I can soooooooooooo relate. I did change my life. I also avoid anything quiet. I managed to graduate from college with the diagnosis of IBS. For me, the cause is basically free-floating anxiety. The first time it happened, it was during a test in college. Yep, I heard someone laugh. I became petrified, couldn't let go of the fear, and it enveloped me. The mornings used to be a time of frequent BM's. Once those were handled, things to take my mind off it like sucking on hard candy, or drinking something, did offer some help. However, I couldn't survive for a class longer than 1 hour and a half without it happening. I think it was because my stomach was empty due to the frequent morning BM's. Now, 30 years later, I don't have the stress triggers like school and work, meaning I don't have constant morning BM's, but I'm still scared to death they will start at Church or parent meetings. Needless to say, I avoid them like the plague. I do have Ativan which helps, if only to relax my mind. Pain meds such as Codeine or Vicodin help because they slow down or stop GI function. I can't believe this silly thing has caged me like it has. Oh yes, I do have another phobia, but unrelated to this. I'm wondering if being prone to phobias in general is somehow connected? The concern about something out to get you (in my case bees) and someone hearing your stomach and laughing??? Maybe we should all hand out ear plugs! I wish I didn't have a stomach or was a hermit. Life was so much better when I was a little kid and didn't have this problem.

common you guys, don't let that problem ruin your life.
Life is too short to be unhappy because of the such curable disbalance in your stomach.

yes, I said cure-able, and that really is Those who say that there is no cure are just too lazy to actually do some research themselves.

Ok here is the thing. The reason why your stomach is growling and making noises is because your stomach flora is disbalanced. There are many things that disbalance and destroy your flora, for instance antibiotics is one of many things that destroy the natural stomach flora. Probably you've never properly chewed your food, or maybe didn't eat right. Whatever it is your natural flora is destroyed.
BUT A GOOD THING IS THAT FLORA, JUST AS EVERYTHING IN OUR ORGANISM CAN BE RESTORED AND CURED.
God gave us a wonderful organism that is capable to restore itself.

So, now the main thing is to find out what exactly you should do do naturally restore your flora.
Please, don't take those antiacid and other pills. They are really bad for you and your stomach and they would not help you to get rid of the roblem (as u probably already noticed it).

what you really want to start with is to stop eating products that contain sugar.
Also, put yourself on a schedule. Don't eat randomly. There are particular hours when our stomach can properly consume the food and it should not be feeded and working all the time.
Also very important is to chew your food.


and last but not least, speak to your doctor particulary about flora. Don't let them prescribe you random antiacid bs. You need something for bacterias or whatever that deals with restorin the flora.
Also, make exam and make sure you don't have stomach warms and parasites. Those guys might be the reason of your growl too.

And don't worry, as soon as your flora is restored (and you will feel it), you can start eating sugar products again not too much tho)

so good luck you guys, I know you are strong and you are dedicated enough to take care of that problem

I, myself had this problem for sooo long but then I said to myself, "enough is enough" and did a lot of research and realised that everything is much easier than we really think it is.


so go ahead and take care of that little problem that has no right to destroy your life

I have the same exact problem! I've been suffering from it for 4 years and its ruining my life. I have to avoid quiet situations because of my stomach noise. I think about it constantly and i can't avoid it. It's my senior year in high school and i've missed so much school when we had tests, especially my math class, which my teachers absolutley hates me now, but i don't know what else to do. I fear that i won't graduate. I try to dwell on the positives, like graduating and going off to college, but i still can't get my mind off it. I know is all mental and anxiety is taking over, but i can't help it! I'm definatley going to try all ya'lls advice though! I sometimes just keep counting to 10 in my mind to try and get myself to think about something else.

Wow, i'm relieved that I'm not the only one with this problem.
My problems started in highschool...i get anxiety/panicy in quiet situations like taking tests/exams. This thing has pretty much ruined my life. I even posted here:
http://ehealthforum.com/health/topic95538. html

The funny thing is that the rumbling/tense feeling inside can happen even when I'm just thinking about being in a quiet room full of people --i don't even have to be there physically. That's how messed up I am.

when i drink a soda of some sort my stomach makes the crazy noises especially in a quiet place, when i take a test i have to move around just so it can stop, i have been taking zantac to make it stop it has been working for now is this the right thing to take help me please i just want to be normal

You have no idea how good it feels to know that there are other people out there with the same problem. My stomach noises started in college (or at least that's when i noticed them). I would wake up every day dreading about my upcoming test. I would constantly be fidgeting in order to block out my stomach noises. I even went through a test in 10 minutes and circled my first instinct and never looked over the test because that day my stomach was really making lots of noises which made me feel very nervous.

