how to 'float' and accept when you have stomach troubles?? please help!

[lucy_21]

Hello,

I have posted in the IBS forum about this but I thought this forum may help too.

I have extremely bad stomach issues due to anxiety and I know you have to accept and foot but I don't know how to when the stomach problems are scoop real and not really something you can float with as sometimes you don't know if you need to empty your bowels (sorry for the TMI but it has to be said).
My stomach is 24/7 churning and I never know if when it's bad churning its one that will need to be emptied as sometimes I go multiple times a day and sometimes.not.

Either way I get the stomach churning and popping and it causes a lot of trapped gas.

How can I float with this when it is not something like a headache that doesn't result in a possibility of a bowel movement!!!

It is just making my life miserable and my stomach is never settled no matter what. Please read my other post for more info.

Help and advice on how to float with this would be of great help.
I mean do I try to not go when I think it's coming? How can I relieve the gas feeling when I feel it but it's not coming out!! It really is awful and it's making eating difficult.

Thanks.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi lucy,

I've never tried the 'floating' principle, I know what it is, because I have never followed Claire Weekes work (she was brilliant from what I have read about her concepts though, well ahead of her time!).

But I can think of a few of things you can try:

1) Mindfulness could help you because it contains acceptance as one of its elements. You woulc start to meditate and pay attention to your breathing so that you lose focus on the other areas. As your focus then relaxes you would come back to the breathing if your mind wandered back to your stomach issues. Another element is body scanning which may help you stop to concentrate on it negatively which feeds it more from the anxiety. It may be hard at first due to the physical symptoms but it could really help you.

2) Have you tried any probiotics? I have read reviews of people on Amazon buying them because they helped their IBS more than what their GP prescribed. I know a lot of it is anxiety related but maybe probiotics could help with the bloating & wind?

3) Relaxation techniques could help. You need to be more relaxed through the day so that this isn't happening as much. I know this will be really hard, I've been there with my own physical symptoms and I didn't think anything would have helped me at the time (not so much with stomach issues in my case).

[Elle-Kay]

I agree about mindfulness. Try to focus your attention outwards - notice things around you, even if to start with you literally have to do a mental stream of consciousness type of thing, where you're thinking "I'm aware of a red car driving by, I'm aware that it has music playing, I'm aware that I recognise the song, I'm aware that..."
I was taught this to distract myself, but if you practice it can become a habit.

[jonjones]

Hi,
a churning stomach is my main symptom too.
I am also using Weekes method. I have made great progress with it.
What I would suggest to you is to ensure that you are facing, you must accept and float ¨towards¨ your symptoms. Like you are leaning towards them, and floating into them.
Because if you are not facing them then you are putting resistence against them.
Dont just concentrate on your tummy muscles however, cause tension in the shoulders and arms etc contributes to tension elsewhere in your body.
So take deep breaths and exhale slowly while saggng and letting your body feel heavy as you let yourself experience your symptoms, and let aflaoting feeling come over you to stop yourself adding second fear.
Dont worry if you find it difficult to do at times. Keep things simple, by letting yourself feel how you feel, and sagging and floaitng, and letting time pass.
Letting time pass is also vital, cause if youre not letting time pass then you are ignoring how you feel.
All of Weekes steps, facing, accepting, floating and letting time pass, are all really accepting. Cause if youre not doing one o them youre not accepting.
I gotta go to work now.
Ill write more later!
Best,
Jon

[lucy_21]

Hi. Thank you for your reply! They mean alot.
I know that i have to accept and float but how do i apply this to some of the symptoms?
Again sorry for the TMI but what do i do when for example i am having bad stomach poppings and it feels as if a loose bowel will come...do i go with it and go to the loo to try or do i try to just tell myself its anxiety and try to not let it be a bowel movement. Also sometimes it feels as if i have really bad gas but it just wont come out...do i again try and get it out as its so uncomfortable or just hope it will go away.
You see the stomach issues are making it hard to eat as im not hungry due to either the funny tummy or gas.
Sometimes i go to the loo but nothing happens even though it feels like i need to and like its gonna be bad diherra.
How do i float this?
Are you having to force yourself to eat over the churning??
Thanks.
Lucy.

[shakey1961]

Try going on a gluten free diet and you stomach problems may go away totally.

I've gone gluten free and I'm cured. No more panic or hypos and I certainly don't have stomach problems. Gluten is a major cause of stomach problems.

If I have gluten now I will feel really ill, have a lot of "gas" and will have to go to the bathroom a lot. I will also get stomach cramps.

[lucy_21]

Its not gluten i have already tried this but thank you.

I know its anxiety...i just cant seem to move on from this.

[shakey1961]

Have you tried removing lactose from your diet?

[lucy_21]

Yep. I have had all the 'food' things it could be tested by my doctor and they all came back clear.

The thing is i know it is anxiety....but that doesnt seem to be making it any better but i do know it is which i am told is the first step.
Its just dealing how to accept and float through the stomach symptoms that im struggling with.

[chickpea]

Obviously you can't ignore needing the toilet!
What floating means is to acknowledge your symptoms but not to dwell on them - just let the fact that they're happening float past you without worrying, questioning etc. Try not to fear it happening.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I can understand it, I experience more of these issues when I am more anxious.

Don't worry about TMI, you need to get the symptoms out there so you can talk about it otherwise you probably won't get the advice you are looking for.

You can see for yourself that you think you need to empty but can't do it. Then you have to force it and even then it may not come. You have also found that it can just be gas.

