Question:
I went through periods of high levels of stress, yet this had no affect on
my IBD symptoms. I went through periods of very low levels of stress, yet
my IBD symptoms had worsened.
Answer:
I know I shouldn't be jumping here like this, but really Navid, I'd
put you down as at least having average intelligence. All you can
conclude from the above is that you and your IBD aren't affected by
stress in the same way as other people may be affected by it. In
short, you have discovered, as have many people before you, that
everyone is different.
i totally agree with you...in some of my most stressful times i have
been basically symptom free..yet in some of my happiest, most relaxed
times..i have had a major flare...but i think for some people stress
can exaggerate the symptoms..just like..if one is uptight and has a
cold..the cold "seems" worse than if one is relaxed..everything seems
worse under stress..doesnt it?...maybe thats what people are
experiencing..
but it is unrelated to stress..and i wish everyone who doesnt have it
knew that..i am sick and tired of people saying to me.."if you relaxed
i hate to jump in and cause a commotion...but one of the first things
i was told when dx'd with ibd was that it was NOT caused by
stress...that fact was emphasized over and over to me...my nephew was
dx at age 19 with it..and he was told the same thing(different
doctors..different state)...
i think that 1) some people have the symptoms starting and THEN feel
stress..cos the flare is starting..i know i get stressed when it
starts in.....or 2) maybe some of the stuff causing the stress is also
causing some symptoms...or 3)as i wrote earlier...one feels worse
under stress..feels worse..not IS worse...a tummy ache..a
headache..when one is relaxed..doesnt feel as bad as one when one is
stressed(sorry about that horrid sentence)...i dont believe that
stress ITSELF causes ibd or particularly the symptoms..tho some
symptoms..like diarrhea..can also come from stress..the ibd itself
isnt caused by it..i can NOT be in a flare and be stressed and have an
upset tummy from nerves..but i am NOT in a flare ..i can tell the
difference too ...for me..a flare is nearly always preceeded by a skin
outbreak of a weird rash (i have forgotten what its called)..not a
rash really ..these like areas that look infected but arent? they
itch..then they hurt...and they only heal when the flare is
healing...now stress does NOT cause those things to appear...i also
get very tired before a flare is coming on...and stress..for me..wakes
me up ..does NOT make me more tired..i cannot sleep when stressed..but
when a flare is coming..i sleep a LOT..
please dont get all upset people cos i agreed with navid ...yes we
are all different..but i know what i was told back then and am still
told now..ibd is not caused by stress...(tho it can feel worse of
course)
yes, you are right... stress does not cause IBD. But, stress can create
flares or aggravate existing flares. this is something i know to be true.
stress is much worse than you imagine. and although it doesn't cause the
diease it does compound what is already there. i know.. it happened to me
and many others. stress is bad for autoimmune disorders.
I think there are different kinds of stress and people react differently to
it as well. One thought that I had was that when under stress people may
make bad eating or drinking choices. This might have more effect then the
actual stress. Just a thought, no studies to back it up, but it might
explain some of the different reactions to stress. Also people process
emotional stress differently.
