Anyone else suffering with toilet phobia?

[skippy87]

I am 22 and have dealt with a kind of toilet phobia since i was 15!

Basically i dont like staying away from home, going on holidays or even just going away from home for too many hours, all because of needing the toilet (number 2!).
A major fear of mine is getting an upset stomach, the thought of that happening if i was to be away from home is just unbearable. So its because of this i dont like being away from home for any more than a few hours really incase this happens. I can manage work because if needed i know i can go home but day trips and holidays are out of the question.

To make matters worse, last july, when i started a new job i began getting upset stomachs most mornings, occasionally evenings to. Seems to be IBS, my doctor hasnt confirmed this, she just said its part of who you are and will be something i have to deal with.
So now i have to deal with this fear of mine pretty much on a daily basis and it is starting to get on top of me, it was a big issue before but now it happens a lot i feel i will never be able to do any of those things.

I have suffered with depression in the past and have had family problems, lost a relative and a friend which i still struggle to deal with sometimes. I tried herbal tablets with teh depression and to be honest just learnt to deal with the fact i get down sometimes and when i do i like to drive and be alone so i can let it all out. When i get an upset stomach it is usually a trigger for these sad thoughts and feelings.

I have always been really close with my mum and feel this may be part of the problem. When i was younger it was just me and my mum so i really depended on just her, i had problems with going to school, school trips and staying at friends houses because i would cry if i was away from my mum. So part of me feels that because i am too old now to be missing my mum i have developed this new way to not be too far from her and now this issue has got out of control and controls my day to day activities.

I have a doctors appointment wednesday and i am hoping this time i will be able to explain everything so they can give me something to take the edge off my panic when i get an upset stomach and to stop the emotions that tend to come from this.
I have now reached a point where the being away from my mum when i was younger and now this toilet issue has already ruined part of my growing and now starting to effect being an adult, i feel i have missed out on so much but at the same time now see it as fine because i got to be with my mum. Still now i have to see my friends planning nights out and day trips and i cant be a part of it, instead i get to hear all the fun theyve had.

One other thing to mention, i have tried hypnotherapy and CBT and neither seems to work, the people close to me say its because i dont try hard enought and its almost i dont want them to. I do, i want it all to go away, i just cant see right now it ever will, i dont know how it got this bad!

So i wanted to know if anyone else on here has experienced anything like this and would also like to hear anyones thoughts and if anyone can offer advice.

Thanks :)

[mamascrazy1985]

There's a lot of people I know who won't use the toilet anywhere but home. I on the other hand don't care ill pop a squat anywhere. When I get anxious about something my stomach I guess gets weak and I have to go. If u had ibs you couldn't eat certain things and bubble guts and ibs are 2 different things. I don't know what advice I cld really give you beside learn not to care because we r all human we all sh*t and people have to get over it. ;)

[highfives]

I have yet to find a cure for my anxiety yet, but I'm currently feeling a little more confident the last couple days than I have in the last few months. I'm basically replying to assure you that you aren't alone. I'm in almost this exact situation as you, so don't worry that you're the only one who experiences this. I'm even 22 myself so I know all about having to stay home when your friends go out to bars and how much of life you have to miss because your anxiety is ruling your life. At the moment I've been taking measures to try and conquer my anxiety and I feel confident about it at the moment. I'm nowhere near cured and I know I have to work consistently at it until I've found a way past this fear. Here's my take on the situation:

Once you find a way past your anxiety, your fears of being away from a bathroom should (in theory) disappear. And in turn, the severity of your IBS will lessen. It's important to remember that stress and anxiety is a MAJOR trigger for IBS. If you can eliminate the anxiety, I'm sure the severity of your IBS with lessen dramatically. For awhile I was strictly working on ways to cope with IBS and tried a ton of different diets and teas and supplements, whatever. I now realize this wasn't where my attention should have been directed, but rather at getting past the fear. Conquering it so that it no longer has control over me.

The steps I've been taking to conquer my anxiety are as follows:
-Diet and Exercise! These are ridiculously important. I try to go running every day, but if you prefer yoga, biking, wii sports - anything you find entertaining but also gets your body going. Find out what foods trigger your IBS and stay away from em. Try to write down what foods you ate each day to gage what foods might trigger flare ups. Try to avoid greasy or fried food and alcohol. That's another reason I can't go out to bars :(
-I recently bought the Panic Away program and am still currently reading through it, but it honestly has some really helpful information in there. It's all clear, it makes sense, and it helped me through a minor panic attack I even had earlier today. And I just started reading this yesterday! It's pricy ($70) but if it's something that helps you to end your fears and move on with your life, it's a small price to pay in my opinion.
-Check the thread on this forum titled "Amino Acids and Magnesium Cured My Anxiety" and just read through it. Apparently that has helped a good number of people on this forum and I'm planning on trying it myself soon. Apparently the amino acids and magnesium restore mental health and relieve stress. Also in my own research I noticed a certain amino acid called L-Glutamine can help restore your digestive system. So it's possible that this could help with the IBS. They sell this supplement in a powder at health food stores, GNC, etc. I recently bought some and was going to start taking it tomorrow and will update with results.
-Relaxation of the mind is key. It sounds cheesy, but you need to trust yourself and accept these thoughts and fears as OK before they can go away forever. Try looking into guided meditation, either at a seminar or on a CD - it works wonders for some people. Again, this is on my list of things to try.

Sorry this got really long winded, but I just wanted to include as much info as I could. I hope this helped at all, or at least you have the satisfaction in knowing that you're not the only one going through this. The most important thing is to keep in mind that conquering these fears are possible. Lame as that sounds haha. Don't give up! Hope this may have helped :)

[skippy87]

highfives thanks for the great response.

Firstly its good to know that their are others out there and thanks for all the tips.

I started writing down everything i eat last week, and even though the doctor said lactose intolerance is probably out of the question i have tried cutting out lactose, which is actually in a lot of things. Havent completely cut it out but have seriously cut down and to be honest so far it has helped the 'going to the toilet' side of things a lot. Although don't want to speak too soon!!

Sounds like you are on the road to recovery, good for you and keep up the great progress.

Had doctors last week and have been put on citalpram, 10mg. Only been taking them since saturday but hopefully they will start to help out with the anxiety/depression side of things. Also i am on the list for seeing a counsellor to talk to about everything, because i think a lot stems back from my childhood, which wasnt bad just have always been really attached to my mum. So hopefully that will help aswell. I am trying to look on the bright side and hoping things will get better, but i am not the most optimistic of people.

Great to have people responding, thanks a lot for your time to respond :)

skippy :)