Stress - What role does it play?

[Kuwabara]

Hey guys I was wondering what role you thought stress played in your illness. My diagnosis came after a very stressful period in my life - graduating into a economic recession,working an awful job with a tyrannical boss,the girl I loved moving away,friends moving away,missing University-essentially going from the best experience in my life to the worst.

I'm not saying stress triggered the Crohn's - that's something we'll never know but I was just curious as to what you guys thought about stress and its effects on your disease.

x

 

[D Bergy]

Stress play a major factor in this disease. Stress screws with your immune system.

My one and only real bad bout of Crohn's came at the most stressful time of my life, and I do not think it was a coincidence.

I think stress is capable of bringing on a flare.

Dan

 

[imisspopcorn]

I was diagnosed after an extremely stressful period in my life as well....I always was the type that got stomaches as a kid verses headaches. I was very shy, especially in public situations. My stomach always was tied up in knots.

 

[Pirate]

While Crohn's may cause emotional stress, there has also been a reverse connection recognized. Meaning stress may cause flare-ups of complications in patients already affected by CD. Through extremely emotional times, a person may notice an increase in severity of diarrhea, gas and pain.

Right now I am having a stressful time with work and the economy (possible lay-offs) which isn't helping the flare-up that I've been battling off and on for the last few months. This stress didn't cause my flare-up, but it sure hasn't helped it heal up any. Than add on the fact that with the flare-up I tend to miss work on occasion which makes you worry about being able to keep your job or whether you will be one of the ones laid off. Than you start think about the fact that if you do get laid off what are you going to do for insurance and are you going to be able to afford your meds. What if you end up with a blockage and have to be in the hospital and how are you going to pay for that bill.

Its a snow ball affect when you have to deal with CD and stress at the same time. They pretty much go hand in hand with one another.

 

[Angee]

I have to agree as well I was diagnosed at the worse flare up I had ever had and it was at one of the most stressful times of my life. I dont think stress causes crohns but I do think and feel it is a big contributor in flare ups..I find I flare more when I am stressing about something major.

 

[fenway1971]

I think it's correlated. I can point to very stressful events in my life and bingo...a flare.

 

[Kuwabara]

So no-one tends to be really mellow and get a flare out of nowhere? Flares tend to be crescendo's that lead from some kind of aggrevation?

Do you reckon it comes back to that old age question - does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body?

 

[shazamataz]

Do you reckon it comes back to that old age question - does the body rule the mind or does the mind rule the body?

Interesting question James. I'd say there is a lot more of the latter than people may realise/believe. I've studied quite a bit of this stuff and the theories would say that an illness in your body reflects an illness in your mind - it is just a physical manifestation of mental/emotional/spiritual 'dis-ease'. It has been suggested by a few that if you look back a couple of years you may find an event/experience that could trigger what is happening now.

As an example two years ago within 2.5 months I had to get my cat put to sleep, my relationship with 'The One' came to an end and my mother died suddenly, out of the blue. Almost exactly two years later (in fact almost to the day mum died) I start getting really ill and ended up in hospital -Crohns.

It's all very interesting and I've learned a lot and read a lot but obviously haven;t managed to heal myself at all yet!

 

[Ezequiel]

I suffer from bi-polar disorder and I suffer from chronic stress.

Now I am close to being diagnosed with Chrones.

It's great to be me.

Dog always gets kicked when its down...

 

[CrohnieCarolyn]

Hmmm...I was diagnosed when I was the happiest I had ever been in my life!!! BUT prior to that I was in a stressful job that I hated, suffered from unrelenting, and untreatable depression for years and just generally unhappy and stressed out for years...I wonder if all those years contributed and I know that when I am stressed out now and in a flare the flare is made worse by the stress - I don't think the stress causes the original flare though - who knows - I think there is a mind/body connection and I always got an upset stomach before a job interview or something that made me nervious - now, it is ALWAYS upset lol

 

[xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx]

I definitely see a correlation between stress and symptoms. My GI was wondering if what i felt during stress was IBS tho....who knows xxx

 

[anna.h]

I used to think that Crohn's wasn't stress-related at all, but this year has been both very stressful and also very bad Crohn's-wise. I'm trying to slow things down a bit, but it's very hard for me not to do lots of things at the same time.

 

[CrohnsHobo]

When I was diagnosed I was relatively stress free. Had never really been sick a day in my life, then BAM! Crohn's.

This year has been one of the worst years for Crohn's I have had in 10+ years, but at the same time has been relatively stress free.

I am pretty laid back to begin with, so I am not sure what the deal is.

 

[robbo87]

When i first got diagnosed it was at a very stressfull/emotional time for me, personal problems aswell as having a very physically demanding job got me completley stressed and worn out, and i became very ill very quickly, and since i got diagnosed flare ups have seemed to come at stressfull times or times when i am generally unhappy. IMO there is a definate link, but like someone else has said, it is a vicious circle. You feel stressed and unhappy, you get a flare up which in turn makes you even more down and stressed.

ive never been a laid back person and have always had issues with anxiety which most probably hasnt helped either.

 

[xX_LittleMissValentine_Xx]

When I was diagnosed I was relatively stress free. Had never really been sick a day in my life, then BAM! Crohn's.

This year has been one of the worst years for Crohn's I have had in 10+ years, but at the same time has been relatively stress free.

I am pretty laid back to begin with, so I am not sure what the deal is.

It has been said tho, that lots of people are stressed without even knowing it. Im not saying this is what is happening to you exactly. But this is just an interesting point in general. Because these days our lives ARE more stressful than they would have been. But to us this is normal, so we don't see it as stress, but in actual fact alot of the time our bodies are in stress.
xxx

 

[shazamataz]

Agreed Holly. I think we are all so stressed on a general level the majority of the time that we don;t even know it, though I know I am stresed!

 

[Jerman]

I definitely see a direct connection from the stress to the pain, I can start to get upset, worry about something and there's that ole pain under the right ribs.

 

[braveheart]

I am not sure. Lot´s of people have strees they have no other problems but being nervous or stressed.

I thikk nothing can be more stressfull than Crohn itself. I am sure Crohn causes stress, but I don´t know if it also works in the other way about.

 

[cheeky]

it's like the chicken and the egg thing for me...

i can't tell whether it's the crohn's symptoms acting up that trigger my stress or the stress that triggers my crohn's.

perhaps both. but there is definitely a correlation.

 

[Procyon]

I always feel way more sick when I'm more stressed out, so I certainly think that there's a correlation of some kind...

 

[CanadianBella]

I was going through a huge amount of stress in January with my job and I ended up with a purforation. My GI made me quit my job!!!

I do believe the mind rules the body!!