the skins aren't tough from age. The same goes for apples, but also depends on the variety in my case. Apples that were in cold storage in a warehouse have slightly thicker or tougher skins and can cause me 2-10 days of pain and potentially more, so now I typically ALWAYS peel apples before I eat them. It's more work, but I don't enjoy being in pain 24 hours a day, so I make the effort, because I do like apples!
Diarrhea causes dehydration, so plenty of water and replenishing salts is pretty important. I buy the Gatoraide powder and mix my own because I don't like it as weak as it comes with it pre-mixed, and besides, why pay to ship water, right?
A non-chemical trick that can help to slow diarrhea is cheese. Maybe you're already well aware, but if not, there you go. It's gentle, and it works. So does fiber, be it in grains or fiber product like Metamucil. Any fiber helps to sort of, "solid things up," to put it nicely.
I do empathize, and I really do hope and pray you find comfort very quickly, and also find solutions that allow you to avoid this discomfort from disrupting your life, EVER.
You're definitely not alone by a long-shot. This is a problem most suffer from in complete silence because, well, it's not exactly a fun and wonderful subject to bring up around the punch bowl at a party.
There are also a lot of food additives, and GMO (geneetcally modified organism) foods that set me off too. One that I have found I react to really bad is Mt. Dew, believe it or not. I do like it, but I have never been able to drink it without developing really bad abdominal cramping almost immediately. Even 6 ounces (half a can) is more than enough to really mess me up.
GMO romaine lettuce is another, which is strange to me, but it never fails, so whether I know the reason for it or not, eating it produces the same result, so believe me, I don't try to be tougher that lettuce that always wins!
I CAN actually eat nuts, including peanuts, but only if I am really very careful to make sure I chew them long enough to make sure they are REALLY completely broken down. I'm grateful this is true, because I really love cashews, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and several others. Pistachios are one I have to be super careful of because they have a sort of woody skin type thing that I *think* could be a problem for me, but that's more of an intuition than something I can say with certainty.
Many with diverticulitis can NOR eat fresh corn, canned corn, corn on the cob or anything "corn." As I said, totellia chips and popcorn are the only two corn-based foods that consistently prove to trigger attacks. It's too bad too, because I really love both, but my love a fair with them had to end.
In reality, it's actually a pretty short list, and for that I am ***VERY*** grateful. I do my best to eat plenty of quality foods, like fresh produce including green veggies, cauliflower, carrots, snow peas, plenty of leafy greens, good quality breads and grains, grapes, bananas, apples, berries etc, and good quality un-processed meats. It's really expensive though, so i have to budget really carefully.
Sure, I also eat some convenience foods, but not as much as the typical bachelor or bachelorette. Partly due to expense, but also largely due to the fact that if I eat too much processed food, I definitely start to pay a price in lack of energy and over-all just plain feeling poorly.
It's hard to be productive or really enjoy anything when I am in constant pain, and even worse if I am spending a lot of time in, "the smallest room in the house, and sitting on furnature made of porcelain! lol
Water is key to prevention as well as treatment of a lot of the problem, but the foods I eat and DON'T eat have the most immediate results, good or bad.
Long, slow and purposeful breathing, in through the nose and blown out through the lips while laying down or reclined can often stop spasming in my gut, but not always, particularly if it's bad enough that just about the same time it's about to start or is starting to reduce my pain, bingo, I have to get up quickly to get to the commode, "yet again." That sometimes gets REALLY annoying. It sounds as though you can relate. I am sorry that you can, but definitely hope some of what I have learned about how my own deal works helps you to find your own set of rules that stop this very painful and annoying stuff in your case.
Everyone I know that deals with the same symptoms, (and yes, I have known a good few) has to figure out their own body's particular set of rules, and that is important to realize too, because there are bound to be some foods I can eat, but that really mess you up, and vice versa.
It's honestly nothing that people should be ashamed of, and it's honestly way more common than most people that have the same sort of difficulties realize, because, well, it's a sort of crappy topic. :/ Yeah. For real!
I'm honestly glad you brought it up, because, as I said above, anxiety and stress DEFINAYELY play a HUGE PART in my personal experience. Be kind, gentle and patient with yourself, and you CAN AND WILL find what works and what doesn't. I promise.
Thanks so much for your answer !!i take a small swig if Imodium whenever I have to travel or go to church so I don’t have to go Io the bathroom. I think my mind tells me I have to go and my anxiety kicks in to cause it!! Crazy I know but we all have to deal with this craziness the best way we know how! Gods nlesdings I send to you and thanks again!!
