Anxiety induced IBS

[Cookiedough]

I don’t know for sure if it’s IBS, but the state of my digestive system has changed over the past year. I’ve been struggling intensely with OCD/anxiety and physical symptoms have appeared: IBS. I know it’s anxiety related because before my mental turmoil I didn’t suffer with this issue. 
 

I poop up to 4 times a day. I do not recall having such frequent bowel movements before. I feel the urge to poop about 1 hour after eating a meal (or even a snack) and I hate it. It prohibits me from doing things such as eating out, because I fear Ill need to poop in public (a no no for me). I can only be out of the house for a certain amount of time before my stomach sends me that signal. I can’t even spend a full day out. I wish I only pooped like once a day and that’s it.

Does anybody out there struggle with this issue? Overcame it? If so, please share what you did to ease your symptoms.

[Caramoole]

3 hours ago, Cookiedough said:

because I fear Ill need to poop in public (a no no for me). 

I hope not 

Seriously.......what's the real worry behind this one? Do you worry you'll be caught short & unable to find a toilet?

I've suffered with severe IBS in the past and it's unpleasant & painful, fortunately I don't now.  Even so, stress and anxiety affects my stomach and can cause me to "go" countless times a day under those circumstances but it doesn't worry me as such.  Like most things our fears and phobias are inflated by our thoughts and it's worth looking at our thinking and self-talk about such things.

[Cookiedough]

7 hours ago, Caramoole said:

I hope not 

Seriously.......what's the real worry behind this one? Do you worry you'll be caught short & unable to find a toilet?

I've suffered with severe IBS in the past and it's unpleasant & painful, fortunately I don't now.  Even so, stress and anxiety affects my stomach and can cause me to "go" countless times a day under those circumstances but it doesn't worry me as such.  Like most things our fears and phobias are inflated by our thoughts and it's worth looking at our thinking and self-talk about such things.

Well if you’ve seen my previous posts you’d know that going to the toilet is a struggle for me as I take a long time in there (30 mins). For the average person, a number 2 takes about 10 minutes, but I’m a lot longer. I’ve pooped in public the past, but it was on rare occasions (plus I didn’t have the issues I have now). If it was an emergency I’d go, but it wasn’t made a habit. I don’t want to have to always use public toilets whenever I’m out of the house. 

[Caramoole]

So, what's your primary concern here, help for the IBS or the problems you have with using the toilet?

To save me clicking out of this thread, perhaps you could say what help (if any) you've had for the toilet problems or what you've tried in terms of Self-Help.

[Caramoole]

1 hour ago, Cookiedough said:

For the average person, a number 2 takes about 10 minutes, but I’m a lot longer.  

Even there, the average rarely requires 10 minutes of sitting unless you have constipation.....although I appreciate that some people might want to be sure they've gone before they leave the house for practical reasons.  I only go when the urge is there and the process obvious & imminent, probably takes just a minute or two.

However, I digress 

[Cookiedough]

5 hours ago, Caramoole said:

Even there, the average rarely requires 10 minutes of sitting unless you have constipation.....although I appreciate that some people might want to be sure they've gone before they leave the house for practical reasons.  I only go when the urge is there and the process obvious & imminent, probably takes just a minute or two.

However, I digress 

No, I mean going to the toilet as a whole takes about 10 minutes. This includes pushing, wiping and hand washing.