SHOULD I SEE MY DOCTOR?

You may have had symptoms for many years without seeking
help from your doctor, and this is fine as long as you are
coping well. Obviously, your doctor is there to help you if
symptoms become troublesome or interfere with your life.
If you develop any of the alarm symptoms listed on the next
page you should certainly ask for advice.

Medical advice

Alarm Symptoms

These symptoms are not usually associated with IBS but may be associated with other diseases. If you experience any of these you should see your doctor: 

If I see my doctor what tests might I have?

Your general practitioner will want to rule out other diseases, but will probably be able to make a diagnosis based on the symptoms that you describe. On occasions it may be necessary to do simple blood tests to rule out anaemia, to make sure the liver and thyroid gland are working properly and to exclude any evidence of inflammation within the bowel. You might also have a blood test to look for intolerance to wheat.

How can I help myself?

A healthy lifestyle may improve symptoms. Particular care should be given to your eating habits and to develop a regular routine for opening your bowels. You may find that particular foods trigger an attack of pain. Keeping a food diary together with a record of bowel symptoms may be helpful since you might be able to see whether there is a pattern. Foods which commonly cause upset include wheat products, dairy products, onions, nuts and caffeine-containing drinks such as coffee, tea and cola. Some patients cannot digest lactose (which is the sugar in milk) and so develop wind and diarrhoea after taking large amounts of milk or dairy products which can include cream, cheese, yoghurt and chocolate. 


What treatments might I be offered?

If a dietary cause is suspected your doctor may be able to give you some advice on what to eat or may suggest that you see a dietitian to identify foods that upset you. You may be asked to leave out particular sorts of foods from your diet, such as wheat, to see whether that helps. Alternatively it might be suggested that you try an ‘exclusion diet’, where a number of different foods which commonly upset patients with IBS are excluded from the diet. If your symptoms improve, individual items can then be added back into your diet until the specific food or foods that seem to upset you are identified. If constipation is the main problem then bulking agents such as natural bran, bran-containing cereals and ispaghula husk (a natural laxative) are helpful.