Hi,
I first started with IBS symptoms around January time (stomach cramps, loose stools etc) I had my bloods tested for intolerance, stool samples etc - all came back fine! In general, my symptoms flare up when I'm stressed/worrying about things & due to the fact that this year was the year of my A level exams, explains why my symptoms were frequent! When my exams stopped, so did my symptoms! But now that I'm going to Uni in a few weeks, I've had another flare up & I know it's because I'm worrying constantly about it all! Has anyone got any advice on how to deal with this kind of thing? (Must also be noted, that even though I would describe my symptoms as being IBS-D, I don't suffer with frequent diarrhea. I tend to have a loose stool once a day/every other day) But how can this be controlled if its deriving from being nervous???
Thanks for any help offered!
My IBS only flares up when I am anxious. I avoid anything that makes me stressed but if I do get caught out with something unexpectedly stressful and I have a flare up, I take an anti spasmodic called Buscopan and sometimes painkillers as well depending on the severity of the flare up. This controls my pain. Usually I have constipation, but sometimes I have had loose, urgent stools or full blown diarrhoea. If this happens, I take Imoduim and that works for me.
Hey meghan....stress can produce and exacerbate many conditions...one of them is IBS....well i can understand the stress of exams....if the cause is stress then if we can control the cause then symptoms will be controlled automatically...
I had the bad anxiety from where my IBS constipation story started...what helped me in long run is , initially i was prescribed anxiolytics and with that I had started doing yoga, meditation, exercises...and doing breathing exercise to calm my mind to such an extend that sometimes I can sleep off after doing those...and by practicing everyday you can develop the stage where you can handle any stressful situation successfully....
so i would suggest focus on the techniques which helps you to tackle the stressful siuations...you can't change the situation but you can change your response to that situation with practice....
Hey Megan I think you can do this through yoga, Pilates or some form of relaxation. You'll be fine at uni, well done for going I didn't go I wasn't clever enough. My friends daughter has Crohn's and went to university last year, she's now gone abroad this year and is ok. Is there a doctor's you register with at uni? I hope you don't need anyone, take your medication and enjoy. Good luck with your course, what are you doing at uni?
Thank you for your advice! I take Buscopan and Imodium as well & it does help with the pain/discomfort. I hope you too find something that ends your flare up's completely!
Hi! Thank you for your advice! I've only recently started meditation & it is a definite help in terms of relaxing me. I'm going to try and commit to doing yoga/meditation on a daily basis & hopefully I'll see some change. Thanks again for your comment.
Hi Sam, thanks for the advice. Yoga is definitely something I'm going to try and take up & hopefully that will help. Thank you for your well wishes for me at Uni! I'm off to study Politics, but I'm really hoping that my symptoms don't affect me too much whilst I'm there. I can register with a Doctor, but fingers crossed I won't have to contact them too much!
Good luck with your degree you'll need the yoga doing politics, not the calmest subject I don't think?
My IBS only flares up when I am so stressed and anxious. It's so hard to fight this trigger.
Doctors tell you to relax, what world do they live in? They give you no advice how to relax either! It's not funny.
I simply avoid the things that stress me enough to cause flare ups. It isn’t always possible to eliminate stress altogether because unpleasant situations can hit you out of the blue. However, for the most part, avoidance tactics give me long remissions.