The dreaded Irritable Bowel Syndrome. What a pain in the...ass? gut? bowels? all of the above.
According the Mayo Clinic:
Let's go ahead and take the stigma and the embarrassment right out of this diagnoses because that's my major goal in life. Stigma free for everyone! My take on this diagnoses is that when you struggle with panic attacks for years and severe anxiety, you are also upsetting your natural digestive system because that's what adrenaline does. Fight or flight. Think of all the times you've been nervous or so upset that it makes your stomach hurt. I believe this causes destructive damage over the years and causes the gut muscles to work over time for no reason or at the wrong times. All I know is that the symptoms that started this diagnoses go hand in hand with my mental illness.
When I was a younger mentally ill person, and had eating disorders, that's probably when the damage was first done. I would eat so little for so long that when I did eat, even if it was a small amount, I would have instant nausea and cramping. It was literally easier for me to throw up a tiny carrot stick than digesting it fully. That was my late teens and early twenties. (15 years old to 25 years old) I battled that E.D. monster and studied nutrition in college so I could learn how to eat the right way. I honestly had no clue until then. My Mom raised me on very good and nutritious foods but all of my damaged thinking reversed that knowledge.
Panic attacks reared their ugly head into my life when I was 24. Panic attacks are always inconvenient but Eddie and I were on vacation and eating at restaurant in Philadelphia when I had one so bad that we instantly went to ER and had my heart stopped twice because the pace would just not slow down! and... the dreaded gut ache symptom, causing pain all the way up to my chest didn't help dispel the idea that I was having heart issues.
After learning to tell my panic attacks to fuck off, I would still get them but I knew they weren't dangerous and it no longer sent me running to the nearest emergency room. On really bad days, I would be trying to get ready to leave the house and I would start retching. Especially in the morning. It was like having morning sickness but no baby. Just anxiety. I've spent many a mornings trying to get ready for work but was stuck heaving into the toilet until there was nothing left. So much for eye makeup! My eye's would be watering severely and I all I could do was wipe my mouth and leave on time. but still, these episodes were rare and far between.
Until after our big move across the country earlier this year. I thought maybe it was the tap water here in Michigan at first! I mean, look at the poor people of Flint and other areas. Standing up at the kitchen sink and drooling was becoming a morning a ritual (as I was dry heaving) The gagging would not stop. Then there's the dreaded D word (whispers "diarrhea") OK, I was beginning to see that something was really, REALLY wrong! After I moved here, I was having food poisoning symptoms every. single. day. and thank God we have 2 bathrooms at this place because I was always using one. Sitting on the pot and holding a garbage can to my face. So attractive! Yes! So sexy! It's time to take my problems to the doctor!
Once I did that, I explained to my new primary care doc that I had to be on Imodium and alcaseltzer daily, just to participate in my own life. The pain was so bad at the appointment that I was moaning and pain and even the woman taking my blood tests was concerned. I did all the testing required to get the diagnoses. I am now on a medication that seems to be helping a lot! It is supposed to slow down the spasms that happen in your gut that cause the pain. I'm still getting a lot of tummy aches and still have symptoms occasionally but nothing will be as bad as my first months living in Michigan again. At least I hope not.
Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you again soon!
According the Mayo Clinic:
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both. IBS is a chronic condition that you'll need to manage long term.
Let's go ahead and take the stigma and the embarrassment right out of this diagnoses because that's my major goal in life. Stigma free for everyone! My take on this diagnoses is that when you struggle with panic attacks for years and severe anxiety, you are also upsetting your natural digestive system because that's what adrenaline does. Fight or flight. Think of all the times you've been nervous or so upset that it makes your stomach hurt. I believe this causes destructive damage over the years and causes the gut muscles to work over time for no reason or at the wrong times. All I know is that the symptoms that started this diagnoses go hand in hand with my mental illness.
When I was a younger mentally ill person, and had eating disorders, that's probably when the damage was first done. I would eat so little for so long that when I did eat, even if it was a small amount, I would have instant nausea and cramping. It was literally easier for me to throw up a tiny carrot stick than digesting it fully. That was my late teens and early twenties. (15 years old to 25 years old) I battled that E.D. monster and studied nutrition in college so I could learn how to eat the right way. I honestly had no clue until then. My Mom raised me on very good and nutritious foods but all of my damaged thinking reversed that knowledge.
Panic attacks reared their ugly head into my life when I was 24. Panic attacks are always inconvenient but Eddie and I were on vacation and eating at restaurant in Philadelphia when I had one so bad that we instantly went to ER and had my heart stopped twice because the pace would just not slow down! and... the dreaded gut ache symptom, causing pain all the way up to my chest didn't help dispel the idea that I was having heart issues.
After learning to tell my panic attacks to fuck off, I would still get them but I knew they weren't dangerous and it no longer sent me running to the nearest emergency room. On really bad days, I would be trying to get ready to leave the house and I would start retching. Especially in the morning. It was like having morning sickness but no baby. Just anxiety. I've spent many a mornings trying to get ready for work but was stuck heaving into the toilet until there was nothing left. So much for eye makeup! My eye's would be watering severely and I all I could do was wipe my mouth and leave on time. but still, these episodes were rare and far between.
Until after our big move across the country earlier this year. I thought maybe it was the tap water here in Michigan at first! I mean, look at the poor people of Flint and other areas. Standing up at the kitchen sink and drooling was becoming a morning a ritual (as I was dry heaving) The gagging would not stop. Then there's the dreaded D word (whispers "diarrhea") OK, I was beginning to see that something was really, REALLY wrong! After I moved here, I was having food poisoning symptoms every. single. day. and thank God we have 2 bathrooms at this place because I was always using one. Sitting on the pot and holding a garbage can to my face. So attractive! Yes! So sexy! It's time to take my problems to the doctor!
Once I did that, I explained to my new primary care doc that I had to be on Imodium and alcaseltzer daily, just to participate in my own life. The pain was so bad at the appointment that I was moaning and pain and even the woman taking my blood tests was concerned. I did all the testing required to get the diagnoses. I am now on a medication that seems to be helping a lot! It is supposed to slow down the spasms that happen in your gut that cause the pain. I'm still getting a lot of tummy aches and still have symptoms occasionally but nothing will be as bad as my first months living in Michigan again. At least I hope not.
Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you again soon!
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A serious and challenging topic... but a few references made me smile or (whisper) giggle. I applaud your ongoing efforts to reduce stigma related to health issues.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. That means the world to me.
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