I’ve posted about this or something similar before. That sense of dread prior/post any sort of movement in the bowel.
It’s really starting to bother me. I’ve been reading and it’s defo something to do with the vagus nerve. Only I thought any vagus nerve stimulation was supposed to be positive? 🤷🏻♀️
Anywho whatever I’ve read says the sense of doom tends to affect people post bm. I’m usually getting my symptoms before I sense any movement in my gut (whether it be just gas or otherwise.)
It tends to build too - I start feeling nauseous, then my heart starts to race, then I start feeling like I’m going to die. After that I usually have to go but sometimes it’s just air.
Anyone else have trouble with this beforehand? If so have you found any tricks to help minimise or stop this awful feeling? I remember the days when it didn’t happen and suddenly I just got the feeling ‘oh, gotta go!’
I’ve thought about other ways of stimulating the vagus nerve but I thought again that it might be counter intuitive? Who knows?
My nervous system is shot and I’m undergoing investigation for PoTS. So I’m not expecting miracles but this sensation is pure horrid!
Cheers!
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I get this, but thankfully not very often. It is deeply unpleasant and exhausting. Mine has usually been prompted by an overload of sugar. Is there anything that you can pin down that triggers you?
Not that I can think of 🤔 it’s usually on a morning or shortly after I eat which I guess is the norm for the gut to move at those times. It just annoys me that my body can make such a drama out of a simple gut movement they can be very noisy about it too which also puts me off eating sometimes.
I don't know if there is a connection, but maybe 4 years ago, I got up to use the loo, but blacked out on the way, gaining a head injury from the table corner, which I did not feel, meaning I was unconscious when I fell. In A&E, they could find nothing wrong and put it down to 'vaso vagal syncope', basically a faint. Could these be related? Maybe my vagus nerve is sensitive.
yes yes and yes! you are describing to the letter what I experience (before) it's hard getting doctors to understand though oh it's just a panic attack or the anxiety is causing IBS it's quite often the other way round! if it's really bad I have to lay down and take deep breaths as i sometimes get faint as well. the language used around the vagus nerve is confusing but i believe it's the colon contractions that affect this nerve? perhaps this nerve has become over sensitive ? I don't know but it's horrible and scary and now it's become a "health trend" to fix this nerve that runs many of our systems including responses to stimuli people that really have terrible issues with this are not being taken seriously (oh it's just a fad )
It’s horrible innit! Do you think our colon contractions are more powerful than others or is it because we’re hypersensitive? See I thought it was a good thing for this nerve to be tuned in but evidently not! I’m not only having trouble with my guts but also my heart etc! Oh the fob offs are unreal! To have a GP that listens would be wonderful! I’ve very much considered paying private a few times to see if they’re any better
Yes i do, a bit of both I would say i tend to think of it as revolving doors, i have no heart issues but do get a pounding heart with it and have nearly passed out in the night laying down I have IBS mainly C I am currently laid up feeling so bad that my daughter had to come and help me she managed to get a paramedic to come out who was so kind and actually listened to my tummy with a stethoscope and is starting with some tests i can do at home as i am too fearful and ill to go out at the moment (i have done tests before but he did mention a process and said we would take it further so crossing fingers ) it was great to be listened to!!
I do think the nerve needs to be tuned in but not too much !!
HiI get that with nearly every bowel movement I have. Couldn't explain what those feeling were until I read how you've described it, and it's exactly the same what I experience.
I also fear passing out as I often feel lightheaded when it happens too, feel exhausted after the event.
I've always thought it was 'just me' who experienced these feelings, as I do suffer with anxiety, which is not too bad ATM as I've sorted my hrt out and seemed to have found the right balance.
Those feelings do worry me, they're awful especially if they start when I'm out, which happened over Xmas whilst on holiday. It tends to put me on a back burner for a while and I withdraw from people until I feel settled again.
It's a real killjoy! Leaves you feeling shaky and even weak sometimes.
Now I know it IS a thing, and not just a MY thing, I can maybe look at it in a different way and hopefully not worry about it so much, which in turn, sets anxiety off, ? Even if it's subconsciously, making those feelings worse.
I hear you exhaustion afterwards is real and sometimes knocks me out for a couple of days and yes it is revolving doors I have had periods in my life when I've been afraid to leave the house and my symptoms have worsened over the last couple of years so have pulled away from a lot of events and activities as it just causes me even more anxiety I do meditation and breathing which helps a little and over years have tried many things including wearing the T shirt! but not there yet I'm afraid
Just wanted to add to my previous reply that years of this have really taken their toll on my mental health with severe anxiety and occasional depression (going through a particularly difficult time at present)
Thanks this has been a hard one got to screaming point a couple of times and had to take a diazepam to calm down I've been feeling so awful, scared and anxious. I do agree with what you say about the link but add in add in another equals sign at the end close the circle and you've got it! it helps to know we are not alone in this
There comes a point when we HAVE to put ourselves first and say, SOD IT. I've done that a few times in my life, just to save myself from the overwhelming people in my life.
The happier we are, the more settled our bodies get and eventually we get more harmony.
Hope you can find some peace, do something you like doing, even just listen to some music.
you've absolutely said it! that's just what i've been doing in recent months at first there was FOMO but i've got over that (gave myself a good talking to!!) and actually I'm quite happy apart from the IBS it's just the outside world telling us we should be doing this, being that, going places and achieving stuff instead of appreciating where we are at (it's all rubbish of course I've come to realise that) thanks those are great words!!
You just look after yourself, after all, it's you that suffers, ( to the point of screaming) which suggests total stress. We are what we are, and I've come to realise, after 60 years. Lol, that, it's my life, and why should I have to be the one that suffers the anxiety and stress caused by others, or even media saying we should be doing this, or be like that. 🤷♀️
I've survived the worst anxiety I've ever endured in my life, the worst IBS, and now, I'm more at peace.
