Is there a FAQ here for handling your 1st appointment?

I've had what I'm guessing is IBS for years. The first time I remember thinking I had a problem was around the time I was being told to have a hysterectomy for fibroids (2001, 9 years ago) - I was worried that it was ovarian cancer making me bloat up to the size of a 7 month pregnancy. It wasn't, and I had the hysterectomy with no problems.My IBS (if it turns out to be that) is of the "teaser" variety -- right when I decide it's bad enough to see a doctor, it STOPS, for a while. When it's "in remission," I don't even think about what I'm eating, and I feel fine. When it's bad, it's not as bad as what I've read some people suffer with, but it's uncomfortable, annoying and, at times, anxiety-causing (urgency).I'm not one of those people who are comfortable with my bowel functions. I'm almost 50 (no kids), and have never changed a diaper, and I have what I refer to as an aversion to ###### (am I going to get in trouble for using that word, on this forum??). When docs want me to do fecal smear tests -- I just don't. Makes me gag. So I worry a little about colon cancer, but I've had a couple of colonoscopies, now, with no problems (or results).ANYWHO - the point of my posting - is that I'm having a "bad spell" and have an appointment to see a GI doc in less than a week.IS there any good resource for things to know, when dealing with a doctor on this? Tests that are their way of blowing you off and that are a waste of time? Questions to ask? Information to go prepared with? Qualifications to look for?I get the feeling that an IBS "diagnosis" is never the end, or even the beginning of the end, of the problems. That I could now be sent down a long road of "try this, try this, try this -- well, then, we can't help you," with no resolution. I want to shorten that road as much as possible by knowing what to aim for, look out for, be aware of.Any tips?And how many people vote for avoiding the medical route altogether, and focusing on mental health / mind/body issues?ThanksEm