VISCERAL HYPERSENSITIVITY ?

[TACITUS]

Following 18 months of abdominal pain, an MRI revealed Diverticular Disease and the Consultant diagnosed IBS and DD. However, my BMs has always been completely normal, no D or C ever, thankfully. The almost- constant abdominal pain is barely relieved by 1000mg paracetamol. I read about Visceral Hypersensitivity where the gut and bowel become hyper sensitised to everything and this is experienced as pain. Anybody in a similar situation? Thanks. (63 years young female otherwise healthy).

[Linley]

Hi!

Yes, I have heard of this before it seems common in IBS sufferers and I understand that "specialists" are looking into a link between stress, anxiety and depression and IBS. Just a suggestion instead of taking paracetamol would your GP prescribe another medicine more suitable to hit the areas most effected?

[TACITUS in reply to Linley]

Thank you Linley. I am hoping someone on here will suggest just such medication. I have heard of Ketotifen as a possibility. Anyone have any experience of this or other effective medication please?

[Leemccluskey in reply to TACITUS]

The top specialist on IBS and all things gastro in this country and possibly worldwide is called Professor Peter Whorewell from the bowel research unit I think he setup in manchester NHS university Wythenshawe hospital. He has the only hypnosis program running on the nhs. If theres anything to know about IBS then he knows it. I have been for hypnotherapy for 12 weeks with one of his trained clinical hypnotherapists and it did me wonders. I appreciate it's not for everyone as not everyone can accept this kind of therapy. Some believe its ungodly others believe its witchcraft etc but it's actually you just trying to relax while someone tells you gently what to think about and to try to feel if there is any tension in your body.

The professor studied many thousands of patients as he sees over 3000 a year if you can believe it. He also works with other doctors and scientists around the world. He told me that I think it was 60% of ibs sufferers will have anxiety and 50% will suffer fibromyalgia (fibro especially more likely in women)

So anxiety can cause many of the symtoms of ibs bloating wind d and c and pain. Some people cant sleep at night with the anxiety and the anxiety can make ibs symtoms much worse also causing sleep deprivation. The professor studies revealed a scientist in in think Switzerland who used to ring a bell when his dogs food was ready and his three dogs would run over and sit in front of their bowls and he would ring the bell again when they could eat it. One day while they were sitting waiting in front of their food waiting for the second bell he noticed them all drooling heavily. Dogs drool is actually used to coat the food to help digestion and he knew the body did it automatically from the thought of food so it was a mental process leading to physical. He tested it out. The next day he didnt put the dogs food out but rang the bell and they came running over and sat down drooling associating the bell to mean food.

The professor then tells me that the gut which goes from your mouth to your anus is like the second brain in that it responds to thoughts etc. You must of heard all the sayings like " I've got a gut feeling about this"

So in hypnotherapy you are just in a room with the therapist in a quiet office in the hypnotherapy unit in the hospital grounds. In the corridors there are lots of signs everywhere saying hypnotherapy unit please be quiet and no talking.

You are told to get comfy in a reclining chair and just take some deep breaths and close your eyes. Your not in a trance or under a spell your just relaxing and knowing no ones going to want you for anything for that one hour that is your time. The therapist will just suggest that you are feeling relaxed and to scan your body starting with the feet ankles legs buttocks back neck arms hands shoulders and head and if you find any tension to try and let it go. They then ask you to place a hand on your tummy after the count of 5 after which they suggest that you feel that hand resting on your tummy and how it feels warmer on your palm resting on your tummy than it feels on the back of your hand and that that warmth is sinking into your tummy making your tummy feel so so relaxed and also making your tummy feeling relaxed all over. Then they say after the count of 5 they want you to place your other hand on top of the hand already on your tummy to confirm that feeling of warmth and comfort.

After the session is over you actually feel like you've just had the most wonderful but tiring day and feel so relaxed and maybe dozed. All your racing thoughts have stopped and your mind was relaxed from any anxiety as you were concentrating on your hand and tummy and scanning your body. So it really does work. I had right side tummy pain and back pain every day along with anxiety and within a few sessions my pain had almost gone. The therapist will also give you two recordings of therapy so you can practice it yourself at home.

I was waiting for my review which was 6 months after the 12 weekly sessions had ended to see how I was doing and was so happy to be telling them I was cured and then I had a heart attack with stents fitted. Taking the meds that can attack your stomach and for me the acid blockers and Proton pump inhibitors which reduce acid in your stomach cause all kinds of problems with ibs and may even be one of the causes.

Now I am getting the abdominal pains and also pains in my chest which you might think stem from the heart attack but I'm assured it's not. I keep being told its anxiety and stress that maybe from the heart attack but also could be from the ibs or a bit of both. They dont know if the anxiety comes from ibs or causes it. But what I am told is that ibs can cause all kinds of symtoms of pain but then so can anxiety and both play up each other. Stress and anxiety certainly makes symtoms of ibs worse or last longer.

So if you can try to lower your anxiety as you cant get rid of it as everyone has it and needs it to live then maybe your pain will also subside. The thing about anxiety is that you just need to accept it's there like a raging fire but not do what it tells you as that's like throwing fuel on the fire or petrol to be honest. You just want that fire to keep burning on a low flame and not as a bonfire