Anxiety, Stomach Noises and Quiet Rooms
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dooby-duck
Well-known member
Nausea is my main anxiety symptom, so if I have to go anywhere or do anything I would avoid eating for hours before for the same reasons. University lectures used to be quite embarrassing, and they lasted three hours with multiple rumblings.
Bryn_Cartwright
New member
You’re not alone, I have exactly the same problem and it’s made the past 7 years hell! I’m glad I’ve found someone else with this problem as the few people I’ve talked to about it pass it off as nothing. My problem started very similar to others. I was in a lecture and out of nowhere my stomach made a very loud rumbling and did so a few times. I laughed it off at the time but immediately after I felt very embarrassed. We had a few weeks break before the next lecture and in the interim I became more and more anxious about going into lectures. I then developed the problem I have now, after eating my stomach would make very strange and loud noises that were uncontrollable. In the early stages I got so anxious about it I barely ate and avoided all contact with other people, which was very difficult when working in an office environment (I was studying part-time). I know I said my life has been hell, perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration. It certainly was in the early years. Before this I was a very confident person who was very ambitious and successful. That has been stifled by this but I have managed to control the problem. I tried all sorts of Chinese remedies, medication and nothing seemed to work. For me, the problem relates to anxiety, the more anxious I am the more noises my stomach makes! I began to eat smaller portions regularly and tried to get myself back on track. I’ve managed to do that but still have bad days and get very anxious before meeting’s etc. Anyway, hopefully some of this is of use!
Hi..its seems my phobia has come back to the forefront again so Im posting an update! I started a long course of hypno analysis this time last year in the hope of sorting out this problem, but I have to say I dont think it has worked..and it cost me £700!! Its like having therapy when you are totally relaxed, trying to discover where this anxiety really lies (as it is only a SYMPTOM of something else) but I dont think I came to any conclusions, and the therapist said it will sort itself out over time, but Im not convinced. Since then, Ive decided to go into teaching, and Im now at college again, so its on my mind alot. Also Im trying out dating sites online, which means more anxiety for me, so I really need to get a grip of my anxiety around stomach rumbling! At college, I took a huge step and told everyone in my class at the start of a lesson, all about my anxiety! I felt this was the only way! And I felt such a relief to be able to do this that I burst into tears! I felt stupid, but freer at the same time. Im coming up 42 soon, and this has been with me since 16!!
I think Ive come to realise that I may never ger 'rid' of this fully, but it definitely gets easier with relaxation, and deep breathing when youre in those situations, and generally trying to reduce youre anxiety levels overall. But remember, its only a SYMPTOM of your anxiety, its not the real issue..if only it were so simple!!!!! all the best to evryone with the same anxiety!
davidburke
Well-known member
ahh stomach noises are the worse all i want to do is lay down and die when it happens. this is a big problem in college
lyricalliaisons
Well-known member
That happens to me too, but I never realized it had anything to do with my anxiety. Just the other day, I was in an appointment with a new therapist I had never met before & my stomach started making noises, even though I wasn't even feeling hungry. It does make sense that it could be due to anxiety, though, because I know anxiety messes with my stomach in other ways, too, & I have a very sensitive stomach as it is. At least now I'll know that if my stomach starts growling & I don't feel hungry, but I do feel anxious, that could be what's causing it.
Bullied Anonymous
Well-known member
For a minute I thought I had some sort of intestinal problem. Never hungry but everybody could hear my stomach and it was so uncomfortable. Then the teacher was like, "Somebody's hungry" then people would giggle ,and that made me even more nervous. Its bad enough when your stomach is acting up for some unknown reason ,but when people acknowledge the rumble is its like God kill me.
The best way to beat a rumbling stomach if even for a short while (1 - 2 hrs) is to drink lots of water. The rumbling is normally caused by the secretion of acids because of inmost cases hunger.
Drinking at least 2 glasses of water will buy u time if say u are going into a meeting and ur scared ur stomach might rumble.
Drinking at least 2 glasses of water will buy u time if say u are going into a meeting and ur scared ur stomach might rumble.
worriedaboutit
New member
HiI CANNOT believe i am not alone in having this bizarre phobia!i randomly decided to type it into google and up this came!
I have had this phobia for about 10 years ever since my stomach rumbled loudly in class and wouldn`t stop and it was so embarrassing,i was mortified!It has held me back in life ever since.
Whenever i have to go somewhere that might be quiet i have to eat beforehand or i know i will be panicking.Waiting rooms and meetings are the worst for me and i haven`t been to the cinema for over 4 years since my stomach rumbled really loudly and my boyfriend at the time laughed at me.I am excused from all meetings at work and have any training i need on a 1 to 1 basis but i`m afraid to move on to a new job as i may lose these luxuries or have to explain myself (although they think its a claustrophobia thing not a stomach rumbling thing,that would be too embarrassing!).Once apon a time i even worried about my stomach rumbling loudly at night if i had my boyfriend round to stay!!!
