IBD- Related to a Traumatic Experience?

[mac4943]

So my doctor mentioned one time that IBD is something that is in your genes. You don't just wake up one day and have it. According to him, something triggers it and it becomes active. He said for a lot of people it is a traumatic experience that triggers it.

Does anyone have any proof for this? Did something in particular happen in your life and then all of a sudden your symptoms started?

I know for me I started having issues after my parents got divorced. I internalized a lot of what I was feeling, and next thing I know, I've got IBD symptoms.

Just curious.....

 

[afidz]

Thats an interesting question. Looking back to when I started getting sick, I was having a lot of family issues. I am interested to see what people say about their own expieriences. I know my dad was in a very bad accident before he started getting sick.

 

[SarahBear]

There's a thread around here somewhere that asks what everyone thinks caused their Crohn's. A lot of people said stress.

I began showing symptoms around age eight, but they were mild until age fifteen, when my home life became extremely stressful. I'm not sure that I'd call it traumatic, but I was definitely under a lot of stress.

 

[Beatit]

Stress seems to be the trigger but many people just get it due to environment, food they eat or genes. I doubt its a traumatic experience but that does cause stress so who knows.

 

[Ihurt]

I have not been dx yet, I am still doing some testing. I have to say that I honestly do NOT think stress causes crohn's or any other disease. I mean, sorry, then everyone would be walking around out there with crohn's and other diseases. This world is run on stress practically. I would lean more towards it being caused my medications( even ones that animals are fed, then we eat the meat and it gets into our systems), environment, food we eat, possibly some genetics, but from what I have read, only a small percent of crohn's patients have a family history of the disease. There are more and more cases popping up. I think medications play a huge part( all the chemicals). I also think Crohns is most likley bacterial in nature, that or a virus. But I am leaning more towards it being a bacteria. Think about it, gastric ulcers finally were discovered to be caused by H-pylori, a bacteria. I also think IC of the bladder is caused by bacteria( you also get ulcers in the bladder from this disease). And with Crohn's you also get ulcers. It makes sense, I mean bacteria eats away at stuff, especially if there are too many of a certain bacteria( an imbalance). All I can say is that Stress is NOT the cause of this disease nor is any traumatic experience. There would be be tons and tons more people out there with this disease if that were the case. Stress however can make an already present disease worse. I mean when you have a migrane, if you get stressed it is naturally gonna get worse right??

 

[SarahBear]

Ihurt, I highly doubt it's caused by stress - it's more likely that it's caused by genetic or environmental factors and aggravated by stress. In many cases, the disease doesn't really show itself until the stress sets it off. I know mine showed up at the first point in my life that I was extremely stressed.

 

[Ihurt]

I agree Sarahbear, stress can make any illness way worse... I also think that it can set the stage, I mean if you are already weak in a certain area and are prone to it, then stress porbably can help it along, that is for sure..

Ihurt, I highly doubt it's caused by stress - it's more likely that it's caused by genetic or environmental factors and aggravated by stress. In many cases, the disease doesn't really show itself until the stress sets it off. I know mine showed up at the first point in my life that I was extremely stressed.

 

[Ozboz]

I got diagnosed a few months after a bad car accident even though I walked away un-injured I lost my appetite and had an accident then went to the doctor and he said I neede to go to the ER there was something up with my bloods then had a scope and first got dx with UC then few years later went to a better GI and got changed to CD

 

[Ihurt]

It could be that if you are already genetically pre-disposed to getting crohns or any other illness for that matter, then all it takes is something to trigger it and bring it out of the box.. My good friend has heart issues and she had to be put on a heart medicine. Well she developed epilepsy due to the drug. The doctor told her that epilesy likely runs in her genes and the drug just triggered it. So when you had that horrible car wreck, it did something in your brain ( What I mean is the whole stressful traumatic event could have switched something on in your brain and it changed something and this is how you developed Crohns). I mean it was likely always there lurking, just it had to wait for the door to open and let it out..

 

[Yvettemj]

I believe I'm living proof of that theory. I was going through a traumatic event when i was diagnosed. I was really stressed out by the trauma and within weeks, my symptoms were starting to get progressively worse. That's when it all started for me.

 

[Ozboz]

I did have a few symptoms before just a bit of bleeding and not much else went to a GI he said at your age its lack of fiber and to take a fiber supplement and when I did the blood stopped and that was it

 

[Samboi]

There was absolutely no trauma in my life until well after I had been diagnised with CD.
I led a very happy middle class life, in a happy family and nothing bad had ever happened to me (talk about lucky!)

These days stress does result in flares for me.
But nothing to do with trauma.
I just take life at a very relaxed pace these days.

 

[wild_one353]

yes,
ibd IS a traumatic experiance. ha.

 

[jperr]

Three days after the death of my grandson, my daughter was hospitalized with severe pain. Crohn's was diagnosed within a few days. I wondered about the relationship between trama and crohn's at that time. Relieved to hear others have experienced this connection.

 

[Ihurt]

wow, that is intresting. I guess any type of traumatic experience can pre-dispose someone who is already prone to getting a disease, well it could make it come out. I think there has to be a pre-disposition to getting the disease though,or any disease for that matter. I mean I think the stress can help bring it out though...

Three days after the death of my grandson, my daughter was hospitalized with severe pain. Crohn's was diagnosed within a few days. I wondered about the relationship between trama and crohn's at that time. Relieved to hear others have experienced this connection.

 

[FullM3lt]

My initial diagnosis had nothing to do with a traumatic event, but my most recent flare occurred within weeks of losing my grandfather and watching my dog have a seizure and die in my arms...on the same night.

Not saying that they are directly related....but stress and anxiety has always played a role in my Pancolitis.

 

[ArinMelissa]

I went thru pretty significant trauma as a child when my dad died. The changes after his death seemed to coincide with symptoms, but not everything time. Yes- I believe trauma can be a serious aggravator just like certain foods, lack of rest, erc.