STOMACH NOISES CAUSING ANXIETY

I too have suffered from embarrasing stomach noises. I have found some of the following helpful in calming my noisy stomach.
-Try taking a gas x after every meal and once at bedtime but dont exceed 4 in one day.
-Dont over eat, when you think your full stop eating
-cut down on processed foods, eat healthy, balanced meals.
-Before going into a quiet place swallow one teaspoon of Olive Oil, Olive oil should help calm stomach muscles and reduce noise.
-excercise regularly, try adding sit ups to excercise routine as well
-If stomach pain or constipation or diarriah accompanies noises ask a doctor to check you out.
-And most importantly dont be anxious, realize that it's just a noise and that being anxious will only make it worse. Be positive and remind yourself that its just a noise.
-If noises keep happening while your in class get up and go take a walk to the bathroom, pass gas if you have to and if not just calm yourself down and walk back into the room.
Hope this is helpful and remember your are NOT the only one going through this, so just sit back and focus on positive things.

I have the same problems are all of you guys do. The bad news is that IBS is not something that can be cured. The good news is that with a proper diet it can be controlled. I think in this case doctors are the last solution because most of them seem to know nothing at all aout IBS. However, there is a very good book that for me it proved to be a life saver. It is written by an IBS sufferer and it is called "Eating for IBS". You can order it on the internet. It's my best $10 I've ever spent.

Hey all..
So I though i was the only one also..wow...but yea, this happened to me in class since first year university while writing a test and it was so embarrassing... not only is it embarrassing at school, but if i'm out with someone or stuyding with someone in a quiet place (like a b/f)..it SUCKS!!... people think there's something wrong with me ...i hate it :-( but does bepto-bismol work?? ..not sure..lol, but just wondering

I don't know why it's taken so long for me to look on the internet to see if anyone else had this problem-i guess I'm so used to it that it's part of my life and I didn't think anyone else would have such a 'silly' hang-up! I have suffered depression, anxiety and IBS for years now, all of which used to be worse than they are now thankfully, but I'm still bothered by noisy digestion and try and avoid situations where it will cause me anxiety. It started in school and my grades went down as it affected my concentration so much-classes were just something to get through and it got so bad I stopped going to school. I ended up studying through open learning (I could handle exams-just as they were only one day) and have never worked full time, mostly due to this phobia.
I am a lot better now on the whole and can do things I couldn't have faced a few years ago but all it takes is that one bad situation and it all comes back, so for me a good night out is a noisy pub and not the cinema! I did mention it to my doctor years ago but it wasn't taken seriously-I'm thinking now that I'm missing out on life and really should try and beat this thing totally. Has anyone tried hypnotherapy? I am wondering if it would be worth looking into as it is my subconscious causing the problems and if I could get to a stage where I could stop worrying about it then it would change my life.
It is sad to see others with the same problem but comforting too to know I'm not the only one :-D

Hey :-D
might sound very strange in sayin this but im actually so relieved to find people with the same thing as i have and am currently battling with. Its stopped me from doing a lot of the usual normal every day things. I now have a room outside classes im meant to be in because my anxiety issue went out of hand and its embarrassing because you do always feel that its a silly problem but as you know its not for us who have to deal with it day in day out. I have the same issue with place like mass and silence is now a big fear of mine, Im having my first baby and i know i want to get it sorted for situations like scans and check ups. Ive been recieving councellin myself about the issue but those who suffer will know that you always feel like it will never be solved, its good to read the advice from others and good to know its not just me that there is people that can relate =]

much love,
xOx xOx

I found this forum a few months ago & was surprised to see that I wasn't the only one who felt like their life was being destroyed by stomach noises. I didn't write anything then as I didn't have any answers. Just lots of questions & fears which caused so much anxiety & lots of stomach noises. Luckily around the same time, I visited a sympathetic doctor who referred me to a psychologist. Eventually I realised that it was mostly anxiety causing the noises. I've now worked through many of my fears with the psychologist (embarrassment, failure etc ......) & learnt useful anxiety coping strategies. While I still get some noises, I'm not so distressed by them anymore. They are only a problem if you think they are. Most importantly I'm a happier, more confident & less anxious person. The answers may be different for other people, though I do highly reccommend finding a sympathetic doctor - it could change your life.

Hi..I'm only 16 but a year n half ago i had an experience where my stomach growled very loudly in front of one of my classes and teacher. But the teacher made a comment =/. Ever since then my life is being ruined to the point where i'm anxious to go college to sit in my class. I'm in a routine at the mo where i only eat certain foods and don't drink during the day this is to prevent it happening...without this routine i wouldn't have gotten through 17 GCSE exams and start of college. Its really bringing me down. Ive had counselling and hypnotherapy but nothing seems to work. If anyone knows of what I'm suffering with and how to help please let me know it would be a great help =]

I cant take any tablets either. =/

xx

I have embarrassing stomach noises too. They are having a huge impact on my life, particularly because I work in a quiet office environment. One day last year a co-worker who sits near me asked if somebody farted, because that's what my stomach noises sometimes sound like. I was mortified. I had always hoped that people could at least tell the noises were coming from inside my stomach. It is humiliating to think that people might mistakenly believe I am passing gas.

