Re: Extreme flatulence triggered by anxiety.Help!!

Hi,

I read your post and it startled me! It reads, almost exactly, like my own experience. Let me give you some background: I always had strong stomach cramps. Even when I was 5 ro 6, I remember being bowled over on my bed with very strong stomach cramps. Also, I would a lot fo instestinal gas and force myself to keep it, which caused more cramps. When I was 11, almost suddenly, I started becoming unable to hold the gas and began experience periodic flatulence. *Every* incidence was triggered by situations that I would find caused anxiety. Being in stressfull or anxiety inducing situations caused immediate intestinal gas. If I was by myself or around people I was comfortable with, it would not happen...at all. I've been seeing gastroenterologists since then. Back then, I was told it was simple lactose intolerance and asked to take lactase capsules and avoid dairy products. Of course, that did absolutely nothing. Being that I was still a kid, my pleas were ignored and I was left to deal with ridiculing classmates.

Skip to: college. The major change in my lifestyle was that I began waking at very odd hours, keeping no regular schedule for waking, sleeping or eating. I was predominantly eating out and very different foods from what I was getting at home. Coupled with the change in schedule (from waking, sleeping and eating at the same time while in middle/high school), and things began spiraling downhill very fast. Now, like you, I began noticing that people were uncomfortable around me all the time...as if I was unknowingly passing gas constantly. Of course, I couldnt detect anything and maybe its because I became so used to it. I stopped going to class and totally dropped out, becoming a virtual recluse. Over the years since, its become progressively worse. Something I have, that you, fortunately dont: I notice that when I sweat during warm weather or during exercise, there is a liquid (clear, very watery) anal discharge. Of course, it reeks! Its not thick at all and has no color. I dont know what to make of it.

I have been to no less than 5 different gastroenterologists in the last 15 years and have had the following tests performed:

Variety of Blood Tests to detect anemia, et.
Upper GI Series
Small Bowel Series
MRI
Two Endoscopies (6 years apart)
Stool Tests (I suspect they were performed poorly as the lab had a bad reputation)
Barium
All kinds of drug treatments.

Of course, so far all this has yielded nothing. The Small Bowel Series supposedly showed possible paraduodenal hernia, which was followed up with an MRI, which debunked that possibility. After all these years, I know I'll positively break down and cry if/when I know whats causing this.

Whoever you are, please write back either here or at nehishirke@yahoo.com. Perhaps we can keep tabs on treatments to try. I'm personally going to try a self administered Antibiotic therapy, hoping this is a case of small bowel bacterial overgrowth.

I hope things work out for you! Tweet