What exactly am I dealing with here?

[schwam]

Hello everbody!

Background: I was diagnosed with GAD when I was a teenager and I also used to have panic attacks. I've continued to have problems with anxiety over the years, but the way the anxiety manifests itself has changed.

I woke up about three hours ago feeling anxious, sick to my stomach, and just not right. When this happens I tend to freak out pretty bad (I'm terrified of getting sick--it's a long story). I tend to also have aggressive bowel movements when I am anxious or nervous. I have been diagnosed with IBS in the past as well. For three hours I have been alternating between being in a state that I would consider to be a panic attack, feeling slightly calmer, then freaking out again, all while having a myriad of stomach problems and hot/cold flashes. I feel like there is no escape from these symptoms because when this happens to me it will just continue until I fall asleep from sheer exhaustion. My muscles shake and I feel like I need to go somewhere, anywhere, but I usually can't move from where I'm sitting.

Does this still count as a panic attack even though it lasts for hours? What the heck is wrong with my entire digestive system? Does anybody else experience this and if so how do you deal with the terrible nausea? Please help.

[darkavenger]

Salutations schwam,

I used to have similiar states like You, but they never lasted more than an hour, in the intensive way, maybe even slightly less. Have You considered that You may be suffering from some food allergy? Like celiac disease, being lactose intolerant, or suffer from histamine allergy?

Many of the GAD symtpoms are going around our bowel system, either Your stomach, or Your intestines. They are closely connected [due to anatomy of human body].

You mentioned iBS, which I do suffer also. Since I put out all of the alergenes from my food, I didn't have diarrhea for almost 7 years in a row, besides some cases I ate something bad.

Food affects Your mood whether You suffer from some psycho-somatical disorders, or not, more so ever when You do.

Have You ruled out the food allergies?

If yes, have You removed all the sources of stress? Stress is a very tricky "mechanism" striking days, even weeks, or months after the sitiation that caused it appeared. I can give You an example, when I was studyin' at the University, I always felt "excited and energized" during the test season, but 2-8 weeks "it" came. Flushes of heat, cold, I was shaking unctrollably, I was having diarrhea and many more symptoms.

Let me know what and how :) and take care!

Brayn

[Enduronman]

I felt SOOOO much better once I became a vegetarian and quit eating highly processed foods with many additives and preservatives.
As I have typed many times before, always start by finding a good doctor if at all possible to begin ruling things out and obtaining advice and suggestions.
Wishing you better health friend...
And a good day too!

Enduronman :)

[darkavenger]

Enduronman - raw food, vegetarian diet, or even vegan diet is helping, not helping, is treating greatly so many known untreatable diseases. There's just one thing people should remember, jin and jang. Body needs both substances in an equilibrium in order to survive. Anyway, I'm an raw food addict, big one, since I do suffer from enzymatic lactose and gluten intolerance, it's a real bliss for me. I can eat literally anything from raw food diet, and it tastes like heaven :)

[schwam]

Thank you all for your suggestions and concerns. I am a vegetarian and I eat pretty healthy. There was a time when I thought my stomach problems must have been due to some kind of food not agreeing with me, so I kept a food/symptoms diary for a couple of months, and the only real correlation I found was anxiety=stomach problems. So I'm wondering if I truly do have something like IBS (which, if my understanding is correct, is usually made better or worse by certain foods), or if the gastrointestinal upset I experience is just a really, really unfortunate side effect of my GAD/panic attacks. When I get very anxious, I also get very physically ill. I know that everyone experiences anxiety differently. I have come a long way in regards to managing anxiety and stress, and I'm a lot better than I used to be, but GAD is a lifelong condition and I am a college student so stress is just part of the package. I guess I'm really just wondering if I should try to find the money to see a gastroenterologist, or if it's (excuse the expression) "all in my head" and there's nothing a tummy doctor could actually do for me. Does that make sense?

[Xerosnake90]

Hello shwam,

I firmly believe that anxiety causes a myriad of stomach problems. Including ibs even down to how your body digests food. When I was highly anxious my stool was always runny as if diarrhea like. Once I realized my battle my upset stomach went away, bloating went away, he'll even my stool started coming out solid and healthy looking again. So yes, anxiety is a huge cause towards stomach problems. If your mind is worried and stressed it may not expand the energy to process properly. If you find yourself only noticing stomach issues when you feel anxious that's another great sign that it's anxiety related.

Overcoming your anxiety is key to a symptom free life. Take care, you too can be free.