Panic symptoms before bowel movement
Posted , 117 users are following.
Hi there
For a couple of years now I have been having a very strange happen to me, it used to happen occasionally but now it is every time I go for a bowel movement.
I will be happily going about my business or working or whatever when suddenly out of the blue I get this horrible feeling which is hard to describe, like a sinking feeling or impending doom. My fingers go tingly, I have difficulty breathing, shaky, fast heart rate...and then I need a bowel movement immediately. If I go I start to feel better after while, if for whatever reason I can't go right away it feels as if I will die.
anybody else with anything similar?
12 likes, 302 replies
rubynoodles37 sasical72
Edited
I get exactly the same. I have no idea why but its horrible.
talbotpanche sasical72
Edited
Apologies for atrocious errors in grammar and spelling I suffer from some mental disabilities that prevent me from expressing my thoughts coherently in writing or otherwise but still........
Since the feelings/Symptoms have been discussed in length by all, I will skip them and just state: Ditto!
What I like to share with everyone is my conjectures
a) I am assuming we are all part of the working culture in a western manner which could translate into obsession with Coffee in the morning or Caffeine pills..... for a long time I have thought it being the culprit but I could never test out the hypothesis because stopping caffeine equals constipation in my case and sleepiness so........
b) At least in my case I a have had history of what in the old days would have been called "The Nerves" and all the medications that come with it, almost all this medications SSRIs and SNRI and Hypnotics and benzos have direct Effect on GABA and Seratonin which unfortunatly double as digestive system neurotransmitters and are in charge of Satiety Regulation System, so they could have F*-ed Up the digestive system or still Do.....
c) My sports routine is constant but out of whack--> Like anybody else with a job or kids or simply a FACE! It is impossible to carve out a regular time for work out which leads into probably over training few muscle groups and undertrainng others oddly enough though the one muscle group that gets constant training and may be fatigued is the ones around and over the abdomen since any work out you do will invariably effect them first , so they may be suffering.
4)Going to the doctors has only resulted in owning a pile of medical LAB results and ZERO relief. Therapy never helped, telling this to others resulted in being called an Odd person.
5)No one in my family has this or at least they wont tell me so Not sure if this is genetic
6)Changing my physical location on the continent and the globe had ZERO effect on it, I have had this in Americas as in Europe/Asia and south/north of England.
7)It has made me scared of eating which lead me to a very bland diet of canned fruits peanut butter and white toast bread and chicken breast with some raw fiber. This has reduced the amount of time I feel the anxiety and has made BM faster and easier.
8)Lastly I have to say an hour before BM I feel dumb and stupid and am not able to do math but after BM I feel smart enough to commence teaching my students so I time my food in a manner that my BM is not concurrent to my teaching slots
Hope this helps in our collective investigation
sasical72 talbotpanche
Posted
Thank you for taking the time to give such a thorough reply and your grammar and spelling is perfect.
a. I never have any form of caffeine and haven't done for at least 25 years, so in my case not that.
b. I have also always suffered from nerves/anxiety and that seems to be a common point in most (not all) people who have posted on this thread, so it could be related in some way.
I eat all sorts because I have tried with loads of elimination diets and none seem to have made any difference.
In my case it all started around perimenopause, when I started a job where I had to sit for long hours and where the toilet was in a very awkward place and at the time I was eating a lot of crisps, seeds and nuts. I don't know if any of these had anything to do with it.
TMI ahead, in my case I have noticed that the more formed the poop is, the less symptoms I have.
talbotpanche sasical72
Edited
I can tell you one thing, sitting in Hatchback cars tends to give me massive pains this could be related or unrelated. Sitting behind the Desk is an other time when I get the pains too. But those are pain that runs through my body which started around the same time I noticed this sense doom before BM.
Salads do guarantee Painful BM in my case.
I have hot flushes too unrelated to female hormones as I am not Female.
btw, there is no Such thing as TMI sister, I would give anything to not have this feeling. So if the price to share details that we already think about all day, well that is not such a dear cost.
jack69480 sasical72
Edited
Hi all, this sounds a lot like what I have.
26 year old made.
Handful of times I've had severe stomach cramps that I need a poo within 30 seconds or that's it...I'm not going to make it! Sadly, some of these times have not been near a toilet (I had to pull over whilst driving and go behind a tree twice). About a year ago, I want for a meal and on the walk back to the car, same thing only this time I was with my partner and embarrassingly had to go in a nearby park in some bushes. Since then, all I can think about when leaving the house is "where are the toilets, what if I need to go". Now, whenever I get the slightest stomach ache or need for a poo, I have a panic attack...the impending doom starts and I begin flight mode to find a toilet. I've put this down to anxiety, starting from a dodgy meal. I've had CBT and take situational anxiety tablets but really struggling to see if anyone suffers from this and how to overcome it. I find I won't even need a poo but the further away I get from one and the more I begin to panic, the more I need to go.
sasical72 jack69480
Posted
I totally get what you are saying and in your case, due to what has happened to you there is a normal reason that you panic as you associate going to the loo with bad and embarassing experiences. I have heard various people with IBS tell very similar stories to yours. I'm sorry because it must certainly be awful and I hope you can get help in resolving this.
What happens to me is different, it is physical with no anxiety related to it, but with a number of physical symptoms similar to those of panic attacks.