I haven`t managed to find a way of coping with this (except stuffing myself to the point of being un-comfortable) and i`m now having sessions with a psycologist because it`s got to a point where it`s affecting me very badly and making me feel depressed overall.
please feel free to email me on this subject as i`d be very happy to hear from others affected like me!
I thought I was the only person to suffer from this and it is such a relief to find other people out there. I can honestly say this affects the whole of my life and has determines everything I do. Sometimes I am better than others, but it is always on my mind.
Has anyone found any really effective solution - was thinking of hypnotherapy??
mikebird
Banned
Wow! You're right! It's easy to get complacent about the obvious solution. My worst problem are farts. I wonder what happens in the belly if you just never eat.
Prestonator
Well-known member
Hey there! It is funny you should write this because I used to worry about this ALL the time! But then I realised that stomach rumbling is a normal part of every day life. You shouldn't feel embarassed about it. It is just a sign of hunger. The more you concentrate on the noise the louder it seems to you, and also the more you may feel hungry as your concentrating on your stomach. Can you not perhaps take some sweets in your pocket in meetings and suck on them if your stomach starts to rumble? This is what do and it helps. Stomach rumbling also sounds much louder to you because the noise comes from with in you. SO what if people hear it, they will just think that you are hungry. I'm sure other peoples' stomachs rumble, its just you maybe can't hear it, yeah? I wouldn't hand your notice in at work. You just need to worry less about it.
I used to worry a lot about this for years and years, but now i have just accepted that if my stomach rumbles it rumbles.
Hope this helps
Well words can't describe how happy i felt when i found this website and read all these stories for the first time in a long time i didn't feel alone.To be honest i almost burst into tears that's how happy i was! Well i have been suffering with this Borborygamiphobia and yes it has a name!!! To be honest i feel a little better knowing this phobia has a name and it wasn't just something i magically made up in my head .Well as i was reading some stories i was like, man i'am not a weirdo other people are going through what i though i was alone in,i'am not a freak yeah!! Well that's how i felt at that moment,i'am right now in high school i'am a junior and it's gotten worse over the years so i'am be doing independent study because its to much for me to handle right now and school just makes it worse.It's just so hard to focus in class when the first thing i think when i get in the classroom is please i hope my stomach doesn't growl or make noise!! and all that's in my mind is when that bell's gonna ring so i can get the heck out of there!! It's weird because to me it's like school is what triggers my borborygamiphobia to happen, because like on vacation's and weekends i'am totally fine well.... Saturday i'am fine because Sunday i'am freaking out thinking that on Monday what if my stomach growls or makes noise and its not even Monday yet!!All that just causes me more anxiety and worry.It's kinda like a barley recovering alcoholic stepping into a bar and then BAM!!! relapse, school is my alcohol.It's gotten so bad that just recently at the end of the school day as i saw my sister coming my way i just broke down and cried and cried on my sister's shoulder i just couldn't take it anymore and i told her everything i was feeling when we got home and to tell you the truth i felt so much better after!!! It felt good to tell someone what i was feeling and for them to help me feel better.I now look back at that day and i'am like man i can't believe i did that and especially at school!! but i don't regret it i'am glad i did because now my mom knows how i feel and my sister and mom are very encouraging and try their best to help me.It just so hard some days it feels like i'am wasting my life living in fear over my stomach making noises its makes me mad to think that i'am letting this dumb phobia take over my life, but its just so hard to get over it i do really try my best to not worry in class and yeah some days are better then others but the fear is always there with me.I sometimes cry in my room and say why can't i be normal? why cant i enjoy being a teenager and not worry about my stomach making noises why cant i worry about something important why? ahhh this phobia is driving me crazy i wish i could just make it go away but sadly i can't so i try my best to deal with it day by day and tell myself it will get better don't worry so much.I want you people out there to know how very truly lucky u are to not be suffering from this phobia.You aren't living everyday with fear and anxiety worrying about your stomach making noises your worrying about more important stuff.I would do anything to make this phobia disappear from my life!! I just hope one day i'll get over this phobia and hope you do too you just got to life each day as it goes and try your best to enjoy it even though i know it's very hard too.I WISH US ALL THE BEST, STAY STRONG!!!!
