I have had IBS for five years now. I now realize that it caused by anxiety. My question is : Has anyone else suffered with IBS due to anxiety? Everytime I leave the house I need to have a bowel movement. Can anyone out there relate to me ? I am most nervous on the road, something that I used to enjoy doing.

Hi jmjm6010. I have a similar situation.
Although, I am effected in just the opposite
way. If I have a change in routine, whether it is going away for a weekend on our boat,
going to visit my parents for a week or even
if I get company here at my house. I can't go
at all. If we are gone more than 2 days, it
becomes a very painful problem. The moment we hit our front door though, I am certainly
making up for all the times missed. I have
tried everything when we are away but nothing, and I mean nothing offers any relief.

Hi jmjm6010

Me too. IBS can be a pain in you know where.

My IBS occurs when I take coffee, stressed out about the day. IBS always occurs when I stopped taking care of myself, i.e when I let my problems get the better of me.

I guess working on ourselves is a lifetime job. I took the program 4 years ago. I have ceased having panic attacks but IBS still gets my spirits down though not as much as it used to. I find that when I do the relaxation techniques on a daily basis, IBS disappears. Now when I do have IBS, I say to myself, it is ok. I don't want to let it bother me. I had friends who had cancer, and I tell myself sometimes, IBS is not as bad as that. It works. I will learn to live with it.

Acceptance of our symptoms when they do arise is important. Just like when we accept panic attacks, we have to accept IBS will occur once in awhile. Can't be helped. After all we are not perfect.

Keep checking on your dietary intake and stress levels and exercises. That helps a lot.

Take care

I did this program years ago. My panic attacks were so severe, that I was diagnosed with agorophobia. Years later, and many Dr.s later, I was finally diagnosed with IBS. I found a combination of stratagies are needed to cope with IBS.

1. Diet. Cut out trigger foods, usual tiggers are dairy products, citrus, raw vegetables, oily foods, greasy foods.

2. Add a fiber supplement. I prefer Citrucel, but it is trial and error. Add it slowly, bit at a time.

3. Stress reduction. This program is great for learning to cope with stress.

4. Finally, I did gut-directed hypnotherapy, with a tape program by Michael Mahoney. Check out www.ibsaudioprogram.com
Hypnotherapy helped me to change the subconscious thought patterns. It finally got me to the point where I can go out, travel, fly, drive with other people, and simply not worry about IBS.

AZ

One more poing jm, anxiety does NOT cause IBS. IBS is a functional disorder of the digestive tract. Anxiety may trigger attacks, but does not cause IBS.

AZ



[This message has been edited by AZmom (edited 01-26-2001).]

A great site to check our for IBS help and support is www.ibsgroup.org. I have IBS with altering bouts of C and D. I found our through ibsgroup.org that the product Caltrate is excellent for people with IBS D. The calcium carbonate slows down your digestion so your body can absorb fluids creating a fuller, more solid bowel movement.