[Kathleen M.]

Alot of what tests you need tend to be based on which symptoms you have.If your blood tests are normal that rules a lot of things out.With some of the tests the risk of serious complications (like a perforated colon from the colonoscopy) is about the same percentage as the chance they will find anything, so some doctors do less testing rather than more. Excessive testing seems to make the IBS worse from the stress of the preps and the tests...so it can be a mixed bag.They don't need to do every single expensive medical test to rule everything else out.Pain with constipation with normal blood work tends to almost always be IBS. It may be worth asking for a referral to a GI doctor since you haven't found a treatment with this doc that works for you. They may or may not run more tests, but theyknow more about what to do for IBS.Depending on the nature of your constipation (have you tried increasing fiber and water?? Might try the magnesium that works for people here) you may need tests specific to constipation issues. Tests to see if you relax the pelvic floor normally, or get your tranist time tested.But those are things that the GI doctor would be dealing with not your family doctor.K.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Alot of what tests you need tend to be based on which symptoms you have.If your blood tests are normal that rules a lot of things out.With some of the tests the risk of serious complications (like a perforated colon from the colonoscopy) is about the same percentage as the chance they will find anything, so some doctors do less testing rather than more. Excessive testing seems to make the IBS worse from the stress of the preps and the tests...so it can be a mixed bag.They don't need to do every single expensive medical test to rule everything else out.Pain with constipation with normal blood work tends to almost always be IBS. It may be worth asking for a referral to a GI doctor since you haven't found a treatment with this doc that works for you. They may or may not run more tests, but theyknow more about what to do for IBS.Depending on the nature of your constipation (have you tried increasing fiber and water?? Might try the magnesium that works for people here) you may need tests specific to constipation issues. Tests to see if you relax the pelvic floor normally, or get your tranist time tested.But those are things that the GI doctor would be dealing with not your family doctor.K.