Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Support Group
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common intestinal disorder that is characterized by bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, cramping, and constipation. Typically no abnormalities appear during standard medical testing, and so irritable bowel syndrome is identified by the symptoms. Although irritable bowel syndrome can cause serious discomfort, the intestines are not harmed.
How did your doctor diagnose your IBS? I'm wondering since there is no real test for it. Did your doctor go thru a process of elimination using a bunch of tests? Did he just label it IBS and.. forget it?
What should they do to insure they are not missing something important?
What should they do to insure they are not missing something important?
I was not satisfied with that, so I went to a gastroenterologist who did a colonoscopy and an upper endoscopy (I think he only did the upper because nausea was one of my symptoms and my blood test results indicated I was anemic and my potassium was a bit low). When he did the colonoscopy, he also tested me to see if I had celiac's disease, which I didn't. When everything came back normal, he concluded that I was suffering from IBS.
I know it isn't what you asked, but I will add that this gastro doctor was only interested in doing a colonoscopy to rule out other diseases. When the colonoscopy came back normal, he basically said I don't have to see him again for awhile.
My point is that I was having terrible symptoms, but once he concluded that I "only" had IBS, he was done with me. I am now going to a different gastro doctor that I feel is taking my IBS more seriously. There really seems to be an attitude among some doctors that because IBS isn't going to kill you or destroy your intestines, it's really not a big deal.