Is trauma a cause of IBS?

[WellySam]

Warning: I discuss trauma and abuse.

I have never had a satisfactory explanation of my IBS-D. All I know is that it is triggered mostly by stress and anxiety. But can trauma cause IBS?

I ask this because of two reasons. Firstly, years ago a doctor told me that they didn't know the cause of IBS and there are probably multiple causes as it is not really a single condition, just a label for conditions with common symptoms (dont know if I agree with this BTW).

He said that it can be bio-chemical (eg what's in you gut), physiological (eg muscle weakness or organ disfunction) or psychological. He was clear that it was real whatever the cause. I didn't really think too much about it as the time, as I was more concerned with triggers rather than causes.

Secondly, because I know that I started to have toilet issues after being I started to be abused. Sorry to be blunt, but being anally raped led to toilet issues for me. It got better for a while ( I went into deep denial) but flared up again in my teens when I started to come out of denial about what had happened to me.

Is my IBS-D a direct result of that abuse, a symptom of trauma, or of the stress and anxiety it causes me (ie indirect) ?

What do you think? What is your experience?

PS I am not sure if this is a helpful discussion or not, so may delete it if that's the consensus

[Maureen1958]

Hi, I would say that trauma and abuse could well be a cause for IBS. Anything that it causing you stress or upset can contribute to IBS, in my opinion. But there are numerous other reasons for it too. We are all different and different things affect different people in different ways. My first marriage broke down around the time mine started but I don't know if it was that or it was just something waiting to happen. My first husband was a bastard, so I don't know that it was down to my marriage going tits up. It could just have been something that was going to happen anyway. Life would have been very different if I had stayed with my ex! My second husband and I have been together for over 30 years and he is very understanding of my IBS and does what he can to help!

[bobbyrita]

i have suffered for years from chronic constipation for years from medication. When my best friend died from fighting breast cancer for 3 1/2 years and my knowing when she said she had spots on her lungs she was going to die immediately after she died i got ibs-c. she died 2 1/2 years ago. i have had a lot of trauma in my life but only her death caused IBS.

[Luisa22]

I think that awful trauma, like what you experienced, could definitely cause IBS. Plus there may have been some actual physical damage in your case? I could imagine that there was. Have you had that checked/scoped?

There's maybe not just one single thing that sets up IBS but a perfect storm with a few contributors.

In the 1990s I had trauma too. I don't want to discuss it at all here, but it went on until 1998, then I was also devastated and found it hard to get my life back. I didn't know who I was, and had to start from scratch with nothing to find out.

Then I found the sweetest love. I felt I was completely healed from the past. Life was so good. Mutual love, trust, blessings.

Death came and took that away after 11 years. I did more than grieve. I prayed to go with them. That was my sole ambition but something kept me alive.

The years passed after their death, and I began to learn how to cope, how to count my blessings, and how to find my own strength again. But I used to get the most awful "attacks" which were indescribable. I don't know if anxiety or panic attacks. I've no idea what label to give them, it was just like I was being crushed.

But I kept bouncing back.

And then IBS came. One thing I am grateful for is that since IBS, those weird "attacks" haven't happened. But it's hard to choose which I prefer.

[xjrs]

So sorry to hear about your past experiences. Through all of my research into IBS, past experiences and particularly abuse can be a big factor in IBS. It seems to affect your brain chemistry and the communication between the brain and the gut (gut/brain axis). Abuse can take many forms including what you've described or a neglectful or uncaring parent. I hope that you have managed to get some help with what you have experienced such as psychological therapies. This can help your brain process the trauma, send it into the memory banks and less at the forefront of the brain triggering anxiety and depression, which can't be helpful for IBS. Take care.