I think stress caused my IBD

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hippie4lyfe

Joined
Jul 1, 2008
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It seems when I am nervous, stressed or depressed my pains get bad, when I am calm I am fine. I am starting to really think crohn's was brought on or atleast is partially triggered to stress/anxiety. after all we are talking about the gut "the solar plexus" that chakra is responsible for our moods. if we are not doing well it messes with our system. i def want to learn more meditation, anyone have any tips for relaxing?
 
a hot bath sounds lovely, i have no energy to do yoga, i am so fatigued and dizzy its hard getting around. id love to get back into an exercise regiment but right now its just impossible. its a good day when i get out of the house.
 
yes i would agree, stress seems to be a constant trigger of pain with my crohn's. a month or so ago i was doing my GCSE examinations at school which obviously got me very worked up and stressed and i found myself in almost constant pain. i completely agree with Pen, nothing relaxes you and your stomach better than a nice hot bath! i also have a wheat pack that i heat up in the microwave when i feel some pain coming on, place it on my belly and just melt into a comfy chair until that damn pain has gone away! best of luck keeping stress free hippie4lyfe
 
DEFINITELY use a heating pad. I'm in love with mine! When things were really bad I used to use it at night too. It really does help with the cramps and pains. Just use one with adjustable heat settings because they can get REALLY hot.
 
RHOV said:
mine plugs into the wall. i wish i could take it everywhere!
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I use a rice pack when I can't use my regular heating pad just pop it in the microwave and off I go. I love it
 
mine was triggered by stress..and it gets worse when i am stressed or feeling down. i always use my wheaty warmer and just try to get as much rest as possible. when things get on top of me it makes me relly ill.

whats a heat pad? sounds like a good idea :)

x
 
A heating pad is the kind you plug into the wall.

Warning to all that have used them - One of my sister's heating pads caught on fire. Since then I have not used them as I routinely fall asleep whilst using them. Don't want to wake up because I have caught myself on fire!
 
caught fire?! eeeek


ive got the ones that you stick to your clothes.. they last ageees

x
 
anyone have a good brand of electric heat pad they would recommend? i have a wheat pack which is great but only stays hot for about 15 minutes. ive looked at literally hundreds on the web and can't decide which one to buy! write back, thanks alot.
 
Sunbeam is the brand that caught on fire. I think they key is not overuse and throw away older ones. Maybe every 3 years? I used to get heating pads as well. But I much prefer heated mattress pads - get a whole body warmth, droooool.
 
You can find them at like CVS and almart for like 20 bucks. The nicer ones are about 35-40.
 
are you all saying that stress triggered your disease or that now that you have the disease stress makes it worse. Were you in state of stress when the symptoms started. I think that this disease is very stressful and that sometimes its hard to remember a non stressful time so i think its easy to associate stress as the cause, though im not ruling it out as a cause. If you think stress caused it then do you blame yourself, i think that if i thought that stress caused it i would feel guilty and i dont think that would make living with crohn's any easier.
 
I think stress coupled with the environmental factor caused it. So yes, I think stress or emotional upset plays a role not only in causing it but precipitating it.
 
All my Doctors said there was nothing I could have done or not done to prevent or cause the disease (that's 2 GI's and one GP). I believe it...you can't go around beating yourself up about it. Like Mike said in another post...shit happens!
 
james said:
are you all saying that stress triggered your disease or that now that you have the disease stress makes it worse. Were you in state of stress when the symptoms started. I think that this disease is very stressful and that sometimes its hard to remember a non stressful time so i think its easy to associate stress as the cause, though im not ruling it out as a cause. If you think stress caused it then do you blame yourself, i think that if i thought that stress caused it i would feel guilty and i dont think that would make living with crohn's any easier.
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Obviously, I don't know for sure but I am guessing stress and the fact that I had a lot of dairy as a child caused crohn's. I don't drink dairy anymore but I am very stressed and I find the flare-ups occur worst when im most stressed.
 
This isn't about blaming ones self or beating up ourselves. It's about the physicality of stress / emotional upset. When you think sad thoughts your body reacts with chemical and neurological changes. With actual stress or great emotional upset your hormones, chemicals, and neurotransmitters react. Why is it so crazy to think that these changes in your body could help precipitate, awake, or aggravate something in your body??

Everything starts in the brain. It is no stretch to say that changes in the brain by stress could cause something if coupled with the right "ingredient."

Teeny you confuse physical with emotional. This isn't a question of if only I hadn't been so upset - it is more of what does the brain and body go through when stress or upset is introduced to the brain. What bodily changes and effects could react with something else to produce or awaken Crohns.
 
I just think that I couldn't have avoided the disease. Whether I would have gotten stressed or not...maybe a bout of food poisoning would have brought it on or some other kind of sickness that maybe got my immune system all spun up. Who knows!

I just hope that no one blames themselves for it. For me I needed to hear it from the doctors cuz at first I thought I was making myself sick. I had never heard of a disease like this. It was comforting and lifted the guilt from my shoulders.
 
No one even implied that you could have avoided it. Stress or emotional upset can cause people with heart problems to have heart attacks. If they suddenly get a phone call telling them their spouse died, then abruptly had a heart attack and died. Would we all later say "well that stupid SOB got upset and killed himself. Can you believe he would actually make him self sick that way, getting all upset. Doesn't he know that stress can do things to you, how stupid was he."

Seems retarded doesn't it? If you wouldn't do it to a heart patient why in the hell would you do it to yourself. Stress is stress, thoughts are thoughts - they are not the same thing.
 
Stress makes my Illeum burn like hells fires!!! This is my vicious cycle that goes on and on...

Like the little this smiley :voodoo: its what happens when my brain is unrelenting, and my side pays for it in the end....rotf in the end!!!


anyway yes stress is a major contributor to the dynamics of crohn's flares at least for me, its a major component!!!
 

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