Help with IBS and trying to fix it

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Hello everyone!

First the good news. I have completely conquered my piriformis pain and leg pain. Done! Finished. If it pops up again I am able to get rid of it fast. Theres no more fear. I think the thing that got me over the top with it was realizing that I had a ton of conditioned responses to my pain. One day when I finally understood that it kinda just disappeared.

But now the bad news, TMS is on the move. I think more with fear and worry about my digestive system. During this time I said screw it to my digestive enzymes and probiotics and the fear surrounded that has just grown. One of my biggest issues was about 5 years ago when starting a new job, I realized that I started to have digestion issues like acid reflux, burping up my meals hours after I have eaten and of course quick trips to the bathroom in the morning with no consistant forming stools. I had it under control for the last 5 years with probiotics and the digestive enzymes. However, what I know now is that I am constantly in fight or flight because of the perfectionist attitude, inner critic and people pleaser. When in fight or flight that means your digestive system cant fully heal. I also would go on spurts of drinking alcohol and I know that doesnt help my gut.

Looking back I have always had forms of the poor shaped stools and nervousness in the morning. Also, I have these thoughts in the back of my mind from a long time when I took a stool test and it showed that I had low counts of lacto and bifido bacteria. I started taking a probiotic and it got a little better but they eventually just wear out and I constantly need stronger ones. One of the reasons I had anxiety and these issues is I would constantly try to fix it and not accept it. I was always looking for the next remedy.

I was always paying attention to what I ate and was constantly monitoring what was going on it. I was trying to heal my gut and was hoping that with all these remedies it would be fixed. But then I would go on the internet and read that you cant populate the gut, then I read about mindbody and it says you can heal anything. I am just stuck now.

My gut says I need to learn to love myself and focus on this before anything and that one day it will all resolve. I just need guidance because I am in a loop now and dont know the right approach. If I just accept the IBS then I am constantly uncomfortable in the mornings. If I just accept it and love that experience in the morning will it just resolve? I am also focusing on really cutting back on alcohol. I am so TMS'ing right now and I need some help. Sometimes I feel I am on the right track because its starting to move around... Pain, anxiety, fear... Conquered the pain/fear combo... but not have anxiety and other fears that are still left. Its like we have to obsess over something in our life. I cant just be okay with the way I am. Maybe that is the solution to all my problems.

If any of you have experienced the same thing and can shed any light on this I will be forever grateful.

 

[Kozas]

Well I have digestive problems and nothing ever helped. But I can clearly see that stress is making it's worse. It's not about rage or sadness, but fear that makes it's worse. Do what you can to deal with this fear. Maybe make some med tests to see that everything is ok. For example ultrasonography is cheap and safe. Next thing is that if you have symptoms mainly then it's a clue - it's because you are fearing what day will bring? Or maybe is because you eating habbit in the evening.
When it comes to alcohol then it depends - I don't think you have to stop it 100%, but cutting down on it is always good. Maybe replace type of alcohol you are drinking? When it comes to stomach and guts from what I know beer and rum are the worse. On the other hand good wine in small portion from time to time can even be beneficial.

 

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I have had tests and everything is fine. I never had a colonoscopy but this has been going on for 5 years plus. Not parasites or nothing extreme. Just low or no counts of lacto and bifido bacteria. Everything is perfect with a probiotic. I think I am just beating myself up because I feel that I want a perfect stool. When in reality mostly everyone doesnt have perfect stools. When I take a probiotic I have great stools for like a week or too then it stops. I then feel like to heal it the right way, I need to make sure I stopped drinking alcohol to fix the "leaky gut" or whatever else.

Now the question is, do you think that by fixing your mind and your fears, your gut will heal itself and repopulate the right bacteria? Do I need to push aside all forms of treatment and just focus on acceptance and loving myself?

I think the probiotic takes away the fear from the stools. But I dont want a crutch and I want to "fix it" naturally. Seems like i am trying to be a perfectionist to me.

 

[Kozas]

I have had tests and everything is fine. I never had a colonoscopy but this has been going on for 5 years plus. Not parasites or nothing extreme. Just low or no counts of lacto and bifido bacteria. Everything is perfect with a probiotic. I think I am just beating myself up because I feel that I want a perfect stool. When in reality mostly everyone doesnt have perfect stools. When I take a probiotic I have great stools for like a week or too then it stops. I then feel like to heal it the right way, I need to make sure I stopped drinking alcohol to fix the "leaky gut" or whatever else.

Now the question is, do you think that by fixing your mind and your fears, your gut will heal itself and repopulate the right bacteria? Do I need to push aside all forms of treatment and just focus on acceptance and loving myself?

I think the probiotic takes away the fear from the stools. But I dont want a crutch and I want to "fix it" naturally. Seems like i am trying to be a perfectionist to me.

Nothing wrong in using probiotics and fixing your mental issues. Just don't expect probiotics to 'fix' you but use them to 'help'. You need to make that shift in your mindset. Just because you don't have structural problems, and apparently have TMS it doesn't mean you can't help yourself with eating properly or using probiotics. Maybe introduce probiotics with more variety and make your own kefir? You can make your own kefir with probiotics. I make it from time to time mainly because homemade kefir is DELICIOUS

 

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Awesome.. Thank you Kozas. I think I am using a approach like I did with my leg, where I stopped all things (stretching, pain pills, etc) it worked. With my probiotic and digestion it seems to backfire. Its also possible that I have longer fear attached to the digestive issues that it might be harder to break then the pain in my leg thats only being gone on since august of last year. I dont know a way to take my colon to the gym I think I need to lower my expectations with my gut bowel issues and not think that the TMS approach will 100% fix it like it did my leg.

 

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I have noticed something about this process so I thought I would put it here. Its totally the symptom imperative. My subconscious is trying to find something to distract me. Its constantly distracting me and not letting me just "be". Today I had anxiety during my bathroom trip this morning. I journaled to get it out and I was finally fine. Then my leg pain started to pop up again with the anxiety dissipating. Anxiety then pain distraction/dizziness/tense shoulders or something or another. I for some reason just cant be.

I am just starting to see a mind-body-spirt MD named Dr Divi Chandna which I am super excited about. I saw a pain phsycologist and she helped me get rid of the pain, but now that I feel I am on the back 9 of the 18 hole golf course, I need the extra work deep down to push me over the top.

You can check out her ted talk here

If you are interested, I will let you know how it goes.

One more thing...
The thing that sucks is when you are in the anxiety, you forgot and your brain shuts off. When you finally come out you go "AHA"! I just need to remember to give myself love and remember what is happening. Its so hard when your int he middle of it.