i requested my results today and got sent a very comprehensive blood test result sheet and an online message “your results are satisfactory”. I feel like screaming obscenities! Nothing on the poo sample or any mention of IBS. I just got back from hols, after a month of cowpat it all ground to a complete halt to absolutely nothing. On all of your brilliant advice I downloaded a FODMAP app and have been looking at what might worry my poor tum. Despite a week of fish and chips, pub dinners and disrupted mealtimes (and the fear of ‘oh my god what if i need a poo at the beach???’) I’ve been fine until 2 days after i got home. Veggies containing polyols don’t appear to be my friend.
That said, the GP was most unhelpful. Despite requesting a call-back, i ended up with a generic email. I don’t feel any better off than I was before feeling like i might as well self-diagnose myself….
oops that ended up being a rant! Thank you to anyone who was prepared to read that! Apart from calling the blimmin GP, what next???
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Artyfartymum
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It took years for me to get my GPs to take my gut issues seriously. Polite persistence may be required. They often assume that patients don't have the knowledge to understand test results, which is infuriating. You often need to be your own advocate, so learn as much as you can about your condition and challenge them. Ask if you can be referred to a gastroenterologist for example. Some GPs have very little knowledge about gut issues, but very few will admit this. So basically, very often, they are just winging it in the hope you will go away.
Oh no how frustrating. I’ve been on a similar journey and it’s so hard. I also feel like I’m self diagnosing I know that dairy is a trigger for me but I still have bouts of severe stomach cramps and diarrhoea which are unexplained. We are going on a camping trip and I am so nervous about getting any issues whilst we are away.
I would make sure you get listened to. Keep hassling them until you get the treatment you need. Tell them it’s affecting your life and stopping you doing things you want to do. That’s what I did and I finally have an appointment with a real live doctor. After almost 3 years.
Don’t give up, they are supposed to help us and not fob us off. You need and deserve their help. Try and get a referral to a specialist. Even if there is a long wait you’ll have started the process. Good luck.
Try to book an appointment with a different GP. If in the UK, they are meant to give you an absolute diagnosis:nhs.uk/conditions/irritable...
Once you are diagnosed, they are meant to help you manage your symptoms. One option is to be referred to a FODMAP trained dietitian, since you are not meant to go through this on your own since it can be complicated.
If you are diagnosed with IBS, in the first instance you could try a scientifically tested probiotic such as Alflorex or Symprove. Alflorex helped me. Many people's IBS (but not all) can be due to a gut bacterial imbalance. Alflorex can help bring things back in balance, making you more tolerant to a wider range of foods. Your gut becomes more healthy with eating a diverse diet. The best diet for your gut is the Mediterranean diet (oily fish, fibre, fruit, nuts, seeds, vegetables, pulses and small amount of lean protein). Some of these can be challenging for IBS sufferers since these foods can feed both good and bad bugs in your system. Any dominant bad bugs can give you IBS symptoms, which is why probiotics can help bring these under control and reduce symptoms. Once symptoms are reduced, you can try to expand your diet.
If you have an NHS logon - you would have needed that for a Covid PAssport, then you can use that for Evergreen life
Sadly, this dismissive response from GP's seems to be all too common. Mine was great at getting all my tests and scans organised, but then when the IBS diagnosis came through she dropped me like a hot brick. I realise there is not much they can do with IBS, but all I got was a link to NHS Direct, which I had already looked at anyhow.
Once you are labelled with Ibs symptoms, you are done, for everything you go to the doctors for is put down to Ibs, there is no chance that they will deviate from this.
How long should one expect to wait for results from a stool sample? Just so I’m not being a difficult patient….I went back to re-request ALL of my results today and was sent the blood tests results again! Should I expect to find my poo sample results within these or would they come separately? Don’t want to be hassling GP for these if they’re meant to take few weeks to return!
As others have said- you get a few tests to rule out cancer, celiac disease, inflammatory markers- they’re all pretty basic to rule out anything definitive- if nothing is found there is usually a stony silence- you end up feeling like you’re pestering them, and they’re all rolling their eyeballs whenever you contact them. You could contact them and just say ‘please could you send me the results of the stool sample test I had recently.’ Just be clear and precise. My practice doesn’t give you access to your records but other practices do if you request it.
It's soooo frustrating isn't it , I've had some of what you describe and as you say @@@@@!!, I joined a hospital app called patients know best , where consultants and houseman , results etc are sent to you ,great I thought ,shat a waste of time yes you get results and follow up appointments , but the results are illegible to anyone who's not medically trained ,and there's no note say anything such as good bad or otherwise ahhhhhhhhh , sorry for rant feel better now .
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GP responsibilities. 
Been told IBS got second opinion and GP wasn't convinced 
Advice please. Am I being fobbed off by GP!!
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My GP thinks it is IBS, but I am unconvinced
