IBS and Breathing

Suffering from IBS? Post your history, experience, comments and/or suggestions
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EricC
Posts: 15
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:05 pm

Post by EricC » Sat Jun 20, 2009 6:30 am

I heard that bloating, gas, and GERD symptoms are a part of IBS. I'm definitely getting those, but I was wondering if anybody else felt so bloated that it made it difficult to get a full satisfying breath?

It's hard for me to do deep abdominal breathing when I'm so bloated with gas, so I find myself breathing more shallowly if that makes sense.

My anxiety recently returned as a result of this, because deep abdominal breathing was my method for calming down.

I'm 24 and jog frequently, until this hit, and for the last 3 days I've been home-bound.

Guest

Post by Guest » Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:44 am

Hi Eric,

Have you tried any medicine for any of these symptoms? Maybe like a GasX or something? It may help. If I were you I would still get out there. If you don't feel comfortable jogging just walk. I'm not a doctor, but I think it's normal that breathing gets more shallow when you're bloated. You may want to schedule and appointment with your doctor and let them know what's going on, maybe they have a suggestion for you. : ) I hope maybe this helped a little.

Guest

Post by Guest » Tue Jun 23, 2009 9:03 am

Interesting observation about bloating. Come to think of it, bloating does cause irregularly breathing. For me, the discomfort of the bloatiness is more troubling than thoughts on how I'm breathing. If you work in an office or someplace where you can keep snacks handy, try keeping pretzels or a mild, but salty, snack close by. That seems to help me. Also, watch the caffine and carbinated beverages as those can cause or increase the bloatiness.

Guest

Post by Guest » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:38 pm

This is very real!
I used to go to an allergy doctor for treatment and at one point I started regularly having stomach problems including heartburn, GERD, and disturbances in my intestines (like 'waves' going across my abdomen- particularly after eating). I already dealt with asthma, but the allergy specialist said heartburn and GERD can irritate your lungs inducing asthma or breathing issues. I don't know the full medical reasoning, but I have dealt with this before.

I've recently started experiencing stomach problems on a regular basis again and have noticed some additional asthma problems. I thinks some of it may be mental as you start thinking about how bloated you feel or when your stomach may calm down and inadvertently it feels like there is more effort to breath deeply. I think only part of it is mental though.
I have some pills prescribed for IBS which tend to help with stomach discomfort and calming what I call the 'waves'...but not so much with heartburn or GERD.

Good luck, definitely see your doctor if it is becoming a distraction. I know I've had very little motivation to exercise lately and I think its how I'm feeling.

EricC
Posts: 15
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2007 9:05 pm

Re: IBS and Breathing

Post by EricC » Tue Jun 07, 2011 4:53 pm

Guest wrote:This is very real!
I used to go to an allergy doctor for treatment and at one point I started regularly having stomach problems including heartburn, GERD, and disturbances in my intestines (like 'waves' going across my abdomen- particularly after eating). I already dealt with asthma, but the allergy specialist said heartburn and GERD can irritate your lungs inducing asthma or breathing issues. I don't know the full medical reasoning, but I have dealt with this before.

I've recently started experiencing stomach problems on a regular basis again and have noticed some additional asthma problems. I thinks some of it may be mental as you start thinking about how bloated you feel or when your stomach may calm down and inadvertently it feels like there is more effort to breath deeply. I think only part of it is mental though.
I have some pills prescribed for IBS which tend to help with stomach discomfort and calming what I call the 'waves'...but not so much with heartburn or GERD.

Good luck, definitely see your doctor if it is becoming a distraction. I know I've had very little motivation to exercise lately and I think its how I'm feeling.
Interesting. When last I posted here I had breathing issues related to my stomach. Now, several years later I have an update. They went away, and for a time I felt fine, but right now, I'm having the same issues again.

To respond to your post though, I'm not sure if this is really asthmatic in nature. During these gas/bloating related episodes where I feel I can't get a full breath I find that my peak flow reading is normal. I blow 650 on my peak flow meter.

If it was asthmatic in the sense of constricting lungs my peak flow reading should be down. Also, when this happens it's easier to breath in certain positions where I stretch my body out and give my diaphragm more room. This suggests to me that it's more of a crowding issue - not a lung issue.

Here's what I think is going on. When I'm bloated and gassy I think my stomach crowds my abdomen. I've gotten used to slow abdominal breathing (as per the relaxation tape), but when I'm like this it is much harder to breath this way. This gives me the sensation that I'm not getting a 'full' breath.

This sensation triggers an anxious response and that anxiety makes my diaphragm muscles tense up, further impeding my ability to breath calmly and deeply. It's kind of a cycle of pain.

Anyway, when this happens I pop a Pepcid and eat nothing but rice, chicken, apple sauce, bananas, and oatmeal. I also take it easy and relax as best I can until I feel better. Usually my digestive system sorts itself out in a few days after I do this.

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