Panic and other symptoms before BM

In response to others who have posted about having physical symptoms of a panic attack just before or during a bowel movement. I have experienced the exact symptoms listed in these 16 or so posts from others. I have had it for about 10 years now (I am 52) and as with others, it doesn’t happen every time, maybe 1-2 times a month. And it’s SCARY. I think I have narrowed it down to something hormonally that only occurs occasionally and also with sugar intake. I believe those two things are linked and create this “attack”. Thoughts from others? Doctors out there?

[Beevee]

Was sugar the original cause of your panic attacks 10 years ago?

[Hidden in reply to Beevee]

It probably was. You would think that I was a sugarholic with such reactions in my body, but not at all. Even as a young child, my body seemed to reject sweet things. If I ate sugary things, in the a.m. especially, I would actually become nauseated. By the time I was 10, I learned that bacon and eggs were my breakfast of choice. As an adult, while I still did not eat too many sweets, I still had the occasional urge for a candy bar or brownie. But always with nuts. Rich was fine. Pure sweet not so much. (never understood someone who could eat a candy bar and chase it with straight Pepsi). All of this to say- sugar is not my friend. I am 52 now and am just now learning how much I needed to change my nutrition. Our bodies are just not made to absorb some of the things that are readily available.

[Missnoname]

Sugar has been implicated in many neurolgical conditions. I started a keto diet bc I read about the studies that were done using it to treat bipolar disorder. If you have no underlying health conditions, it wouldn't hurt to try. Talk to your doc and get preliminary blood work done before putting yourself on a restrictive diet. Good luck.

[Hidden in reply to Missnoname]

Thanks for your reply. I myself have changed my diet as well. I started in early February of this year with a very strict no-sugar, low carb and low salt diet. I have had zero issues since then until the day I found this post a few days ago. The attack came down to a few semi sweet chocolate chips and an orange gatorade- the first time I had had any sugar since February. It just reinforces my conviction that sugar causes these experiences. It is most definately not neurological as the symptoms are created from a physical response to either chemicals that have entered my body or horomones that are released when the physical response occurs. Hopefully doctors will become more knowledgeable on this subject in the future and not give the same pat answer of "anxiety-related" as the end-all be-all.

[Missnoname in reply to Hidden]

THIS exactly. I'm an RN and I research nutrition a lot. The medical community is unfortunately just beginning to dig into nutritional causes (and treatment) of health issues. I'm sure since you've gone low carb, you're much more attuned to the way you are affected when you eat sugar. High fat, low carb diets cause your body to fuel itself in an entirely different and more efficient way...think of the difference between a car that takes regular gasoline and one that runs on diesel. The thing with me is that I felt so crappy all the time and my thinking was so foggy and out of whack that I wasn't in tune with my body to really be able to see the huge negative effects my diet was having on me. Now that I've adapted to this diet, I notice every little thing that affects my body in a negative way and I have a lot more mental clarity. The mind/ body connection is very real. I won't bore anyone by listing all the positive effects it has had on me, but it's strong enough that when I look at sweets now there is literally no craving at all there. It's quite the opposite, in fact...my immediate thought is "that is poison and you're going to feel how much of a poison it is if you eat that". Nothing tastes as good as well-being feels 😉

[Hidden in reply to Missnoname]

So funny I have said your last comment many times over the past year! And you are so right. I am much more in tune with what is going on with my body. The fogginess and lack of concentration, not to mention sleep issues, all pretty much a thing of the past. And like you, I actually feel disgust when I look at some of the things I used to eat- actually turns my stomach. I'm just sorry it took so long to figure it out. Why not sooner? I guess because it seemed like the fix was too simple. Not easy (takes a little while to develop new habits) but very simple. Good luck to you. Here's to better health!

[Missnoname in reply to Hidden]

You as well! I'm 39 so it took me a while to catch on too. I honestly believed for YEARS that food was food and it didn't really matter what you ate as long as your weight was ok.