I've come to realize that my stomach noises occur when i get nervous. Not only that, but lately when i'm nervous i have to use the bathroom. The problem is that i have anxiety about using public restrooms or any person's restroom that isn't my own. Of course peeing i don't have a problem with.

I get nervous, have to go to the bathroom, get even more nervous about going in a public bathroom, have to go even worse...it's a never ending cycle. I just don't know what to do about it. Lately i've stopped going places because of this.

PLEASE anyone who has this condition read a book by Dr. John McKenna, 'Hard to Stomach' - real solutions to your digestive problems. He outlines and gives an in depth analysis of how gut fermentation causes gurgling noises in the bowels.

I have had this problem for the past three years, it was driving me mad. Finally after hours and hours, too many to count of research into my problem I came across this book. Hardly any information is given about this problem, doctors did'nt take it seriously. i've spent so much money and no change!
I'm only a few days into my treatment but will write back in a month to let ye know how I'm doing, but please in the mean time get this book, you can probably order it by going on to, Good luck.

Me again, realised it will take a few days for the book to be delivered so i will give an outline of just what the book says.
Basically stress and emotional problems are the cause of this condition, this leads to us not producing enough digestive enzymes, thus some of the food we eat, mainly carbohydrates and proteins, cannot be properly digested so they ferment and putrefy in the intestines.
main symptoms are gurgling sounds, flatulence, bloating, indigestion, bad breath.
there is also a gut fermentation control diet.
For the first month cut out carbs, dairy products, yeast and sugar. take digestive enzymes with your meals.
Oh but theres more but i'm not going to write it as i really believe that ye would benefit more by reading the book, so please get it, ye won't regret it.
Take care and remember to be positive, it is curable.

I get stomach growls all the time. Mostly around midnight when I'm with friends and my boyfriend and we'll all be quiet watching movies. It used to be a laughing matter but now everyone's just used to it. Although thankfully I get no pains I still eat constantly to see if it quiets down but no help. It's just annoying.

I know just how you all are feeling. I have dealt with the loud bowel and stomach noises for around 5 years. They began when i was a freshman in highschool, and continued throughout all of highschool. I was terrified of quiet classrooms, so much to the point that i had fans in every classroom that i would sit by. The noise from the fan would relax me, and help disguise my tummy rumblings. Now that i am preparing to begin college i am extremely nervous and scared all over again. At one time when i visited my doctor, i told them of how i felt about this issue and they made it sound like there wasnt really an issue in existance. I am so scared of what is to come that i almost dont want to go to college. I am currently trying several different remedies, none of which have been successful.....so far. Have an of you had results with acidiophillus, papaya enzyme, charcoal, citalopram, exercise, or diet restrictions. Please let me know, this is CONTROLLING MY LIFE!!!!!!!

Hey, welcome to the forum.

loudnotproud:
Have you already thought that those noises can be related to your nerves? Maybe that's a chance to consider. That and your eating as well. What kind of changes in your eating did you make to try to make them stop?

Thanks!

So far I have tried several different things already. I purchased a book on IBS and read it, and learned quite a bit. I then quit eating gluten, sugar, and dairy products. It didnt have much effect. I had someone suggest taking papaya to help with digestion....again...no luck. I know that stress is a HUGE part of this problem. I feel like its a vicious cycle though. I sit in a quiet room or with others, and i am so worried that they will be able to hear the noises. But i dont know whether the anxiety causes the noises, or the noises cause the anxiety. I recently started Citalopram, and am hoping it will take the edge off of things.

And have you tried sports?

I'm not that atheletic...but have recently made an effort to get more physical activity. I started a bellydance class, and am really enjoying it. I have a bad knee and also a bad shoulder that i had surgery on last year, so im a little restricted on what i can do, but i am trying! The citalopram doesnt seem do be having an effect....but it may be too soon to notice. I also got a prescription for alprazolam....an anti-anxiety med. and cholestyramine...which is used for diarrhea. i am waiting for results on those too. i have finally gotten an appointment with a gastroenterologist later in the month. FINALLY....the ball is rolling! yay. now lets hope i can have a solution soon.

