my ongoing bowel worries! Sorry just need someone to talk me down!

[rainbow]

hi, i'm really sorry for continually posting about this subject.

The last few days have been really bad, going to the toilet around 4 times in the morning, all different sizes and shapes of stool, ranging from pretty much normal to thinner and softer to small round pieces. For most of the day i feel like i still need to go but can't when i try. I also need to pee more. I've had all these symptoms off and on over the years but not normally as prolonged as this.

My anxiety is at an all time high. I feel shaky, sick, irritable, and unable to cope properly with everyday life. I'm slowly slipping into a deep depression.

Could my focusing on my bowels constantly be making me go more often? Is it all in my mind? This could'nt change the size of my stools could it?

Can someone please help, i'm desperate.

[countrygirl]

Yes yes and yes - anxiety affects the bowels, hence the needing the loo before an exam or after any traumatic experience and also affects the kidneys so the need to wee more often.

The more you worry the worse the bowels etc react. This worry can be enough to make or trigger IBS which means literally anything is goes.

This is what my Dr told me about bowels - it is safe to wait for 6 weeks if you have a change of bowel habit before seeing the Dr so you have time for any bug or iffy food to pass and things to return to normal. IF after 6 weeks you still have changed bowels then see your GP who will do blood tests, send samples for infection and should do the occult fecal blood bowel test. If anything shows up on these then further tests will be done - if not then you and the Dr weigh up if you need to be sent for a camera.
If you are young with no family history of bowel diseases then maybe not - if you have had a colonsocpy in last 8 yrs that was clear then maybe not otherwise you would probably be sent for sigmoidosocpy.

So how long has this been going on with you??? Maybe if you can think well I will ignore it and not worry and if it is same in xxxx weeks then I will go to the Dr, it might be enough to calm it down.

[rainbow]

hi countrygirl, thanks for your reply,

This has been going on for just over 7 weeks, there has been an improvement over the weeks but i still worry. I was having intermittant diahorea and loose stools to begin with. This only started after my anxiety kicked in because of something else. My stools have been firmer over the last 3 weeks, i just have to go more often. I never gi in the evening or through the night.

My dr and my cbt therapist say that its the anxiety making my ibs flare up and think that medical testing will only be feeding my anxiety.

Do you have ibs? And if you do have you ever had prolonged flare ups.

[AlexandriaUK]

Definately your anxiety is controlling your bowels not the other way round and when you settle down they will as well, but remember that they will take about maybe 2 weeks after you settle down before they do so dont worry let them settle and all will be good, and as for the talking about poo I have had blood and mucus for 2 weeks and scared the **** out of me as you can imagine LOL so shape is not a problem but I can tell you that you are not eating enough ruffage or fruit and drinks etc so a bit dehydrated.