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Managed to completely freak myself out. Help?

Posted , 4 users are following.

dani00913
dani00913

I've had IBS for at least ten years, probably longer, to be honest, but I went to the doctor when I was 16 or 17 for constant pain in my lower abdomen and after doing an XRay, which showed an immense ammount of gas and nothing much else and after having me describe my symptoms I was diagnosed with IBS. Additionally, I've had an anxiety disorder for closer to 20 years. My IBS was pretty bad in Highschool...and honestly my anxiety was equally bad, but it was mostly pain a lot of gas and the occasional really bad flair up. Compared to some descriptions I've read, I have had it easy. Foods defintely affected me...but not to a degree where I've really had to cut them out of my diet. 

After college my IBS seemed to improve for a while...and so did my anxiety...both were pretty good for a long time...until this last year.

About a month and a half ago I started a new job and during a very stressful week while working for ten days straight with some overtime hours I had an extremely weird bout of IBS. Almost immediately after having a cheeseburger, said burger ran right through me. It was pure liquid, which is something I've rarely experienced. I thought I might have eaten something wrong, but it was an isolated incident. After that things were normal for the rest of the week. I've had two other similiar experiences since that weren't quite as bad.

Then, this week I started having pain in my stomache, not unlike the pain I usually feel with IBS except that while it has come and gone throughout the week, it hasn't completely gone away. Sometimes it feels like bloading, sometimes like my muscles are stressed or stiff, sometimes there's just a bit of tightness when I stand up or sit down, sometimes it's nearly vanished...but it's always there. It feels like my bowel habits have worsened in the last month. Is it normal for IBS to fluxtuate after so long?

At the same time my anxiety has been at an all time high lately. When I get really anxious I can't turn my brain off so I've managed to convince myself that I have cancer or something despite the fact that apart from maybe weight loss (and I say maybe because I haven't weighed myself in two years and my current weight is in the realms of normal for me) I have no alarm symptoms.

I did go into a walk in clinic yesterday and was told it's probably nothing and given some stomache meds (which I've yet to grab from the pharmacy) but they're kind of limited and only really ruled out appendicitis...which I already kinda assumed was not an option because after the first couple days of this the pain has been rather mild.

Could my IBS just be getting worse because of my increased stress and anxiety? How often does IBS pain usually last?

 

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Fireid13
    Fireid13 dani00913

    Posted

    Your symptoms sound exactly like what I've been going through for the past 3 months read my main article my symptoms are basically the same as yours except I don't get a loose stoole, ust soft, also not much pain but the feelings you are getting are exactly what I've been trying to describe and sometimes I get a tightness all the way down to my lower left abdomen. I've just had an upper gi and apparently its just gas like you had on your x-ray from what I've learned, I thought i had a damn tumor in my side but a ct ruled all that out, doubt it's cancer so don't worry, can't tell you much of what to do because I'm still learning myself and I do have anxiety and have been stressed lately more than ever getting ready to retire at 47 guess it's more stressful than I thought so I will follow your thread hang in there
    • graham38938
      graham38938 Fireid13

      Posted

      hi

      Anxiety n stress very likely make ibs worse- it does for me i know.

      likely to that symptoms will stsy  if you are still stressed/anxious.

      Having a diificult time myself with ibs.think triggered by raisins lst week but been on /off since- codeine does help with pain although i try not to use these much as can cause drowsyness and i drive to work.

      do you stop for lunch every day? a must if work is stressful. get out and walk or sit in the park. does wonders. if raining go shopping or library- need to switch off. i take colofac before meals which help.

      onions, mushhrooms and spicy dfoods all a no no for me.

      hope you find a way ahead.

      regfards

      gRA

  • LaurieEyeBee
    LaurieEyeBee dani00913

    Posted

    I had IBS in the early 1990s and was treated with Bentyl and Metamucil. Got MUCH better after a year or so and never had any more bowel trouble until about two years ago (following a bout with stomach flu, which may not be a coincidence). I've been diagnosed with IBS and Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Seeing a new doctor so not sure what they're going to be treating me with but anyway the answer to your question of whether it can recur after a period of absence is, absolutely yes, in my case.
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