Nothing can stop it when I'm nervous, but otherwise, I think anti gas pills help a tiny bit. And for me, personally, anti heartburn helps. What is really helpful is putting my hand on the side of my stomach where the problem is. The heat relaxes it a bit

omg.. i thought going crazy! i hate it, becuase its so random when it makes those noises... most the time its when im nervous or anxious, but it usually doesnt matter if im hungry or not, so i know im not just hungry... does anyone have a solution for when it does this? i know when, what, and how i eat can effect it, but does anyone have any quick solutions for when im in class and cant really control that? any help would be much appreciated =D

Thanks for the information. There are some people who do not believe in "impacted fecal matter" however, I am glad someone else has brought it to the fore front. I have had this happen to me and I am glad someone else has posted a similar experience. I have incorporated different eating habits that was given to me by my naturopathic doctor and also incorporated an internal cleanse by drnatura called colonix. With the diet and cleansing I have returned to being healthy and happy. Congratulations on your success and sharing. Good luck to those still searching.

on the previous page I posted, and after I thought I stopped it with metamucil, now several months later I am back because the aliens are back too, woho!

I think my stomach is trying to tell me something. mm

funny thing is, I believe I have a healthy diet. In fact, I usually eat once a day and only sandwiches (wheat bread) with no mayo nor ketchup... that's about the only real food I get most weeks.

Well, I am not hurting, i don't get abdominal pains, and I don't smoke/drink (never did btw), so i consider myself healthy. I think I am just going to have to live with a talkative stomach. My nearest co-worker will have to get used to it

I am currently attending college and this problem started affecting me last quarter i got so nervous on my test that my stomach made so much noise i couldn't concentrate and turned in my test. I failed the class and developed anxiety from this problem. I have so much anxiety in any quiet situation. I feel so dumb cause this is a stupid problem but it makes me unable to concentrate and move on with my life. I need help and I didn't realize other people suffered from it too. I don't want to fail anymore and drop out of class how can i make this problem go away!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone I am currently 25 years old and these stomach noises have been causing me so many problems. I really started to notice my stomach noises when I was like 19 years old. Once I graduated from my university the stomach noises seem to have gotten worse. I hate having to do any kind of training, because I get soo scared that my stomach will start to make some type of noise. I actually had to resign from a government job, because the training was 4 months long and I had to spend 80% of my time in a quiet room. I was doing pretty good for the first 4 weeks, but then I got a tetaneous shot and a hepatitis shot and everything went down hill.


I will have to go through another training, which will be a week long, 8 hours a day. I wish I didn't have to do this training, but I guess I have no other alternative. I also want to get my masters, but I guess I will have to try to get it online. There are some schools like Boston University, Michigan State, Texas Tech, Florida State, Penn State and University of Houston that offer degrees online. I hope this helps for those who are in school and hate going to class. I am now trying to go to a career path that does not make me work in a quiet environment.

One thing that helped me a great deal was taking fiber pills (metamucil). My routine would start out like this, wake up and try to do #2, then take 2 fiber pills and have breakfast. I would like like 20 fiber pills with me, just incase I heard any noises. I would have lunch and then try to do #2 again and take 2 more fiber pills. I would also take water with me and also something to drink on that was carbonated. I think that if you flush food through your system, by using the restroom, then this may help with the stomach noises. It did for me until I got the darn tetaneous and hepatitus shot.

One other thing that I noticed helped a great deal was running or probably any other excercise. I remember one time I had to run 1.5 miles before lunch and I didn't eat anything, I just drank water. I showered and went to class and I was thinking that I was sure to have stomach noises. I was soo surprised that my stomach did not make one noise.

I went to go and see a doctor in another country (Mexico) since I don't have insurance right now. He checked me out and said that my heart beat is like off on the 11th beat or something like that. He said that it was nothing to worry about, but that this may be the reason for my stomach noises. He asked if I had been excercising lately and I said no. He asked if I had any chest pains and I said a couple times and he said that I should start to excercise everyday. He also gave me this medication, Creon and this other medication. I am taking them right now, but I don't know if they are really working, since my stomach has been feeling about the same. The doctor told me to stay away from processed foods, such as sausages and not to any spices (garlic, pepper, cumin and other spices) he also said not to eat any spicy foods. I am also lactose intollerant, so I don't drink any dairy products. I think I am also alergic to glutons, so I stay away from wheat, barly and oats.

One other thing that I have not done yet, but am thinking about is taking milk thistle to try to help my liver process foods. I don't want to do this yet, until I have finished my training. I don't want to experiment right now before I go to training.

Well good luck to everyone and I hope we can deal with our problem. It would be nice if we could all work for the same company and we didn't have to worry about our stomach noises.


PS: Stress is also something that causes this. I guess when you get stressed you let out some stomach acids and then that's when you hear the noises. Sometimes eating fresh fruits and veggies can also cause stomach noises for certain people. I agree with the person who said have protein. I have eggs in the morning and that seems to help.