Ho can any one help? I have IBS, diverticulosis and now panic attacks???? I have never had one before well not for years! Why does your appetite die when you get one? Does all these conditions set all the others off?
I have ibs, ulcerative colitis and anxiety panic attacks and depression. I'm having a bad go too at the moment panic attacks for me cause nausea and makes me not want to eat and then I get in that vicious cycle of not eating and feeling worse. Which in turn makes everything I deal with worse it's horrible. Are you on any meds for your panic attacks? I've been taking hydroxyzine doesn't help much.
maybe the ibs is given you anxiety ,so i would suggest you go and see your doctor who may prescribe a medication like citrolopram which can be good for ibs as it controls the ssri in your body and brain
I started reading this book: Reclaim Your Life from IBS: A Scientifically Proven Plan for Relief without Restrictive Diets
It explains the science behind why the body responds to certain situations the way it does.
Basically when one is stressed the body goes into a survival type mode and hormones etc are released, such causes the body to either do or not do certain things.
The meds too can cause constipation, so not eating in combination with the meds is a recipe for disaster, primary for those with IBS-C this was what was happening to me making my constipation issues debilitating.
Thanks for the information Steven I will look for the book. My stress levels are high at present lots going on!
Hi Sam, Sorry you have to go through all of these..Well any gut issues and anxiety or vice versa are definitely related, You should ask for your doctor's help in your anxiety issue as they may start some anxieolytics/antidepressant and will help you in both of your conditions, It helped me in my IBS and anxiety. Well for definitive results for long term you will have to include healthy diet, exercise ,Daily continuous routine, even on holidays and help of your doctor plus surrounding your self with positive people, read positive, live positive, these sound like general advice but may be this is right way for our symptoms to be controlled, Well in my case I also took advice from naturopath and followed it and it helped me a lot
Hi jello, I agree with most of what you say bar 1 thing, I vowed after being dumped on antidepressants years back to never try them again as I was left on them years and ended up even more depressed than o was before I started taking them!
Stress can reduce your appetite; it can be very harsh on the gut. I have lost appetite with extreme stress.
Hey Sam, It is surprising for me that it didn't work in your case, As whomever I talked to they got benefited with the antidepressants in this scenario...I am taking sertraline 50mg.
Hi Jello, I found my last doctors surgery use less in the end. When i switched over toy new surgery the doctors virtually rubbed their hands together in glee at giving me anti depressants and almost threw me out once I said no. I was dumped on them at 17 then left on them for years. I've been raped twice then it's been left for 25 years what does anyone expect I will come out laughing? It hurts daily as both of these events have ruined my life. Wrecked it! No antidepressants, all of them don't work instantly, they have side effects including constipation and if I ever took them my family would rub their hands with glrr, over this they haven't exactly been great so let them see what it's doing. I take evening primrose as it deals with hormones, I go to yoga and counselling, what else can I do? Oh that's right stand and watch my family tub their hands in glee!
I know that's true, can it cause panic attacks too?
Sorry also forgot to say asked my doctor what I did once I left my counsellor last summer and she did NOTHING!
Extreme stress can cause panic attacks.
That makes sense and I'm sure it's true sadly.
Hey Sam, I can understand how does that feel and you are doing whatever you can Look, Diverticulosis is an anatomical problem, So we can see it through investigations and diagnose it. IBS on the other hand is a physiological problem, So until and unless we rule out every other causes, We cannot say it is IBS, And anxiety and panic attacks are related to some chemicals called neurotransmitters..
Well our whole body is connected so if one thing goes wrong another system will get affected, Gut and mind is closely related...So IBS makes anxiety worse and anxiety makes IBS worse, So somewhere we have to break this vicious cycle....Our gut is controlled by autonomic nervous system mainly vagus nerve...There are some breathing techniques which helps you to control your vagus nerve...I started doing yoga, breathing exercise and meditation and it helped me to calm down my anxiety and to respond well in some difficult situations...Modern medicine can give you symptomatic relief in the IBS, there is no cure, But naturopath might help u. It will take some time but it will have long lasting effects with lesser side effects...I took their help and helped me a lot..hope that helps you too
Hi Jello, I understand what you've said completely, I do go to yoga, my counselling and am also trying to keep fit, walk and not take much medication. What is dragging me down is getting sick so frequently. How do I stop that? Will my counsellor help me to cope with the panic? I have 2 unique events happen in the last fortnight - I have had panic attacks and am still recovering from food poisoning that has lead to gastric flu. I just feel rubbish. I have a sense of guilt in not seeing my counsellor but if I'm I'll I'm getting afraid I'll be kicked out. That's my main concern, it's not a quick fix as it's for assault. Vital I would have thought, if I've explained will they understand or am I worrying unnecessarily?
Hey Sam, Don't feel guilty about anything...Well if I tell you about myself, I would say, I have been seek when I was in my mother's womb, doctors use to say the way my mom's pregnancy was complicated, it is miracle that I could come in this world, But since then i was falling sick frequently but by god's grace nothing major. and still continues till date, last year was particularly difficult because you are grown up and sometimes you ask yourself "why me?" and one after another new symptoms where no one seems to help you...yes of course I was under the care of my physician and gastroenterology, But somewhere was feeling something is lacking, and then One day I was introduced to meditation classes...I did it half halfheartedly, But within few days when I started observing the changes I became more aware of the things which is happening around me, Initially I was reluctant to use antidepressants but somewhere I realized I should give it a try, I continued practicing the meditation and with that I was referred to psychotherapist...While talking to him I realized what went wrong with me and it was no one else, or any situation but it was me and my mindset, Once I realized that my therapist told me, I think you don't need me anymore
SSRIs and cognitive behavior therapy is essential part of panic attacks or anxiety...Don't feel afraid of anyone that he/she will judge you, your doctors are trained not to judge anybody and help them to come out from the suffering..So take responsibility of urself and take help of your therapist and have patience...Ultimately you will realize life is very beautiful As I now think that IBS is one of the beautiful things which happened to me..
Hi Jello, I can see what you mean and I have an update on this. My counsellor has reassured me and said they understand I have been really sick, so are going to help me, something I have never had before. Despite being really scared I will be OK I think as my counsellor is so kind and understanding. I have huge trust issues due to my shattered past. I will speak to my doctor though as the effect of the panic attack was really scary. I will not however take anti depressants as it's only 1 issue that's causing the problems.
Hi Sam I am happy that you got satisfied reply from your counselor, I hope he/she can help you to come out from this situation, and we all are here to support each other