Maybe this means that you need to wait and see how it develops? Maybe you need to learn the difference between gas sensations and the real need to empty?

So, perhaps floating for you needs to be an ackowledgment of the sensations but not respond with going to the toilet. If you do have to go to the toilet, if you can't go, say to yourself that you didn't need it and leave the toilet without forcing because if it was going to come, it would have.

I appreciate this is hard. Its one of those things that you would normally just head for the toilet over anyway, even without anxiety disorders. I just wonder whether you need to seperate the possible outcomes by knowing the difference between the gas and the real need to go to the toilet?

Do you have a regular bowel movement anyway? Is it usually at the same times each day? If so, perhaps you can tell yourself this and try not to revisit the toilet again?

This is going to need judgement, sometimes you may really need to go but if you are at home this should be something you can experiement with. When you are out, it might be best not to experiment just in case and hopefully home practice will improve this so you can experiement when not there.

Time for TMI...I've just been after a big meal (sorry folks) and I've still got some wind due to eating a lot of veg. So, I've just had to let some wind out (I'm on my own but the dog might not be happy!) and the physical sensations in the build up are similiar to when you go to the toilet. I don't worry about it going wrong (thats all I can think of without immature references!!!) because I know the difference in the sensations that tell me its just going to come out as wind. I know this is trivialising this, its just that I wanted to give an example of how I could either interpret it as good or bad.

I think many of us will understand how you feel. My sensation issues are more with breathing and I have asthma, so I have a hard time seperating the two.

[jonjones]

Hi Lucy,
your anxiety is causing your bowel movements. By not eating your lessening your bowel movements but your also adding to the anxiety as youre making yourself weak.
If I were you I would eat regardless of the churning and the IBS and give myself a chance of having more energy and being stronger so youre better equipped to deal witht he anxiety.

Keep facing how you feel, constant facing it, looking right into the anxietys eye, at the symptoms you have, and sagging, letting go of yourself and floating, and also letting time pass, which is also very crucial will lessen the anxiety.

Focus on dealing with yourself like this!

Best,

Jon

[jonjones]

Hi Lucy,

If you feel like you need to go to the toilet then for sure go. But try to float regardless.

I used to suffer from ulcerative colitis, so I feel your pain. I used to pass blood and my stools were runny. It was very unpleasant.

Yes try to force yourself to eat, its very important1

Best,

Jon

[chickpea]

Hi Lucy,

If you feel like you need to go to the toilet then for sure go. But try to float regardless.

I used to suffer from ulcerative colitis, so I feel your pain. I used to pass blood and my stools were runny. It was very unpleasant.

Yes try to force yourself to eat, its very important1

Best,

Jon


Hi Jon,
When you say used to, do you mean you are cured of ulcerative colitis, or in remission?
Did you find that the UC caused anxiety, and not just the other way round?
I ask because I have Crohn's and am trying to understand whether the illness causes me anxiety, or whether anxiety comes first.

Thanks for any suggestions you can make on this.

[jonjones]

Hi Chickpea,

well all I can say is that I no longer take mesalazine, or immunosuppressents. My stools are fine and I never pass blood anymore.

The two play off each other. You have Crohns and this causes you anxiety, and the anxiety makes your Crohns worse. I dont want to promise you anything, but for me dealing with my anxiety and becoming a more chilled out person has made all the difference!

Best,

Jon

[lucy_21]

Hi. Thanks for your replies.
I seem to still be struggling with the stomach issues even though i know its anxiety. I have had about 2 ok days but its got bad again and i dont know why!!

I find that when i wake up i always have the churning and popping and if i have a loose bowel movement right away then the rest of the day im suffering with more loose bowels and stomach churns.

So i do go to the loo when i think i need to empty if you get me, but sometimes i dont need to but the feeling like i need to is still there and nothing is coming. This is why eating is sooo hard as i feel like i need diareha but its not coming so eating ontop of this feels horride!

Also even if i feel its gas i cant get that out either and i am just left with the horride feeling it my stomach that wont come out.

I tend to find that my loose bowel feelings are mostly in the first half of the day for some reason.

How do i not fear or not dislike something that is making me feel so horrid and how do i judge if i really do need loo or not!!

Ahhh so hard to explain but its sooo horrible to be living with.

Thanks again.
Lucy.

[lucy_21]

Please help!
Suffering bad.

[jonjones]

Hi Lucy,

You need to try and focus on dealing with yoursel in each moment. Taking deep breath and letting it all happen. Take deep breaths exhale slowly and let your shoulders arms and tummy sag, stop adding mental agaitation and put your mind into neutral. Stop trying to imporve your sympotms just be neutral to them, like you let them happen!

Face how you feel and be indifferent to it!

Jon

[Mindknot]

Lucy, I know you mentioned you've already had food tolerance tests done, but one thing that worked great for me (for a few weeks before I stopped doing it) was the low FODMAP diet (look it up) - FODMAPs are defined as a bunch of "inflammatory foods" that generally cause problems such as gas etc - it's not to do with intolerances as such, just science facts about how we digest certain sugars. So by eating low FODMAP foods the theory is your system will be able to handle them better & get a little less stressed out.

When I stuck to it for a few weeks I did gradually feel much better - it fell apart when I went away for a few weekends in succession - (although you've got to bear with it the first couple of days as it takes time for things to clear out), it seems to sort of calm your overall system down a bit - and hopefully the brain will go with it, any symptoms that remain you may find the floating a bit easier :)

I'm planning on starting again soon too, as my guts & anxiety have been creeping back to the bad side. Hope it helps you too.