It dont happen over night, it's a process which has to be worked at, but thinking about yourself and putting yourself first, eventually becomes easier, especially if your like me where I've always put others first.
Yes, I still get IBS flare ups, & anxiety, but I manage better now.
Sometimes you get sooo fed up of overthinking and worrying about everyone. You have to throw your hands up in the air and say, NO MORE. it's a self preservation thing.
Doesn't mean I don't care, it just means it's too much to handle and I need my space.
I am exactly the same it has really caused me severe anxiety and depression. I am on Sertraline and Propranolol now it is helping but still getting IBS flares. Sending hugs 🫂 to any one who needs one.
In a way, I'm so glad to read your post. I had thought it was just me, but clearly not. The sense of something awful about to happen is particularly difficult for me. I don't get this just before a bowel movement but as things struggle to move through the transverse colon. Not always, thankfully, but even so I hate the experience. The racing heart rate seems to happen most late at night and heralds a massive bowel movement, often accompanied by sweating and temperature changes. I have worked hard on calming techniques: slowing my breathing as much as I am able and CBT type talking to myself, reassuring myself that I have been there before and that it will be ok. After a huge bowel movement later in the evening, I can feel very crampy and as though I can't breathe in properly - a bit like I have a huge weight on my torso. So I put a hot water bottle on my abdomen and try to lie down.
I agree with babsywabsy that sugar can cause those sensations. I've eaten more sugar than usual because I was given chocolates for Xmas. I've now had a few days whenI feel extra exhausted and my heart is racing. I can calm down by lying down and slowing my breathing for half an hour.Hope that helps.
This sounds like me. Usually happens after my breakfast which I sometimes don't have until 11 or 12 because I can't face the nausea, awful fatique, heart banging and horrible stomach sweeping sensations.This often leads to a bowel movement.
This feeling takes an hour or two to go.
I have ibs c but seem to be a bit better since taking aflorex and stool softener when I need to.
These symptoms have been a life changer. I now don't make any appointments or social things until later in the day and have had to stop attending things I previously enjoyed.
It gives me anxiety which I am sure doesn't help either.
As you say, if I mention it to anyone (rarely)
I get blank looks so it's hardly worth a doctors visit as they probably wouldn't get it anyway.
I find that these sensations also happen when I have wind but not so bad as I can usually treat that.
I feel that my gut is so sensitive that I feel everything that most people don't.
If there is a connection with the vagus nerve I wish I knew what to do about it.
I am currently having hypnotherapy in the hope that this may help.
I am also about to start counselling as I am peed off with feeling ill all the time (fibro, chronic fatigue and ibs.
I don't think a 60yr long marriage full of abuse has helped.
I was widowed 5yrs ago and stupidly thought all my health problems would improve they didn't. As I said. Stupid!
I am hoping the counselling will give me freedom to spout off freely without judgement.
I anyone has a theory about the vagus nerve, please tell. Thanks for reading this long post.
From these replies there are so many of us having these particular issues and yet doctors still don't get it, oh it's just panic attacks or something when these are very physical and very unpleasant symptoms that are difficult to cope with and life affecting, the vagus nerve perhaps the most important and largest one in the body runs many of our systems including the connection of gut and brain so the action of the gut over contracting can put pressure on the vagus which can slow the oxygen supply to the brain causing drop in blood pressure and faintness, this vagus "activation " can also trigger our fight flight responses hence feelings of anxiety doom fear and their accompanying physical responses all great fun if only we knew how to deal with it !!!
Very eloquently explained. The body-mind connection has been very slow to penetrate the minds of those who design the conventional medical syllabi.....maybe because they are very influenced by pharmaceutical companies who obviously push 'treatments' that will make money for them.
As I understand it, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of the autonomic (automatic, subconscious) nervous system, which deals with emergencies needing us to fight or flee. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) allows us to rest, digest and procreate. However, the vagus nerve is divided into two branches (according to Stephen Porges). The ventral vagus promotes rest, digest and procreate, whereas the dorsal branch of the vagus is activated when there is extreme danger that cannot be dealt with by the SNS fight/flee response, and results in freeze (fainting/shutdown). So stimulating the vagus nerve is beneficial in that it better balances the autonomic NS (ANS) and should help avoid the extreme response of freeze.
I can relate the following two experiences to overactivation of the SNS and crossing into a freeze (dorsal vagal) response, and can resonate with your experience with much sympathy...it's horrible. But both times I was able to climb out of it to my utter relief with very simple breathwork!
First episode..six hour round trip for dental surgery...and in the chair for five hours..very stressful, unpleasant and also some pain. Lots of adrenaline generated and I was doubtless under hydrated and under fed (and I'm lean to begin with!). After I eventually got home I had an odd episode ....faint, sweaty and queasy which abated and then returned a second time.
Second episode... just before Christmas...a response I think to being over-hungry, very cold and to a very sugary, caffeinated beverage (had had no caffeine for months, but only hot drink available). In the car I became very hot, sweaty, nauseous and faint, with a wanting to open bowels feeling too.....never experienced anything like this before, and was on verge of asking OH to stop the car so that I could get out to vomit. Then I remembered that I'd aborted the two episodes after the dental surgery previously by just focussing on repeatedly taking a very slow but not too deep, breath in and an even more prolonged breath out through pursed ('blowing on hot soup') lips, and totally avoiding thinking about the symptoms (which I had started to get a bit panicky about as we were on a dual carriageway). It did take a good few minutes but it DID work (so effectively that we were able to stop and have a meal about an hour later).
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they can be very noisy about it too which also puts me off eating sometimes. 
Waking in night feeling terrible! What’s wrong with me?! Any help appreciated! 
No better
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