life long IBS C but has gradually worsened since an undiagnosed illness had me knocked out out for nearly two months over two years ago I'm at the point where my life has become much more constrained by this condition and i can go with that but when i have a night like last night my patience and anxiety are stretched beyond it. I often get gut"spasms" with nausea and feeling faint coming over me in waves but last night was almost continuous, little sleep (at one point I was laying on a cushion on the bathroom floor just in case, although nothing happened other than feeling lousy) a couple of normal BMs this morning and am now feeling wretched,wobbly and so anxious and tense that I'm jumping at loud noises This was preceded by nearly two weeks of bad headaches that come and go (possibly cluster migraines) whatever, it's all connected!!
Not looking for advice as i've tried it all unless anyone knows of anything that can reduce the nausea? just needed to sound off and reach out on a bad morning
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buggins55
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For sure, migraine and gut problems can be connected, They can both work some trouble on the Vagus Nerve too. And when that gets irritated, it can cause weird symptoms, including a feeling like "body anxiety" (I don't mean a mental condition like health anxiety, but more like a "fight/flight" response kicked up by a physical trigger such as even something as simple as trapped wind in the gut!)
I was diagnosed with migraine by a neurologist in 2018. I'd had an array of weird symptoms, and only one and a half of them relatable to what we imagine "migraine" to be. Those one-and-a-half symptoms were visual "auras"= scintillating light displays, plus a tiny "tick-tick" twinge over one eyebrow which always seemed to bring on the array of other feelings. Otherwise my symptoms, though quite debilitating, didn't suggest migraine at all. After a few weeks of that my gut got involved and IBS started. My doctor thought it was possible I was getting what's called "abdominal migraine".
That might even explain why I can go for decent or even long periods to total normality with my tummy, and general health, and why I can sometimes be triggered into a flare up by weather conditions!
Migraine isn't a bad headache all of the time. But it is a neurological condition, and quite complex. I can see how it could affect the Vagus nerve via other nerve pathways.
So that might help to understand a tiny bit how migraine and IBS can be connected. I'm sorry it doesn't give much advice about how to get rid of it! Some say Magnesium helps with migraine conditions, but magnesium though it can help someone with constipation, doesn't always help someone with IBS D (unless it's Magnesium glycinate with no gut effects)
Actually, Magnesium (another type, not glycinate) might be helpful for your constipation? But you'd have to experiment with the dose to suit you and not tip you too far the other way.
Thank you so much for your response , it's really appreciated, really resonated with me and actually helped more than the usual advice of go to the doctor, get this and that tested (all done nothing interesting showed up even my microbiome is excellent) , yes I do make connections with the vagus nerve and your description of body anxiety is on point as i get "triggered" for a while after a flare up by the smallest sensation in my body I do get auras on rare occasions and a Vestibular migraine once or twice but mainly they seem to come in the form of clusters preceded by extreme sudden tiredness and heaviness also brain fog, on the rare few days between IBS bouts I will recover my energy and confidence somewhat (they've been progressively eroded by this condition in recent years) i do experience other symptoms involved with the vagus nerve such as not being able to stand in one position for any length of time and have to move around and am very affected by hot weather (interesting you mentioned weather as a causality) and often a bout of IBS is preceded by a sudden drop in mood and a rise in anxiety which also could be explained by the link to the vagus irritation possibly by the gut going into spasm , I have suffered from extreme anxiety and depression over the years and friends and family have always responded by saying that these cause my IBS but I have never been completely convinced it's as straight forward as that, I do think there is somewhat of a a two way situation going on (and revolving doors for that matter) and it's all much more complex than simply "nerves"!
I did get some help via Homeopathic remedies. I'm not saying everyone would, and I am not necessarily advising anyone to do that. I remember feeling awful in late 2020, started with a qualified practitioner/ There was no "instant cure".
But gradually and almost imperceptibly over 4 years I started to improve. I got to the point in late summer last year when I stopped the therapy, because things were nowhere near so bad any more, and didn't warrant having a monthly appointment. I have my practitioner "on standby" just in case anything goes seriously south again. She's a nice woman, and understands. But so far I'm managing ok. Not perfect, but definitely not "ill" like I was.
That cost me £65 a month. Looking back I am sure it was worth every penny.
Rarely but occasionally I still do get those "auras" (zig zag lights in vision and stuff) but they don't seem to lead to feeling unwell now. I can't remember the last time I got one. Probably some time last year.
The twinges over my right eye seem to have stopped .
There are other possible therapies which can help....perhaps acupuncture?
Certainly there are nutritional methods to help cope with migraine -however it manifests.
I have not seen a complete "instant cure" anywhere,
But Magnesium does seem like a possible great help. And the good thing is it also helps a lot with constipation. The "glycinate" form doesn't but other types do. But the dosage is important, to be therapeutic for migraine, and yet also not too much as to speed up the gut too much to an IBS -D situation!! Also to be sure you don't exceed the recommended dosage by way too much. (though many of us are Magnesium deficient anyway.)
It might be worth experimenting with Magnesium, but I'd say if possible, talk to your doctor first to be sure it's OK for you.
That's just a "caveat", as I am aware some doctors may not even know about Magnesium helping migraine or care about that, and getting an appointment sadly, isn't an easy task nowadays anyway! But in an ideal world, a doctor's advice would be good.
Thank you all for the kind words and advice. I spoke to the hospital and they said I cannot have the test as I have a cold. Which would effect the results. So it ie postponed till 17th.
it's awful isn't it I'm currently in bed waiting for a doctor callback with 111 as i keep getting the vasovagal syncopes after i've eaten or go to the loo and my anxiety is so bad that i cannot possibly get to the doctor (even if i could get an appointment)
Oh good, so you have a break now then until the 17th. That will give you a chance to hunker down and just nurse your cold and the dratted IBS, without extra stress. I hope your cold gets better soon. Keep warm. The weather is quite chilly isn't it? There isn't any snow where I live right at the moment anyway, but it is pretty freezing.
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Ibs hell 
Bad IBS episode - a lot of anxiety!! Advice please...
Hate IBS 😡