Best of luck! and I've heard therapy can help in these cases
katherine91402 sasical72
Edited
Hi everyone, I really appreciate the fact that I can finally relate with others on the same topic. I lately experience panic attacks and of they are severe enough I then need to to use the bathroom urgently. maybe more than once. I was told that it is the vagus nerve response...idn
sasical72 katherine91402
Edited
Is it the panic attacks that make you need the bathroom or needing the bathroom causing the panic attacks?
In my case I have no panic, just when my bowel starts moving I get panic like symptoms, but my mind is very relaxed
Bunny66545 sasical72
Edited
I get the exact same thing, and for me it started after taking a new psychiatric medication that i reacted badly to (Effexor).
It became less and less frequent over time, and stopped completely after maybe a year.
Recently it looks like it started again, after i had covid.
I had extremely bad anxiety and bowl issues for months after covid, a bunch of urgent tests got done with nothing found. Now it comes as attacks just like before, so it's much better but still awful.
My only guess is the meds and covid did some damage to the nerves system.
sasical72 Bunny66545
Posted
Yes, it is somehow related to the nervous system.
Scared2Poo sasical72
Edited
45 now started in my early 40s.
Been having this issue for at least 5 years now. During summer time it seems to not happen as often, perhaps because I spend more time outside walking around. During winter gets worse especially colder month (I live in California so not that cold)
Had blood tests done and visited specialists of different kinds. Stool and urine tests show I am healthy.
Doctor diagnosed me with Gerd and Panic Attack Disorder.
Was put on medication for indigestion and panic. Quickly realized I cant live on medications and function normally, I stopped taking the pills. After 2 years stopped taking medication for indigestion.
Over the years I got better about it and essentially knew it was coming.
Using a heat pad on my stomach it would subside the problem and make it easier on Bowel Movement.
Life slowly came back to normal. It was something I now ignored. Something I learned to ignore and through breathing exercise learned to control my heart rate.
Just had Covid / Flu. the issue came back with stomach pain and weird bowl movement that wakes me up middle of the night. Now I am determined to get it back under control again. However I it is interesting to find so many with this problem.
Surprising to me no expert has chimed in here.
sasical72 Scared2Poo
Edited
Hello,
Can I ask if you are a female? I am and I sometimes suspect all this to be hormonal, although a few men have also posted about having these symptoms.
I had been quite a bit better for a few months but I'm now back to feeling terrible.
TMI ahead sorry- I have noticed my symptoms to be worse when my poop is not well formed
Scared2Poo sasical72
Edited
Male, ESL,
Apologies for my terrible grammar.
It's worse when I am dehydrated.
I learned to understand this is all related to my stomach and stay calm (not always but mostly).
Still recovering from covid and have not had normal poop 😃
Using heating pad on my stomach when episodes start helps keep my nerves down.
My limbs become tingly, numb a little and cold when I go through mine.
So I use lots of blankets on me and keep my feet elevated laying on the flat floor or couch.
Last summer I had no episodes at all.
During winter they came back, assuming from lack of movement and staying in doors.
(Below is what works for me and no way guarantees to work for others, just in case any one decides to blame me for anything)
To stay ahead of this monster I am eating fiber rich stuff like oat meals, vegetables and fruits. Staying away from milk products and using oat milk instead.
Simple exercise and a good walk twice a day if possible.
Keeping a schedule helps me fight this and stay ahead of it.
Even if it does not always work, the events keep me sane and less focused on the negatives.
Keeping a journal of the BM , diet and exercise.
No one really needs a journal but it organizes and motivates a person. This became a lifestyle of sorts and eventually episodes stopped happening for me.
Now that they are back because of the damn covid, I am back in the fight. Because F this, I got sh$t to do and a life to live.
This is my approach to this. Every time I have episodes, my approach to them is F this I will win.
sasical72 Scared2Poo
Edited
Some good advice there, in fact I follow all of it already, so I will not blame you for anything, lol that made me laugh
andrew77279 sasical72
Edited
Hi, all this discussion is just ticking all my boxes that i have been experiencing for the past 8 months. From my experience of this horrible episode, I actually felt that I needed 999 attention. if it wasn't for the fact the ambulance could take up to 14 hrs to arrive, I would have quite happily have go to hospital. I have found again from my experience that if I (sorry for the detail) strain while on the loo having a BM it almost guarantees a huge episode, light-headedness, heart palpitations, sweating, itchy palms 🤨. fuzzy vision, ringing in the ears.
in September I was in the US and had an episode in the terminal before I got on the plane. I had a BM and I was ok until I got to the UK. I went to A&E and was kept in due to a marker for heart attack was higher than normal. Now I've had angiogram, ecgs, echos, and loads of blood tests. when i was in there.All was ok thank god. I've also had all tests to do with the gut and stool samples again all negative. So yeah very frustrating but I'm managing the feeling by not panicking when I have the feeling before a BM and NOT straining (again sorry) I have read the Internet (🤣) on the vagus nerve and I am 100 percent convinced it is this that is causing the symptoms. Apparently is nerve can get pinched on the neck area. And like me your neck feels stiff is not the right word but tight explains better.
I am sorry this is an essay, but I do genuinely feel for you all that are experiencing this horrible episodes.
If anyone else has thoughts on this please reply.
sasical72 andrew77279
Edited
Interesting about a nerve in the neck being pinched, I'm going to get an appointment with a physio who specialises in back treatments, will report if any improvement.
TMI coming ahead- if I take meds to bulk stool I am better