I had food poisoning about 20 years ago. I've seen a naturopathic doctor who treated me for parasites, it helped tremendously. The problem I'm still having is whenever I'm not near a bathroom I'll have severe panic attacks & bowel urgency so bad that I avoid any situations like this. Wondering if anyone has dealt with this and knows of any suggestions on how to overcome this fear? It's deeply affected my life in a very negative way.
Anxiety & bowel urgency - anyone else have this?
- Asked
- 21 May 2012 by Anonymous
- Updated
- 24 May 2012
- Topics
- irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder
Details:
Responses (4)
mazz17
21 May 2012
Hi,u are NOT alone,we all have our own fears,i have many trying2 overcome them thru pschlgst ,exercise,and keeping busy.wat has made u want2 be near a bathroom all the time?fear of getting poisoned again?i am 2 always in thet toilet bowel urgency wen nervous,its natural.r u on any meds4 anxiety?do u get counceling help?
Delila
21 May 2012
Hi, as Mazz has suggested, working with a psychologist could be very helpful. Also EMDR is a great form of therapy to help you get over fears and panic in certain situations. If you haven't heard of it and want to know more i am happy to explain it. It sounds like you need some help with building confidence, have you ever spoken to anyone about your concerns?
Inactive
21 May 2012
Delila, I've never been to a psychologist about this, I'm not a fan of counselling but would give it a try for sure. I've never heard of EMDR so sure, you could let me know what that is too. I've never really spoke of this before except with my naturopath about 6 years ago. I've been having a lot of stomach pain recently, no one can figure out what it is so my doctor thinks it may be IBS, I've been reading about it and have seen that bowel urgency may be more common than I thought. Knowing there are others out there that may be going through the same thing I do gives me hope that this may be treatable after all! My life has revolved around this for long enough. Thanks. Kim.
Delila
23 May 2012
Hi, yes the EMDR has been REALLY helpful for me in the past, helped me overcome so much in my life that was holding me back. I don't know where you live, but in the UK (where i am) we have an EMDR Assosiation which you can use to find an approved and qualified practitioner. Some therapists specialise in certain areas also. I will add the link to the UK & Ireland association so you can read for yourself what it is all about, probably easier than writing it all down here... I did a lot of research before starting it to see if it was right for me, so don't jump in to it without checking it out a bit. I can't tell you how much it helped me, so i do like to make people aware of it as it isn't widely known about.
mazz17
22 May 2012
Hi,i also in the past took Efexor the only anti depresant that helped me and made my stop racing,now i just take Valium relaxes my mind and body4 anxietywen i feel nervous and fearful,pilates helps me relax and blocks my mind from thinking.i too wasn't into counceling but found wman pschlgst was honest,helpful caring and has helped me to be positive and if u get one that is understanding and not judgemental is a bonus!where r u from?here in Oz health system is helpful and dnt pay for 12 visits 2 pschlogist .awful u feel the way u do daily and for 2many yrs.do u have gd family and friends support?
Inactive
22 May 2012
No I don't have any support, it's just me and my 2 kids. When I mentioned to my dad (they live 15 hours away) that I can't "just go out for a walk" cause it sets my stomach off he literally said he didn't believe me, he said that's not possible... so I just keep things to myself. My one friend who knows I have stomach "issues" always wants to go out for a walk when I do see her, it's become so frustrating that I avoid her and everyone else since it's not something I really want to explain and I hate making up excuses.
BTW, I live in Canada.
Inactive
22 May 2012
No I don't have any support, it's just me and my 2 kids. When I mentioned to my dad (they live 15 hours away) that I can't "just go out for a walk" cause it sets my stomach off he literally said he didn't believe me, he said that's not possible... so I just keep things to myself. My one friend who knows I have stomach "issues" always wants to go out for a walk when I do see her, it's become so frustrating that I avoid her and everyone else since it's not something I really want to explain and I hate making up excuses.
BTW, I live in Canada.
saucerman
23 May 2012
So many commonalities amungst us in this forum. But thats good and not unusual because we all have anxiety to one extreme or another that we can chat about.
You might try bentyl a drug for spastic colon . Its helped me alot and of course stay in therapy and its been said the beauty of this forum is you are not alone. Good luck
saucerman
Inactive
24 May 2012
Thanks, I've never been to therapy but may consider this as I'd do anything to just live a normal life. I'll mention the Bentyl to my doctor as well. Kim.
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Mezz, if I'm not near a washroom I have the fear of not getting to one on time if needed, that fear builds into a full blown panic attack. When I had food poisoning I was so sick right afterwards. I was in a very busy place (like a fair) and the washrooms were all packed full, I barely made it in time. Ever since that day I've developed this fear, that was about 20 years ago. I do take Effexor for anxiety, just started it almost a month ago, I've not been in any situations to really see how it works. I've never had counselling for this. Thanks. Kim.