I have been experiencing frequent episodes of diarrhea, often bloating after eating meals, if not diarrhea; i often experience painful twinges in my stomach after going to the toliet. After talking to friends and family, alot of people reckoned it was IBS, and after looking at the symptons, i also thought it was ibs. I went to my doctor (Especially after being on holiday for two weeks and having a very painful stomach every morning for nearly the whole two weeks. My doctor said it sounded like ibs, had a feel of my stomach and when i asked what i should do he suggested to exercise because ibs is stress related and exercise helps cure stress. I was a bit miffed because i do regularly attend my local gym and get lots of exercise.I have tried cutting out wheat and trying different food patterns but nothing seems to work. I didnt feel my doctor was at all helpful and i am still unsure whether or not it is definately ibs that i have got!I was hoping someone could help shed some light on the situation, and advice or information would be appreciatedThanks Chelsea
Very unsure...
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Chelsea,As I've recently learned, IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion. Perhaps your doctor is attempting to see if exercise and your eating habits improve your condition. But usually, in order to diagnose IBS, docs must rule out other serious diseases such as inflammatory, diverticulitis (sp?), etc. I don't want to scare you, but usually blood tests and scopes (colonoscopy) are in order. And a referral to GI specialist.If you're not feeling better, see your doc again and ask him what his process is for diagnosing IBS. Did he try any medication for you?In fact, I'm actually prepping for my colonoscopy right now.. will have it at 9am CDT today. Wish me luck. And welcome to the board!Roo
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Pain or diarrhea after meals is one really common pattern for IBS.You might try drinking some peppermint tea, or taking a couple of peppermint Altoids before each meal and see if that calms things down. The after meal thing is often that you respond to having eaten ANY FOOD with increased colon activity. THIS IS NORMAL. EVERYONE IBS OR NO DOES THIS, it's a reflex, and how the body is supposed to work. In IBSers the increase in activity can bring on symptoms.Some doctors do more tests than others before settling on a diagnosis (some studies show extensive testing of people with pretty clear symptoms and no indication of other things just makes IBS a lot worse).Also look around for what some other people have done (Calcium with meals might be one thing) that are over-the-counter may be helpful. Fiber helps some people .. has a diet that focuses on the fiber.If you can't work through it on your own find another doctor (preferably a gastroenterologist) and persue it further.And, FWIW Exercise, even if it has nothing to do with stress, particularly walking/aerobic may help stuff move thorugh the small intestine in ways that may be beneficial (see flux's SIBO threads) for some people the IBS messed up how stuff moves in the small intestine and stuff like exercise may normalize that for some people, and a few do feel better when they get regular aerobic exercise, so there may be more to that then the doctor knew.K.
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When people get old (a few do this when they are young but it is rare) they get little out pouches from the colon called diverticuli. A lot of peole have no symptoms from this. If they get infected you et diverticulitis and that causes fever and pain like any other infection.Inflamatory. Body response usually to infection that causes redness, hotness pain (think infected cut) when the body attacks itself it can cause inflamation. In the colon this can lead to ulcers and stuff (inflamatory bowel disease typically has symptoms that are not seen in IBS, like inexplicable weight loss...meaning you still eat a lot and lose weight like you were dieting seriously...and bloody stools)Colonoscopy. They put a scope up inside from your anus and look at the colon. Endoscopy is a scope that goes in from the top and looks at the upper part of the digestive tract.K.
Kath M. is very helpful.. she answers all of my questions all the time.. thanks Kath.Sorry Chelsea, I dont' mean to scare you, and all of things I mentioned are manageable and somewhat treatable. And most likely, you may have IBS or a stomach bug. If you're very worried about it or it doesnt go away after you go to your doc, he or she will probably do the following:Rectal exam (gloved finger up butt to check for hemmorhoids and occult blood)Blood Tests - typical CBC test I believe.Stool Analysis/Culture - You poop in a cup and they test it for parasites, ova, blood, mucous, and other things.If either of these comes back positive, then the doc may have you get a colonoscopy (easy - I just had one today and it was a breeeeze), or maybe a sigmoidoscopy (this only looks in the large intestine or colon, I believe).Also, in the meantime, like Kath said, try some peppermint tea, try yoga, chamomile tea, add fiber (only a little bit at first as it may make you gassy). Fiber makes my D (diarrhea) much worse. But it seems to help alot of people. If you have alot of pain, the doc can prescribe certain medications that will help your cramping a bit. (antispasmotics). Try to eliminate food little by little.. try no milk, try staying away from junk or alcohol or cigs, etc. and see if you feel better. Also try to eliminate some of the fat from your diet. Some of my triggers are oatmeal, raw veggies, onions, red meat and coffee. Coffee makes my colon go into overdrive.Personally, I just had a scope today.. they *think* its IBS because they can't find anything else that's causing the D and my cramping... I take Donnatol Extendtabs and Zoloft (an antidepressant) that is supposed to help the chemicals in the gut and get rid of some of my anxiety. Over the last couple weeks with elimination and these meds, I've felt better.Ok, long post. Gotta go watch my tv!RooAnd try not to worry. If it gets so bad that you can't take it anymore, go to your doc again or even the ER
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