Anxious toilet habits
On my bad days it feels like everything is moving too quickly through my bowel and it's causing me to go many times in the morning. I try to relax but end up pushing more small pieces of stool and feels like I'm rushing the process causing more anxiety and more frequent urges to go. I probably need to let it build up instead. I'm taking mebeverine and laxido. One thing that I possibly notice trigger my symptoms is I have a bowl of fruit and yogurt after my main meal in evenings. Wonder if that isn't helping things. I only wish I could keep the anxiety levels down and be easier on myself.
I am recovering from surgery so can't exercise either
I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this, that sounds very hard. Have you tried keeping a food diary to see if your symptoms are related to the fruit and yogurt (or maybe something else)? We have one you can download here: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/food-journal-download. I also find this article to be very helpful in figuring out triggers: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/living/fodmaps-trigger-ibs-symptoms. As for the anxiety, I can relate so much. Do you have anywhere to go in the mornings? When I worked at a corporate job, I found it helpful to get up 3 hours earlier to give myself plenty of time for my morning flares. Distractions like watching YouTube videos or a TV show, or even completing small tasks like folding laundry, also work really well for me when anxiety is causing my flares. Have you tried anything like that? What does your morning routine usually look like? Sending hugs, Karina (team member)
