Sorry for posting these topics too much. Just don’t know what to do. My stomach is messed up bad. Dr. Thinks it’s IBS. Everyday it feels weak. I have constipation or weird looking stool. I haven’t felt normal in six months. Last night I kept tossing and turning in bed because of the pain. I don’t know what to eat so I just eat like I used to but this is what probably hurts me. I’m so scared. I would like to talk to a mind body therapist who specializes in the stomach but don’t know where to find one.
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I feel hopeless
- Thread starter twocups88
- Start date
I am in a similar position as you. I have some kind of sensitive stomach issue where I feel like all my nerves are firing constantly. It feels like I have butterflies or I am on a rollercoaster. I'm on vacation and trying to enjoy the food and drinks. I am 1000 percent sure it's TMS, because I took a nap early and woke up feeling amazing even had a big appetite and enjoyed some food. Then the uncomfortable feeling starts creeping back in after an hour or two...
I understand. Mine is more of a pain than butterflies and an uneasiness. But late at night it is better. So sometimes I believe it’s TMS. The big thing for me is the food. That fodmap diet the dr told me to follow makes me depressed.
Thanks for responding. Do you know where I could find this info?
Cactusflower
Beloved Grand Eagle
Here’s a link you might find helpful: https://www.tmswiki.org/ppd/Irritable_Bowel_Syndrome_(IBS) (Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS))
There is also a Canadian Gastroenterologist who found little success in treating many patients with IBS, until using the TMS therapeutic approach (I’ve forgotten his name). Here is some info, there are many studies listed near the end of the article. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3093004/ (Biopsychosocial Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
There is also a Canadian Gastroenterologist who found little success in treating many patients with IBS, until using the TMS therapeutic approach (I’ve forgotten his name). Here is some info, there are many studies listed near the end of the article. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3093004/ (Biopsychosocial Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
TG957
Beloved Grand Eagle
One of the most mind-bending studies on IBS is here:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3008733/ (Placebos without Deception: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
To me, it is a proof that IBS is a game played by the mind, not a physical anomaly.
thanks everyone for the responses. I don’t think anything is wrong with me physically. The thing that I constantly worry about is having a. Normal life. If I have to follow the IBS diet to not use the bathroom six times a day that is not a normal life to me. Food is very important to me and IBS takes this away because of the diet. That’s what I’m scared of.
JanAtheCPA
Beloved Grand Eagle
Back in 2011, after starting this work, I was able to relieve myself of multiple symptoms of stomach distress with constructive self-talk and deep, relaxing breathing.
I'd had years of frequent episodes of digestive upset, and in the summer of 2011, along with other increasing TMS symptoms, I was also losing weight rapidly, and not in a good way. Eliminating foods right and left did nothing. What worked was discovering TMS theory, calming my hyped-up nervous system, deep breathing, and convincing my brain that whatever symptoms I thought I might be feeling were completely unnecessary.
This worked really well for digestive upset, and I successfully use it today whenever I feel queasy for whatever reason (usually over-eating, but it has nothing to do with WHAT I eat). I use other techniques on pain symptoms. It's much harder to overcome my dizziness and instability, but at least those symptoms were significantly reduced, and I got my life back.
I've realized over the years that different symptoms respond to different techniques. There is no one-size-fits-all cure - but there are MANY effective techniques out there. You just need to be willing to overcome your fearful brain, and DO them in spite of your brain trying to convince you to stay "safely" stuck in fear.
I'd had years of frequent episodes of digestive upset, and in the summer of 2011, along with other increasing TMS symptoms, I was also losing weight rapidly, and not in a good way. Eliminating foods right and left did nothing. What worked was discovering TMS theory, calming my hyped-up nervous system, deep breathing, and convincing my brain that whatever symptoms I thought I might be feeling were completely unnecessary.
This worked really well for digestive upset, and I successfully use it today whenever I feel queasy for whatever reason (usually over-eating, but it has nothing to do with WHAT I eat). I use other techniques on pain symptoms. It's much harder to overcome my dizziness and instability, but at least those symptoms were significantly reduced, and I got my life back.
I've realized over the years that different symptoms respond to different techniques. There is no one-size-fits-all cure - but there are MANY effective techniques out there. You just need to be willing to overcome your fearful brain, and DO them in spite of your brain trying to convince you to stay "safely" stuck in fear.
I had to rush to the toilet on the morning and was constipated on the evening. Probably my symptoms were not bad, but I was terribly worried about them. Now I still have some of the symptoms but I don't worry too much about them as I know it is TMS. I eat a healthy diet of natural products.
I tried FODMAPS and thousand other diets and they did not work for me. It was a mind-body condition, after all. It was not related to the food.
I tried FODMAPS and thousand other diets and they did not work for me. It was a mind-body condition, after all. It was not related to the food.
JanAtheCPA
Beloved Grand Eagle
@twocups88, I apologize if I'm overlooking something, but what kind of active emotional work have you done since you first started posting here? One of our free programs? Curable app? Therapy? Meditation, journaling, breath therapy?
Really nothing for my pain or sicknesses. I have done tons of therapy over the years for anxiety and OCD. Journaling, tapping, psychotherapy, CBT, ACT… the one that made the most sense was prob ACT.
JanAtheCPA
Beloved Grand Eagle
This is a good start. You just have to believe this, 100% with no doubts, 24/7. Easier said than done, but that is the goal you're working towards.
This is exactly where your primitive fearful brain wants you to be: scared, and stuck. As long as you accept this fear, you will remain where your brain wants you to be.
The physical symptoms of what we here still call TMS (currently being referred to by practitioners more often as PPD or MBS) go hand-in-hand with anxiety and OCD (and depression) - and from my completely subjective and non-professional observations over the last 11 years, physical symptoms are very difficult to eradicate in those who also suffer from these emotional equivalents of TMS. As someone who was essentially born with anxiety, I feel like I also have personal experience to support this. My anxious brain is more than capable of sabotaging me on a regular basis, so for me, TMS /PPD symptoms are kind of a constant battle, one that has been worse recently, due to a combination of anxiety about the world and rage about aging.
I suggest that you make a commitment to do a program. For zero cost, go for Alan Gordon's program right here on the forum. At the same time, you need to completely stop posting questions here about your specific symptoms. Focusing on the physical details and constantly seeking guidance from others is another way of staying stuck. Feel free to read the Success Stories subforum. The answers you need from this forum have nothing to do with your physical symptoms, and everything to do with changing your mindset.
Good luck,
~Jan
Somatic experiencing, belly breathing, and warm water helps ease the pain when actually dealing with it, going into autopilot helps with rumination after you've validated your feelings. Journaling with the Alan Gordan program helps find emotional triggers and replacing learned behaviors. I also like to look back on good things that happened during the day. Bottling up emotions is the biggest one to watch out for and having healthy outlets for that helps. It's common for the pain to move around to another part of the body or for emotions to be felt more strongly.
Thanks so much Jan.
thank you so much.