Stress Center Peer Support

i know this might seem like a silly question - but my main fear, the one that overrides any other fear i have, is that i'll get a horrific stomach ache out in public or in front of someone and have an accident. i hate to drive, fly, travel long distances, be away from my house, be stuck somewhere (like at a work mtg) or just be somewhere where i'm unsure if there is a bathroom. when i go anywhere, i mentally tally up each bathroom we pass (or place where i could use the bathroom if i needed to) so i know where the closest one is if i get sick. i've altered my diet, cut out junk food and coffee... i'm paranoid to eat at a new restaurant for fear that the food will make me sick and i'll have to go to the bathroom. i can't stand it! and most of the time, my anxious episodes lead to stomach aches and going to the bathroom. i just don't which causes which.... do i already have a stomach ache and that causes stress to me or is my stress and anxiety causing the stomach ache. i've never been prone to stomach aches before and its' never affected my life like this. so i'm inclined to think its my anxiety... but i want to know for sure.

how do you know if you have ibs?

Hey there Starr! You know I have the same fears as you except I am scared I will vomit instead of having it come out the other way =P I monitor every bathroom and I always make sure to find out where the bathrooms are as soon as I enter a building. I don't like leaving my house and driving too far either or eating outside of my house.

Well IBS can actually be caused by stress. So it is very possible that you have it and that your anxiety is alone causing it. And you are doing what you need to control it so far, by changing your diet and working on the program. A change in diet, medications, and therapy are known to help many cases. I believe really the only way to figure out if you have IBS is to go to a doctor and explain your symptoms. IBS can't be tested for, so if you are tested for other possible illnesses such as infections etc. and rule those out IBS is very possible.

Please correct me if I am wrong on any of this, I haven't looked too much into IBS, but I thought I might have had it at one time so I did a little research. I hope this helps. Good luck! Hang in there.