Sometimes I can't even believe I have this problem. It's like a curse! It happened one day out of nowhere and I never know when it's going to happen again. Some days it happens when I feel gassy, but other days it happens when my stomach feels fine. I have trouble concentrating in meetings because I am so afraid it will happen. It is preventing me from reaching my full potential at work. Tomorrow I have a three hour meeting and I am so scared my stomach will make embarrassing sounds. All I'm going to eat today is plain chicken and white rice, but sometimes even when I only eat plain foods I still have noises.

It is so degrading when this happens at work, and I know almost all of my co-workers have heard it happen. Just a couple years ago, I'd never had this symptom. I never cared about sitting in meetings or a quiet office. It's funny how suddenly things can change. I wish my digestive system would go back to the way it used to be. The most frustrating thing is that there doesn't seem to be any real remedies for this problem. I have tried Gas-x, Charcocaps, peppermint capsules, peppermint tea, fennel tea, probiotics and dietary changes. I told my doctor about it, but she just said that everyone's stomach makes noises. I think unless you have this problem you just don't understand. The noises actually come from my intestines, not my stomach. Sometimes they come from the area around my hips, other times they are far down, like in the rectal area, and other times higher up in my abdomen or back. Sometimes they are low grumbling sounds, and sometimes they are high pitched whistling and popping sounds. The worst is when they sound just like I'm passing gas. It makes me want to quit my job, but my husband and I need the money. We are trying to buy a new home and we have a baby on the way. I know I can't just run away from the problem, but sometimes I want to. My husband would never understand if I left my job over this. Sometimes his stomach makes similar noises, but he works in a noisier environment and with a lot of guys who don't care.

I wish the pharmaceutical companies would create a drug to treat this problem, but I guess it's not a common enough issue. I just know that life would be so much different for me and for all of you if we had that peace of mind that this wasn't going to happen to us at work or in class or in other quiet environments.

I am wondering if digestive enzymes would help. During the first month or so if my pregnancy, my noises were better. Then, they started getting bad again. I realized that they got bad right around the same time I switched prenatal vitamins. I looked at the labels, and the first vitamin had digestive enzymes. I decided to start taking them again to see if they'll help. I wish I could try higher strength enzymes, but I don't know if I can while pregnant. Anyway, please share your suggestions. And if anyone would like an e-mail buddy to talk to about this problem, let me know.

I'm also curious to find out how many of you had anxiety BEFORE you had the stomach noises. Obviously these noises are enough to cause anxiety, but how many of you already suffered from anxiety disorders? I did, but am not sure if the noises are a symptom of anxiety. The first time they ever happened I was just typing away at work, not nervous about anything.

I am glad to hear many others have this problem. It seems to happen to me from high anxiety or stress. Every day I go to school and it happens the same period. I went to a doctor and he said I had a sinus infection but everyday I walk to school i feel like im sick and all the sudden hear come the noises. I believe that in order to conquer this we MUST eat healthy as in no dairy or sugar and take vitamins everyday. Also if you do excercise and do yoga it does help relieve stress. I found out some ways of reducing noises are putting weight on the stomach when noises occur and also taking deep breaths. If you feel congested and excess mucus it is most definitely a sinus infection which SUCKS. I have had mine for 3 weeks and i am sick and tired of it. The best thing to do right now is keep thinking and researching ways to conquer this. If you have to spit spit because the more you keep in the more pressure builds up and also if you have to let gas out let it out. TRUST ME you don't want it to build up like a volcano. Thank you for all the suggestions and GOOD LUCK!

I too am having this problem. Has anyone looked into Celiac disease. It requires a gluten free diet. No wheat, rye, barley.

I know what you guys are going through. I remember looking for answers anywhere I could (including this board) because it seemed that none of those I had gotten were doing anything.
Although this may not be for most, the anti depressant/anxiety medication combined with lorazepem (when required) has done away with most of my problems.
After trying a few different methods, I came to realize that what I had (again this may be far different from other cases) was psychosomatic. When I started getting nervous about it it only got worse. And I hated when doctors would say, just relax or imagine yourself in a different place. (You try doing that when your stomach is shouting embarrassing answers to the professor during a quiet lecture!)
So I went on Sertraline and over the long term this has helped out a lot (it doesn't work immediately but in a few weeks some of the anxiety and thus the noises goes away). Also, I've gotten more exercise and removed caffeine from my diet 24 hours before I know I'm going into a situation where I'll be tense and in a quiet room.

