Ibs or not

[LISaprag]

If a colonoscopy is normal does that mean I have ibs

[Linley]

It can.........but the Gastro should send a report to your GP and or to you informing you of the actual diagnosis

[LISaprag in reply to Linley]

Just said it was normal that’s all my doc says it could be ibs realated Symptoms not it is could be

[Monkeypuzzler]

My Son’s consultant diagnosed a ‘functional disorder - probably IBS’ however he doesn’t have classic IBS symptoms & we can’t identify a trigger. As they cannot test for IBS they need to rule things out & then they r left with the umbrella diagnosis of IBS in my opinion. They don’t actually know!

[LISaprag in reply to Monkeypuzzler]

Was his tests normal

[Monkeypuzzler in reply to LISaprag]

Yes capsule endoscopy came back normal although he had a raised calprotectin test before this when he was recovering from a bad flare up.

[LISaprag in reply to Monkeypuzzler]

What’s his symptoms is he young

[Monkeypuzzler in reply to LISaprag]

In flare up extreme nausea, stomach discomfort, unable to eat, feeling really ill, extreme weight loss. 8 months on still 2 stone weight down (he was slim to start with) occasional nausea so needs to eat every couple hours to keep it at bay, low level stomach discomfort always which can get worse when constipated (approx once a week) He is 18 years old but has a very limited life as won’t go out socialising or play sport as makes him feel worse 😕 he isn’t a stressed or anxious type of person but we had him checked by clinical psychologist in case he has subconscious anxiety but she concluded he doesn’t. GI consultant concluded he has slow motility/ peristalsis set off by a virus or attack to immune system. He had the movicol prep before capsule endoscopy & it didn’t do a thing, in fact no bowel motion for a week after. So that was a big factor in his diagnosis I think. His bowels aren’t a big problem usually, just once a week he may feel constipated.

It took him a year to recover from first episode 3 years ago but suspect this is the new norm for him now with symptoms he has 😕 it started in November following a virus. The first flare up was after taking Fluxocillin antibiotics, followed by nasty sting in sea. All checked out & found nothing untoward, parasites, H Pylori, Crohns etc.

We are trying Fodmap diet currently & will see nutritional therapist. Ionic zinc & MSM have also been recommended. His bloods have also been fine. I will be asking GP about Sibo

[Whitesugar]

There are other gut related conditions you can ask to be tested for e.g lactose intolerance, Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and Bile Acid Diarrhoea (BAD). A normal colonoscopy is good and means they did not find any ulcerative colitis, polyps, Crohns Disease or cancer. It should not be the end of investigations if you have a problem.

[LISaprag in reply to Whitesugar]

Didn’t think there was any other investigations they can do as never been offered them

[FRreedman]

The colonoscopy comes from the bottom up, there is also an endoscopy from the mouth or nose going down, which , between them cover almost the whole of the intestinal tract. However there are numerous other tests calprotectin, gall bladder, pancreas and probably may more, I have left out, all of which can cause varying symptoms and have differing causes. The diagnosis of IBS, basically means, we don't know what it is but we are sure there is something going on, and will treat it symptomatically.