AgoraAnon
03-08-14, 20:46
Hello, fellow sufferers,
I have been obsessively reading many posts on this forum trying to figure out exactly what I have, but I have just signed up 3 minutes ago and this is of course, my first post.
This post may be long so please bare with me. I first started having symptoms of agoraphobia after an incident when I was 11 when I didn't make it to the toilet on time .. and we're talking about a number 2 here. The bathroom was staff only and was locked and I ended up having an accident right there - luckily nobody saw but it was a huge shock for me.
Since then, I have not had a single accident but I obsess over being near a toilet and knowing where they are. When I have no access to one, such as being in a car in a traffic jam, long elevator rides, bridges, and social situations such as performances and presentations, anxiety creeps up and I have had some horrible panic attacks because I'm scared I won't make it to the toilet on time. I feel nauseous, and I start feeling gassy and my stomach starts hurting, I start sweating and my breath gets short. But as soon as that 'danger' goes away - say the traffic clears up and I'm back cruising the road again, everything simply melts away. I find that even when I let panic get the best of me and I run to the toilet, I didn't even have to have a bowel movement, or it is a small one that I definitely could've held in if I had to.
Sorry if this is too much info but I do want to make everything clear. An average day for me is I wake up, eat breakfast, and shortly after I will have a rather large bowel movement. I head to work on the train and I go to the washroom again when i get off the station and walk to the office just to make sure my bowels are empty before work - kind of like a tester bowel movement but these are mostly gas and a bit of leftover number 2s. Then I'll be fine the whole morning, and many days I'll be fine for 7-8 hours until I get off work and I have another 'tester bowel movement' before jumping on the train to go back home. Sometimes after lunch, I do have to go again but this also varies. I can't really call it diarrhea and I don't have massive cramps either, but I do feel bloated and gassy after a meal if I'm out in social settings, and that makes me have to go to the washroom again to empty my bowels. This again, depends on what I ate, how much I ate, my stress levels, exercise, etc.
On weekends, I enjoy drinking with a bunch of buddies as it takes away all the anxiety and the IBS? like symptoms away completely. The next day I do have the alcohol poops but I find this normal as many other people get it too, but I'm usually okay to drink again the same night. I find that if I'm out eating with my friends or my girlfriend and I feel anxious then I really do feel the urgent need to go and I do wind up having a bowel movement and then feel anxious about having to go again after I get out.
Sorry for all the details but my question is, I know I have agoraphobia which sometimes triggers nervous stomach and makes me have to go to the washroom, either to relieve my anxious symptoms or have a small bowel movement to clear out my stomach. (not that explosive, not diarrhea) But do I have IBS as well? I feel like I fit some of the symptoms (gassy, nauseous, bloated, more bowel movements than average people) but at the same time it's nowhere close to how bad some other people on this forum have it. I just want to find out if it's agoraphobia causing my stomach to act up out of nervousness and excessive gulping of air when I'm nervous, or if I do have mild IBS that causes my agoraphobia.. classic chicken and the egg question. I avoid many situations that trigger my agoraphobia (crowds, trains, tunnels) and have missed out on several outings but it's not crippling and I can manage to pull through if I have to. I've also never had medication. I find exercise and eating right helps my agoraphobia which also makes my stomach completely fine. I have good days where I feel like this is all stupid and it's in my head and I'm doing great. But other days such as before a presentation or when I'm stressed, I dread having to take the train next morning, or eating at a restaurant with my girlfriend and there's only one bathroom stall. Oh and about my girlfriend, she's very understanding and only plays a positive role in all of this.
Thanks for reading and hope to hear replies...
I have been obsessively reading many posts on this forum trying to figure out exactly what I have, but I have just signed up 3 minutes ago and this is of course, my first post.
This post may be long so please bare with me. I first started having symptoms of agoraphobia after an incident when I was 11 when I didn't make it to the toilet on time .. and we're talking about a number 2 here. The bathroom was staff only and was locked and I ended up having an accident right there - luckily nobody saw but it was a huge shock for me.
Since then, I have not had a single accident but I obsess over being near a toilet and knowing where they are. When I have no access to one, such as being in a car in a traffic jam, long elevator rides, bridges, and social situations such as performances and presentations, anxiety creeps up and I have had some horrible panic attacks because I'm scared I won't make it to the toilet on time. I feel nauseous, and I start feeling gassy and my stomach starts hurting, I start sweating and my breath gets short. But as soon as that 'danger' goes away - say the traffic clears up and I'm back cruising the road again, everything simply melts away. I find that even when I let panic get the best of me and I run to the toilet, I didn't even have to have a bowel movement, or it is a small one that I definitely could've held in if I had to.
Sorry if this is too much info but I do want to make everything clear. An average day for me is I wake up, eat breakfast, and shortly after I will have a rather large bowel movement. I head to work on the train and I go to the washroom again when i get off the station and walk to the office just to make sure my bowels are empty before work - kind of like a tester bowel movement but these are mostly gas and a bit of leftover number 2s. Then I'll be fine the whole morning, and many days I'll be fine for 7-8 hours until I get off work and I have another 'tester bowel movement' before jumping on the train to go back home. Sometimes after lunch, I do have to go again but this also varies. I can't really call it diarrhea and I don't have massive cramps either, but I do feel bloated and gassy after a meal if I'm out in social settings, and that makes me have to go to the washroom again to empty my bowels. This again, depends on what I ate, how much I ate, my stress levels, exercise, etc.
On weekends, I enjoy drinking with a bunch of buddies as it takes away all the anxiety and the IBS? like symptoms away completely. The next day I do have the alcohol poops but I find this normal as many other people get it too, but I'm usually okay to drink again the same night. I find that if I'm out eating with my friends or my girlfriend and I feel anxious then I really do feel the urgent need to go and I do wind up having a bowel movement and then feel anxious about having to go again after I get out.
Sorry for all the details but my question is, I know I have agoraphobia which sometimes triggers nervous stomach and makes me have to go to the washroom, either to relieve my anxious symptoms or have a small bowel movement to clear out my stomach. (not that explosive, not diarrhea) But do I have IBS as well? I feel like I fit some of the symptoms (gassy, nauseous, bloated, more bowel movements than average people) but at the same time it's nowhere close to how bad some other people on this forum have it. I just want to find out if it's agoraphobia causing my stomach to act up out of nervousness and excessive gulping of air when I'm nervous, or if I do have mild IBS that causes my agoraphobia.. classic chicken and the egg question. I avoid many situations that trigger my agoraphobia (crowds, trains, tunnels) and have missed out on several outings but it's not crippling and I can manage to pull through if I have to. I've also never had medication. I find exercise and eating right helps my agoraphobia which also makes my stomach completely fine. I have good days where I feel like this is all stupid and it's in my head and I'm doing great. But other days such as before a presentation or when I'm stressed, I dread having to take the train next morning, or eating at a restaurant with my girlfriend and there's only one bathroom stall. Oh and about my girlfriend, she's very understanding and only plays a positive role in all of this.
Thanks for reading and hope to hear replies...