Hope this helps

I too suffer from this. I hate this and fear it at the same time, because these stomach noises aren't letting me live life. These stomach noises usually affect me on a ceratin time of the day, which is after lunch. What has helped me greatly though is walking around a little bit during these periods of attack or going to the teacher and asking her if I can go outside for awhile. I wish all my fellow suffers of these problem luck, and hope that maybe this could also be healed for me too, and for you'll. :]

I am right there with everyone up here. I have noticed my issue more and more since college, but it happened in class for me there too. I now work in an office/cube environment. My tummy noises are now constant whether I eat or not, whether I drink water or not, etc. I have gotten rid of caffeine in my diet, I rarely eat sugar. I must say I enjoy drinking beer and other alcohol (i.e. carb filled heaven in a glass-that we are to be wary of), but I try to save that for the weekends, when I am less likely to deal with the aftermath in the company of other people. I have laughed it off for years, but it is a constant cause and possible product of stress, and I find it a miserable never-ending cycle.

Good Lord, I hope I do. I am in my office right now, and my stomach wants to explode it seems... thank goodness for my coworkers with earbuds in and my ability to roll back (noisily) in my chair, cough, and otherwise distract from my rumbling. I am also blessed enough to be able to drive home on my lunch break to attempt to alleviate the disturbing content of my stomach. But that doesn't always help and isn't always possible. As I, too, have applied to graduate school, I am filled with overwhelming fear that classes combined with my stomach will be completely embarrassing and will not foster a great learning experience.

I am so relieved that so many others feel my pain, but if we find a definitive answer for ourselves, I hope that we'll all share it. I will if I do... Well, here's to happy stomachs guys!

I've had this for about 4 years now, i'm 17 and i'm doing my as levels and it's just about awful when i'm in quiet situations! Only ever in class though and i'm about to sit my as exams, and i'm quiet frankly sh**ting myself!

HOWEVER, i looked this up about 2 years ago, and i found that the main cause is because i was SO nervous about it happening that it happens more, as said before, stress is the main reason why,
And i promise this really helps and is fault proof! When i ever i feel like my stomach is about to 'fart', i basically just tell myself that it's my own anxiety that's causing it, and i convince myself it, and i PROMISE you it works. Every time. I also try drinking hot water of a morning, i don't even know if this helps, however by myself drinking it i'm convincing myself that it's not going to happen! Sounds ridiculous but it really works,
HOWEVER, awful for my exams because i'm concentrating on telling myself it which means i'm not doing my work.
Also, try and go to the toilet frequently this helps in the short term, and also chew your food.

good luck!

Oh my, i know EXACTLY what your all going through. I do now believe that it's basically anxiety, it's very difficult to explain as i'm sure you all understand.
i'm 17 and i've had this since about year 8ish/9ish, and i recently decided there was something i needed to do about it, i've tried to build up the courage so many times, but it's so embarasing to talk about, and it takes ALOT to embarass me. So i went the doctors, after reading about thyriod problems and anemia, i thought i defidently had them, placing the digestive problem in with the 'anxiety' catorgory. So i went the doctors and i mentioned it passingly, i should have said more about it but i was nervous, so he tested me for thyroid problem, anemia and also diabeties. Well i just rang up today and i've been told i have non of them, so i booked a new opointment, because it was so fustraiting to hear that nothing is wrong with you, when you just KNOW this is it. Anyway, after coming on here, i really don't think the doctor can help me, it's one of those things i'm going to have to defeat on my own really.
so i cancelled on the sly.
ANYWAY, after my months of trying to get to the bottom of it with exams looming, i have come to several conclutions.
1: ANXIETY. it defo is, if anyone can point me of anxiety tablets that are non perscribed that'd be marvelous. I know this because i'll sit there and have not a care in the world, then i'll think about it, and then BAM it starts ridiclously loud! So, tell yourself over and over again, i can beat this, pretend that it isnt happening, i know it's hard, but i've done it and it DOES help.
2: EAT YOUR FOOD SLOW: i discoverd this recently, i spent 1 hour eating a chip bap, chewing excessivly, and it didnt happen that day, then on other days i'd wolf down a bagget and it would be ridiculous.
3: DRINK PLENTY OF WATER: this really helps too, cleans those bowels out and all that.

remember, even if this little 'conclutions' dont actualy have any scientic evidence behind them that works, it'll make you think to yourself "this is not going to happen because i've drank water today and i've chewed my food" it helps you push it too the back of your mind.

i know it's incredibly annoying, why are we cursed with it whilst other's run around freeling eating a big fat meal of grease and chocolate, it's really not fair. i blame the parents really.
it's strange how this happens though, a reason over here would be nicccceee.

anyway, seriously good luck with everyone, it's something that were going to have to beat, and it will make us much stronger.
-Hannah