Constant bloating/digestive issues, advice?

[crispytatertot]

Hello to anyone who actually reads this. I’m hoping there’s someone who perhaps has a similar experience or just any advice. I’ve struggled with many chronic unexplained symptoms but right now digestive issues is the most debilitating one. Specifically constant bloating and gas. Basically food just sits in my stomach. I know that this is common when your nervous system is on high alert, which I know mine definitely has been for years at this point.

The issue is that I don’t seem to see many stories or people talking about this specific symptom and how to overcome it. The sensation is genuinely something I wouldn’t wish even on my worst enemy. It’s not like chronic pain I’ve had in the past where it gets triggered by doing something. It’s all the time no matter what. I’m also autistic and I think that also makes me more sensitive to the pain and discomfort. It’s also very difficult to try and shift my mindset (for example, telling myself I’m safe or that I’m perfectly healthy) because it just feels like lying to myself. My brain is very “black and white” and it’s hard to believe something when I’m physically feeling the opposite.

I’ve been struggling for 4 years and I’m really unsure what to do or if this is even the right thing for me. There’s so many different things I’ve heard. Cures, stories, programs. It’s very overwhelming. I’m not even sure if all I have written is coherent but if there’s any guidance anyone has, it would be appreciated.

 

[Sita]

I recommend meditation. Daily. Even for a few minutes. For calming the mind and the nervous system.
Also, eat 4-6 dried prunes daily. Do not skip days. They are perfect for cleaning your colon.

Take care.

 

[Cactusflower]

Hello to anyone who actually reads this. I’m hoping there’s someone who perhaps has a similar experience or just any advice. I’ve struggled with many chronic unexplained symptoms but right now digestive issues is the most debilitating one. Specifically constant bloating and gas. Basically food just sits in my stomach. I know that this is common when your nervous system is on high alert, which I know mine definitely has been for years at this point.

The issue is that I don’t seem to see many stories or people talking about this specific symptom and how to overcome it. The sensation is genuinely something I wouldn’t wish even on my worst enemy. It’s not like chronic pain I’ve had in the past where it gets triggered by doing something. It’s all the time no matter what. I’m also autistic and I think that also makes me more sensitive to the pain and discomfort. It’s also very difficult to try and shift my mindset (for example, telling myself I’m safe or that I’m perfectly healthy) because it just feels like lying to myself. My brain is very “black and white” and it’s hard to believe something when I’m physically feeling the opposite.

I’ve been struggling for 4 years and I’m really unsure what to do or if this is even the right thing for me. There’s so many different things I’ve heard. Cures, stories, programs. It’s very overwhelming. I’m not even sure if all I have written is coherent but if there’s any guidance anyone has, it would be appreciated.

@crispytatertot
Digestive issues and autism often go hand in hand, I found with many of my students that it could flare with anxiety - which can happen to anyone. I think that the autism can make you more sensitive but it can also make your mind cling more to the idea that a sensation is a "problem" or "bothersome".
I would agree that ingenuous messages of safety don't do anyone any favors. You can still offer yourself some words of comfort and also offer truths. "There are parts about me that might not feel safe, but I accept myself and my feelings". Or "Right now, even though some parts of me might feel anxious, I am safe."
Part of this is defining what safety truely is. Safety isn't feeling perfectly well, it's not having no sensations, it is not exclusionary of fear or anxiety, or any kind of physical discomfort.
Safety is the fact you are alive and breathing, and that in this moment you can continue to be alive and breathe. It's the understanding that even if you are in discomfort, even if you dislike how you feel that you are not diseased, critically ill, etc. You are quite aware of this, and very aware that this "dis-ease" is TMS and anxiety.
You are right that this space can be overwhelming, but we're here to say it can be simple. Wait and watch. Understand that the symptoms are related to anxiety and I'd look more towards having a lot of compassion for you being forced to navigate a world that isn't always friendly to people with autism. Look towards the things that can be triggers: clothing, sounds, tastes or textures, etc and begin to have some compassion for yourself at having to deal with these things and how they make you feel. Of course, like anyone else you also deal with other things that create big emotions in life, you just have a blend of unique stressors that some others don't have. Have compassion for your identity with autism and how that label makes you feel. I think exploring some of these things can help you see where you might have anxieties, and then identify how those things actually make you feel: clearly you SENSE the anxiety in your digestive system. Where else? Can you have compassion for those things and understand that they are there and you might come and go - meaning they won't necessarily be a constant, but they make be part of you. Can you make some peace with that. Understanding that you might have phases but they can pass. You can't change it, force it, wish it to go away and perhaps not be able to fix it physically but by having compassion (which @Sita has found through meditation) might help.
Meditation might not be an option, but simple breathwork or visualizations might be helpful to you. Other ways might be journaling, drawing crafting or other things that can help focus the mind elsewhere. You may need to stim - is this something you have engaged in or have felt a desire to engage in? Fidget toys, physical movement, dancing, harmless repetitive motions that seem calming by letting off excess energy big emotions can carry - it can take some folks time to realize that they have always considered stimming taboo, when it really has a physical function and for the most part, is absolutely harmless, even if others judge it.
I think you can approach your anxieties with creativity and compassion and find some things that work for you, no matter how anyone else views them.