Re: Long-term consequences of IBS on life
11/08/06 08:50 AM
|
|
|
|
|
AstroChick
Reged: 12/30/03
Posts: 1023
Loc: Chicago, IL, USA
|
|
|
What I see in your post is that it's anxiety that's crippling you, not IBS. Believe me, IBS plus anxiety is horrible, IBS without anxiety is just annoying. And I'm sure adding on the inevitable graduation anxiety doesn't help!
It's almost a sure bet that if you find a way to manage your anxiety, you'll be able to navigate this a lot better. Hypnotherapy (including the CDs available on this site) is a proven therapy for IBS. A regular exercise program and/or yoga and meditation can also help. A lot of people are helped by antidepressant and antianxiety drugs.
One first step is to come to the intellectual realization that the fear is worse than the actual bowel ickiness. That thought helped me a bit, but didn't really kick in until I did the hypno CDs and realized that on an emotional/subconscious level. Now, even if I have an stress-related attack, I don't get into that "fight or flight" mode where I make myself sicker and sicker. I just bring along reading material to the bathroom, and keep drinking my peppermint tea.
You can turn this big scary IBS monster into an annoying yappy dog. Really.
--AC
Print
Remind Me
Notify Moderator
|
|
Posts
