Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Amber Hartley on 03/03/2013 16:31:21
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I have recently been diagnosed with IBS since I have stomach bloating and abdominal pain. I have had 2 definate UTI's and 3 un tested UTI'S in the last year and several episodes of thrush. IBS, to me, sounds like a syndrome given out by doctors when they cant be bothered to do any furthur tests since IBS, very conveniently, cant be tested for. Stomach pain and bloating, constipation and diarrhoa can be symptoms of many differerent thingss- not just IBS, so why are so many people diagnosed without adequate tests.
What does everyone else think?
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Q. Is IBS an actual thing or a condition made up by doctors?
A. All diagnoses are “made up” by doctors based on the evidence available to them and established criteria … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irritable_bowel_syndrome#Diagnosis
... so why are so many people diagnosed without adequate tests.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irritable_bowel_syndrome#Investigations
Colonoscopies are expensive (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=46252.msg400983#msg400983) and not without risk (http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=46252.msg400984#msg400984).
Keeping a food diary may help you investigate if a particular type of food is responsible,
you can then investigate if this is the case by excluding it from your diet for a period
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_diet
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They can only diagnose based on the symptoms you present at the time but I would advise you to keep a diary of your symptoms and how and when they appear and if they are worse after certain foods etc.. and also make a note of how your waste appears (not pleasant I know but its vital information.....the quality of output reflects the condition of your digestive system). Also keep an eye on your Vitamin B12 levels. And then when you next go to the doctor you will have more concrete information.
You could always try cutting out all sugars for the next two weeks-that's fruit and fruit juices too as well as the obvious sugars (check the labels of things you buy for sugar content- you'd be surprised what has sugar in). I think you might find your symptoms waning if you try it.
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I agree that IBS may be a catch-all for GI symptoms. Oddly, it is diagnosed in women about twice as frequently as in men.
You certainly want to follow the differential diagnosis, and rule out more serious diseases such as Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis.
Read a little about Celiac Sprue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac_disease), and wheat gluten. As RD & Minerva suggested, it may not hurt to pay close attention to your diet and symptoms, and see if there are foods that you don't tolerate well.
Some foods like a gluten intolerance may take a month or so to fully recover, although patients seem to report a rapid return of symptoms when they eat wheat. Others are likely more obvious within a couple of days after eating the food. Don't just eliminate everything from your diet, but if you find a diet that reduces your symptoms, try adding certain foods back to see what happens.
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Stress does affect the digestive system. When the fight or flight response is triggered, blood is shunted away from the digestive system to other areas (like the muscles) and this can interfere with normal digestion and create problems. The bowel is more active when parasympathetic nerves are active which is generally during rest and recovery, and if periods of rest and recovery are limitted, I would think this would cause problems. At least statistically irritable bowel is linked with high stress.
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I was thinking, it might not hurt to also get a Clostridium Difficile culture as some of the symptoms may overlap with IBS. It can be difficult to cure, especially if you have had it for a long time.
Also, if you have been taking a lot of antibiotics, then it may be useful to take a Probiotic Diet, at least for a while.