Linda
I know how it feels! I’m 21 now and when I was younger always had stomach problems in school lol! my dad had to pick me up alot. Then, with anxiety and my bad eating habits.
I changed my diet around like I only drink water mostly and milk because almond milk is expensive Dx. I quit soda, juice, and sugary drinks and when i try them its just sips. Have you looked at your diet? The food today is just so processed but this doesn’t mean you have to eat all organic. Eat whole foods not chips, fast food, high sodium, candies,etc etc. I’m telling you it will make a big difference!!! I also take pro biotics and it has helped tremendously. I even wake up better like less inflamation. I used to carry poo pourri with me incase I was forced to use the bathroom in public which i hateddddd. It’s like the worst. Start there! try to learn what ingredients are bad like high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors and switch them with natural ones.
Thank you so much!! I too have learned that sugar triggers the bouts that I have! I have stopped ice tea except on occasion.( I used to drink it all day!!) no soft drink and no milk products. I find with anxiety I have no appetite and am often nauseated in the morning so soda crackers and water are my best friends these days!!
Have an awesome day and God bless!!
I could not have said it better myself. I still get a 12 pack of cheap soda some times, but more often I get a 4 pack of soda made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. It's not an earth-shattering decision which i get though, because I buy soda like twice a year now.
I'm not nuts with the, "no HFCS" thing though. Sometimes I will buy the cheaper ketchup because they are out of the one made with sugar, for example, because cutting out like 95% or more of the HFCS was pretty easy to do even before they started labeling so it is obvious. When I started doing it I had to just read the actual ingredient list on the label, which I still do anyway becasue I pick stuff that has less additives too, so, big circles with "MADE WITH REAL SUGAR" are still not necessary in my case.
One thing I didn't mention and no-one else has either is, I never use artificial sweeteners, and never use, "Low Fat," "Alternatives." The fact that the label products that are naturally low fat with big "LOW FAT" things actually irritates me, because I'm not sure if that means they jacked it up, (processed and chemical dumped) or if it's a "normal" product that naturally has low fat. I WILL eat things made with pure stevia (Not that commercialized "Truvia" blend crap, but a quality product like Sweet Leaf brand), but don't prefer the taste. I would rather have just plain refined white sugar, or "raw" sugar if the molasses actually adds flavor I want.
I'm impressed pinnk812. You're way ahead of the curve. Young people are definitely becoming more aware of what is and is not healthy food, but very few people seem to take the same, "relax, my diet does not have to be a 100% obsessive undertaking, just a mater of simple sensible choices and it's already 95% healthier," approach I also subscribe to, and I'm . . . ummm . . . potentially 10 or 15 years older than your mom if you were her 1st kid. lol
Oh yes, when my anxiety is bad, the diarrhea usually comes with it. Sorry it’s been hard. Try to remember you’ve come out of this before. Hugs
Thanks for your answer!! It’s awful that we have this but it helps to know that I’m not alone!
It's a really embarrassing problem for anyone, and I am really grateful it was brought up, including people sharing how anxiety IS one of the things that triggers it. I have had gastro-entrologists actually scoff at me when I have told them I have had trouble since pre-teen years due to excessive and ongoing abuse at home and in school.
I have dealt with it for so many years, doesn't feel nearly as humiliating as it dod when I was 8, or 15 years old, but still, it is kind of embarrassing when I am around people that are hostile jerks, of course.
Everybody is a bit different, because every BODY is a bit different, so I have learned that something that doesn't cause me trouble may cause someone else SIGNIFICANT trouble. Therefore, I try to be very careful not to offer specific advice. I am not a professional, just a long time sufferer.
I do, however, feel good about the fact that my experience can actually help others. I also recently learned that there is a new sanitary product that is sort of a "just in case I cough," pad that can help prevent embarasment on need to keep an extra pair of skivies in the car when going out. Poise is the brand that made it first, and it's still pretty new. I have never tried it, so I can't comment as to it's effectiveness.
(Okay, now as a Mr. Manly man, I gotta say, that was sort of embarrassing to write! lol)
You are most definitely not alone. I have IBS and stress/anxiety is my biggest trigger. I get scared to leave the house when it’s bad as I have been caught short of a few occasions 
As if the other symptoms aren’t hard enough to have to deal, the potential embarrassment that a dodgy digestive system brings only makes it worse.
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