subject: How To Get Help For Ibs (irritable Bowel Syndrome) [print this page] Functional abdominal pain is common, but only about half the people affected actually consult their doctors and these only about one in five is referred to a hospital consultant in any given year, if you consult your doctor for help for IBS abdominal pain they will ask a variety of questions, these are to assess your symptoms, psychological state and social circumstances, as well as your past family and personal history.
If you are under the age of 45 with typical symptoms of IBS and appear normal on physical examination you may not need further investigation, your doctor may suggest further test to rule out other bowel problems if you have weight loss, rectal bleeding or symptoms responsible for night time waking, or if your symptoms have come on suddenly over a relatively short period of time.
Otherwise, your doctor will give you a full physical examination, this may include a rectal examination using a small viewing instrument to look inside your rectum and lower colon, theses examinations together with what you have told the doctor about your symptoms, should be sufficient for a diagnosis to be made. Sometimes a doctor may slightly expand your rectum with air; this can reassure you of the diagnosis by demonstrating that it is just distension that triggers your pain.
What happens if IBS is diagnosed?
If you have a typical history of IBS, your doctor will usually confirm the diagnosis of IBS and give you a detailed explanation of the condition, he or she will reassure you that most symptoms disappear on their own or at least become tolerable once you understand what is causing them
Your doctor may also suggest simple drug treatments or dietary changes that maybe a help for IBS, you ay also be recommended to use psychological therapies such as relaxation, if your symptoms continue , however you will be reviewed regularly it is important that a doctor makes a diagnosis of IBS- this is not a diagnosis you should make yourself .
When will your doctor refer you to hospital?
This is likely to be necessary if you have developed bowel symptoms for the first time in later life, or if your symptoms are not typical of someone with IBS, if you have had IBS for a while and your symptoms become worse, or new features appear, you may also be referred to a specialist, both to rule out other possible bowel conditions and to provide greater reassurance than your doctor can offer.
Over the last 30 years, a variety of new teats has become available to help for IBS identification or exclude organic disease, these include endoscopy, (the examining the internal organs with a viewing instrument sometimes incorporating a tiny camera) and scanning techniques. These investigations are done in a hospital; a sedative may be given before some types of endoscopy.
One approach to assessing abdominal pain is therefore to perform a series of endoscopic and scanning examinations, only if all these yields negative results are functional pain or IBS diagnosed.
Although the diagnosis of IBS is based on medically agreed criteria many people do have additional symptoms , and you should mention to your doctor any that you may have , as well as abdominal pain, common associated symptoms include nausea, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing and a feeling of fullness after eating.
You may notice the passage of undigested food in the faeces, this usually consist of vegetables residues such as tomato skins or corn and merely indicates rapid transit through the gastrointestinal tract.
Non- gastrointestinal symptoms that people with IBS may also experience includes regularly passing urine at night, needing to do so frequently and urgently , and feeling that you are unable to empty your bladder completely , some people also experience back pain, an unpleasant taste in the mouth and a constant feeling of tiredness, and women may find intercourse painful. If you have lost weight, your doctor may want to arrange some investigation to rule out a serious bowel problem, they may also ask questions to assess your mental state because depression may lead to a loss of weight your doctor will be able to offer you all the help for IBS that you will possibly need.