Hi everyone
I too suffer from this problem as well and i was actually comforted to see im not the only one . Im naturally petite and im black , you might be wondering what does my race have to do with this , well i happen to be the only black in my academic year and when this happens i just feel ashamed , yes i do admitt sometimes i dont have much to eat but i do all i can to make sure i have breakfast and lunch
I eat and i carry water , juice name it still no help . i experienced this initially when i got to university and i was sitting in the library , suddenly my stomach made such a loud noise , people laughed , i never went back so i decided to study in my room or an other place , then it turns out that it happens when im in a silent place it gets triggered church , class stopping vehicle .
class , during practicals , exams , i have tried tieing my belly,eating till i feel sick nothing helpsand on top of that i have been for years trying to gain weight and i am so scare to meet new people one grbbling noises two comment on how tiny i am . yesturday i visited a family member in hospital and while there they started to talk about food and they all laughed at me for eating so much and not gaining weight inside i died and i was also worried my stomach would make noises , i start to feel dizzy and flushed and i had to leave by making up excuses how busy i am .
today i just felt defeated i ate 3 times this morning before i went t the faculty meeting and it got awfully quite for a second and my stomach made that noise shame is the word i can use and i went to my room thats when i found this site .
as i sit i just want a solution.
Ithior
Well-known member
Good to know I'm not the only one with this problem. Finished university a month ago but those three years were very complicated because of this. My stomach would make noises if I hadn't eaten anything in the past hour. My bowels would make noises for no reason (lately I've been considering I might be a bit lactose intolerant). Add to that the fact that I'm pee shy and would have to stay long periods of time without peeing and it was a really uncomfortable period of my life.
To minimize this issue I had to change my diet: start eating breakfast (I'm never hungry in the morning and most things make me feel like vomiting, but bread and nutella was fine), eat plain cookies during breaks and classes sometimes, drink a glass full of water/juice before leaving in the morning (for some reason it reduced my will to pee instead of increasing it).
I had to be very careful about the time at which I would use the bathroom: had to find an hour where the bathrooms would be unoccupied (during the day), and I couldn't take care of my other "physiological needs" before classes because apparently the air in my bowels would move around a lot and make lots of noises.
On top of that I also took a pill to reduce anxiety every morning before going to university.
All of this together didn't cure it but it managed to reduce the noises and embarrassment.
I still have some problems when I'm going out to a friend's house because there are a lot of silent moments when playing card games, board games or watching movies, and it's harder to figure out when to do the things I need to do.
To minimize this issue I had to change my diet: start eating breakfast (I'm never hungry in the morning and most things make me feel like vomiting, but bread and nutella was fine), eat plain cookies during breaks and classes sometimes, drink a glass full of water/juice before leaving in the morning (for some reason it reduced my will to pee instead of increasing it).
I had to be very careful about the time at which I would use the bathroom: had to find an hour where the bathrooms would be unoccupied (during the day), and I couldn't take care of my other "physiological needs" before classes because apparently the air in my bowels would move around a lot and make lots of noises.
On top of that I also took a pill to reduce anxiety every morning before going to university.
All of this together didn't cure it but it managed to reduce the noises and embarrassment.
I still have some problems when I'm going out to a friend's house because there are a lot of silent moments when playing card games, board games or watching movies, and it's harder to figure out when to do the things I need to do.
Flanscho
Well-known member
How odd. I always thought that a rumbling stomach is funny (that is, in western civilizations where people have normally enough to eat). No matter whether it's mine or the one of someone else. At work, it signified after all "look, I've been working that much that I had no time to eat".
Ithior
Well-known member
How odd. I always thought that a rumbling stomach is funny (that is, in western civilizations where people have normally enough to eat). No matter whether it's mine or the one of someone else. At work, it signified after all "look, I've been working that much that I had no time to eat".
When you're skinny, people will probably think you're starving or something.
And the "look, I've been working that much that I had no time to eat" doesn't really work when you're at the 8.30 am class...
Flanscho
Well-known member
Unless you are that skinny that you're borderline anorexic, I doubt that anyone would seriously believe that you're starving.
I guess I simply accepted that stomach noises are for most people completely out of control, and thus nothing to be ashamed or proud of. Farts and burps can be controlled pretty well, so that's something else (and a matter of manners). But even if that happens, people are normally wise enough to know whether you did that on purpose or by accident.
I have similar problems with body noises. When I don't eat, my stomach grumbles so loudly that people near me could hear. But after I eat, my stomach could fill up with so much gas that I have to prevent myself from farting. And sometimes when I'm full, my stomach makes really weird digestive noises. Whether I eat or not, it doesn't make much of a difference and my worries never cease. I remember many years ago when I took an exam, my stomach made such a horribly loud noise that people turn to look at me like I'm crazy. The noise sounded like a mixture of stomach grumbling and farting.
I'll be going back to school this fall. Before classes, I will try to eat less than I normally would to decrease the possibilities of digestive noises and farts.
I'll be going back to school this fall. Before classes, I will try to eat less than I normally would to decrease the possibilities of digestive noises and farts.