I guess if you are going to see a gastroenterologist, you are probably going to be given a colonscopy. That means if they don't find anything wrong with you, you will be told you JUST have IBS!
The tests they choose all depends on what symptoms you have and what your gastroenterologist decides after discussing this with you and examining you.So you could be asked to have a scan or colonoscopy, or more diverse blood tests , but they could decide these aren't warranted at the time you are examined.
IBS is a syndrome which is illness which displays a common set of symptoms that occur together that can't be specified as being caused by another condition.
Often IBS is diagnosed by the gastroenterologist when all other tests come back as normal , as a diagnosis of elimination, and they can't establish the known cause.
IBS is often a condition that is triggered by other illnesses as well , so sometimes you might be diagnosed with XXX and IBS.
It's important to prepare for your appointment to get the most out of it.
Keep a diary of your symptoms , then write a list of them ,and how often they happen to tell the doctor.
If you know you get worse symptoms from doing certain things or eating certain things write a list of these too.
Also , although unpleasant, be able to tell them how many times you have a bowel movement per day or week and if it is unusual in colour , shape or wateryness.
Tell them if you ever notice blood in your stool or urine when you go.
Think about a good way to describe what you pain feels like and if it happens commonly at a specific time , like before or just after going to the toilet.
Include other symptoms that may be happening which aren't in the stomach but seemed to happen more often since the stomach issue occurred like headache, migraine, dizziness, sweats or chills , palpitations or feeling of heart beat , back pain , blurred vision or brain fog.
Write a full list of your medications and supplements to share with them so they can see if you might need changes , or know what they can prescribe which will fit in with what you already take.
Write and share a list of any intolerances or allergies you have , if you don't know if you could be intolerant to certain things but feel your symptoms get worse with certain things ask if you can be tested for intolerances.
Write a list of questions you want answered too , yes , it's a lot of lists but it's worth doing and ticking off things so they aren't forgotten because we are all usually a bit stressed at appointments and will forget things then kick ourselves fifteen minutes later when we've left.
And , and this will sound bizarre , but take photos to show them on a tablet if you can of any visible things that happen. I got the furthest in getting them to believe my comments by taking photos half an hour apart after a meal by showing just how swollen my stomach became ( from the side I looked pregnant in the first then my stomach was flat again in the next one). Unpleasant, but I took photos if some of my weirdest poos!!
Often it seems in medicine it is only seeing that is believing for doctors and if you have no symptoms (asymptomatic) on the day of the appointment and tests are clear they are more likely to dismiss the issue.
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IBS says gastroenterologist but,
Cured from IBS-like diarrhea after Prednisone. Gastroenterologist doesn't think so.
Colonoscopy Referral
Dairy Intolerance, not IBS - referral to dietician
