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Panic symptoms before bowel movement

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sasical72
sasical72

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

302 Replies

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  • makenna44111
    makenna44111 sasical72

    Edited

    I have had the same issue for years.

    I have Panic Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It is well maintained and I have not had a panic attack in years.

    When I need to have a BM, I get feelings similar to the feelings I would have right before having a panic attack. The symptoms are relieved after I go #2.

    My anxiety trigger is my health. I think at one point I noticed I felt panicked when I needed to poop, and now I think I feel panicked because I noticed it that one time. If that makes sense. In other words, I think its possible I tricked my mind into thinking "this is how I feel when I poop" so then that is how I feel now.

    I have to have an endoscopy for an ulcer (unrelated) I will ask while I am there. Surely a GI specialist will have an answer. I will update when I do.

    • sasical72
      sasical72 makenna44111

      Posted

      Thanks Makenna, I could have written the same as you word for word.

    • sasical72
      sasical72

      Posted

      Bump to keep this thread alive

    • Adalineadams
      Adalineadams makenna44111

      Edited

      hi my name is Linda and I am 57. I have been experiencing these symptoms for 3 years now and I'm still in dire need of finding out what's wrong and what I can do to help relieve this. I read your post and was wondering if you had found anything out. Thank you.

    • sasical72
      sasical72 Adalineadams

      Edited

      Hi there Linda,

      I'm not 100% recovered but I am much better. I think my improvement has come from going to an osteopath who is working on my vagus nerve.

      Good luck x

    • joanne58498
      joanne58498 makenna44111

      Edited

      I feel the same. Anxious about having a BM, wont eat because if it. If i need to go i instantly get anxious

  • perryB
    perryB sasical72

    Edited

    i am a 53 year old male and I am experiencing the same exact thing. doesn't happen all the time, but seems to be more prevalent during bowel movement that are not on typical schedule. I'm glad I found this discussion for I thought I was going crazy as well.

    • sasical72
      sasical72 perryB

      Posted

      Hi perryB

      Ikr? you really do feel like you're going crazy. Do you have any thoughts as to why this might happen?

  • mohamed84392
    mohamed84392 sasical72

    Edited

    glad im not alone with this one because i wouldve been frightened to death if i was alone.

    my experience is very similar to yours in that i get a feeling of doom, but more specifically that my heart will stop in the very next moment, so then i feel this urge go constantly move around my body whether it be my arms or legs (idk why i do this though but my body seems to think this is the right way stop an impending heart failure or whatever the feeling is).

    another thing which ive noticed is that while i was fasting during ramadan last month it seemed to have completely stopped, but now that im not fasting anymore its come back much worse than before, i have no idea why that is

    ive been to a&e about it a few months ago because i thought i was having a heart attack or cardiac arrest since the symptoms i was feeling resembled the description of a cardiac arrest (specifically the discomfort in my chest part) and after some scans (ecg or whatever you call it) they told me that my heart was completely fine and in fact very healthy which i didnt know whether to feel happy or sad about upon hearing. they also told me that it was likely stressed induced and that everyone experiences a phase like this in their life however im very sceptical about that because ige never met anyone thats experienced something like this before (until finding this forum obviously)

    anyways, thats just my experience with the whole issue, let me know if anyone elses 'feeling of impending doom' expresses itself similar to my one

    • sasical72
      sasical72 mohamed84392

      Posted

      Hi Mohamed

      I wrote a reply to you some weeks ago, for some reason it was deleted by the moderator, no idea why...anyway, yes, very similar experience, I also feel I have to move around a lot, it's almost like I need to shake off the adrenaline.

      And I also get very scared of the cardiac symptoms, even though I keep telling myself that this has happened before it's still scares me so much when it happens.

    • monica42367
      monica42367 mohamed84392

      Edited

      I have experienced the same thing. 40 year old female. last night i had an episode where i was sleeping, and woke up to feeling weird and thats when some panic and the racing heart started seemingly out of thr blue. next i felt that i needed to use the bathroom and i did - took about an hour for everything to settle down and i felt better. felt like hell trying to breathe through it and calm myself down. i had been thinking i was having cardiac issues, but after 2 EKGs that came back normal. doesnt seem cardiac. i think that the combination of diet change (fasting) and therapy could start to heal whatever is going on inside - mentally and physically.

  • kelly71659
    kelly71659 sasical72

    Edited

    This is exactly what is happening to me. its not every time i have a bowel movement, but when it does happen it scares me. It just started a few months ago. I'll be fine all day and then as I'm sitting i get that feeling like i need to run to the bathroom and as i get up the anxiety hits me and by the time i get to the bathroom I'm in a full on attack with racing heart and impending doom feeling. Then after I'm done i feel better but still have feelings of anxiety. Its so strange and hard to explain to others.

    • monica42367
      monica42367 kelly71659

      Posted

      gosh ive been trying to understand what is going on, but so much of these symptoms seem stress and anxiety related. i have noticed whenever these episodes happens i am alone. bc of some past health issues and probably all the stress of this pandemic i have developed some fear or anxiety about being alone by myself and no one can save me - so the panic sets in even more. then it likely triggers the digestive issues. i will work with my PCP on this and therapy bc if what i believe is true, there is hope from this

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