IBS and Anxiety making school tough

EPTR
Tue, 03 Sep 2013 21:36:58 +0000

I’m not sure if I had IBS in my twenties and thirties or irritable bowel but I do know that I suffered many of the same symptoms as the OP. I also suffered from anxiety from my early childhood on. The stomach issues and the anxiety became related and I worried constantly about the availability of a bathroom everywhere I went.

I will say this. I would have felt very defeated if I had let my issues limit my career goals in any way and I think that the posters here need to be careful about sending that message.

I became a teacher (bathroom breaks are very infrequent with very little privacy). Was i concerned about that aspect of the job? Yes, but I didn’t want my issues to dictate what I was able to do with my life.

OP. I second what the other posters say about finding the right doctor and the right medication for your anxiety. Getting that under control will have a positive effect on your IBS. Some anti-anxiety drugs are taken every day and take weeks to kick in but others are used for situational anxiety to lessen your symptoms. There are even some blood pressure meds that work to reduce your symptoms. Don’t give up on getting this under control.

Another strategy that helped me was to lose the shame around my problem. My friends and boyfriend (now husband) knew about my stomach issues and were always kindly helpful whenever i needed to find a rest room. We even joked about it and had a secret signal when i needed to find a ladies room ASAP. It was such a relief to let the people around me be my allies instead of trying to hide it. I even discovered that some of my friends suffered as well!