Abdominal pain the prime symptom of IBS

The prime symptom of IDS is abdominal pain, so this is the first and the most important symptom to consider. In fact, without being, it is actually not possible to make a firm diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. Many experiments being carried out on IBS sufferers and it has been found that in IBS patients there is something called visceral hypersensitivity, which simply means that the gut is more sensitive to pain in irritable bowel syndrome patients. Despite their sensitivity, the gut still appears to be quite healthy.

It has been suggested that because the gut appears healthy, that the cause of the pain is not in the gut at all but in the brain. Perhaps in IBS, the stresses and strains of modern life can lead to increased sensitivity in the brain itself, which may lead to pain signals in IBS patients. Another explanation may be that there are simply more signals coming from the gut to the brain. These theories have yet to be confirmed by research. IBS patients can find it very frustrating when the doctor can’t seem to determine the source of the abdominal pain, as a painful abdominal region is difficult to identify. For a doctor to correctly identify the cause of the pain it is important to know not just where the pain comes from but also when it comes, and also whether it follows certain activities such as eating meals or physical exertion. It is also crucial to discover any factors that may make the pain better or worse, such as deep breathing, or a change in posture. In IBS sufferers the whole gut is a potential source of pain and more than one site can be involved in any individual patient. It is therefore more important when diagnosing IBS to consider the nature of the pain itself rather than where the pain is coming from.

A good doctor will of course ask all these questions when trying to identify the patients problem. Prior to visiting your doctor it makes sense to think about the nature of your pain so you can provide accurate answers, questions your doctor may ask include:-

• Where is the pain felt?
• Where does the pain spread to?
• When does the pain come on?
• What makes the pain better, can you do anything to relieve the pain?
• Does anything make the pain worse?

IBS pain normally occurs across the belly and below the navel, but as discussed can arise anywhere in the abdominal area. It is often associated with bloating and can often occur when you start eating. In women, it is common for this abdominal pain to be worse in the days leading up to the periods. Characteristically this pain is relieved to some degree by passing wind or a stool.

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What are the symptoms of IBS?

Symptoms of IBS
As the diagnosis and effective treatment of IBS are based entirely on symptoms, it is crucial that patients describe symptoms correctly, no matter how embarrassing they may be. IBS is a very common complaint nowadays and all the symptoms of IBS can be the result of a wide range of differing problems. Doctors use the term chronic to describe symptoms that are persistent and long-lasting. It is important to distinguish chronic symptoms from those symptoms that may occur suddenly and a short lived. It is important that patients describe symptoms correctly and differentiate between chronic and normal symptoms. Many patients believe chronic pain to be pain that is particularly severe as opposed to pain that is persistent and long-lasting. If such terms are misunderstood it can lead to problems with diagnosis.

In summary irritable bowel syndrome symptoms are not all in the mind and can all be treated to some extent. A little bowel syndrome is not a dangerous disease but it can have serious implications on your quality of life. IBS is essentially involves persistent pain in the abdomen which no other cause can be found. IBS symptoms can include diarrhoea, constipation and abdominal bloating.

It is vital to be accurate about your symptoms so that you can give your doctor and accurate description. The questions that you will need to answer include:

• Where exactly do you feel the abdominal pain?
• When you do feel abdominal pain what makes it feel worse, or better?
• How often do you need to go to the lavatory?
• Do you ever have to rush to the lavatory for fear of having an accident?
• When on the lavatory do you strain to pass anything at all?
• What do your stools look like? (This will entail examining your stools on a regular basis)

The answers to the above questions will help to confirm or deny symptoms of IBS, remember not all bowel/digestion issues mean IBS!

Malfermentation and IBS

The modern-day diets tend to contain lots of highly processed convenience foods that are often low in fibre. Fibre can be found in whole grains, bread, vegetables, pulses such as beans and lentils and peas, nuts, seeds and fruits. Fibre has an important role in absorbing fluid from the gut which produces soft stools that are easy to pass. Fibre also has other benefits such as reducing the absorption of cholesterol, reducing the risk of gallstones and helping to prevent piles.

We all there is little doubt that high fibre diets can be helpful for IBS sufferers, for some the high-fibre will create more wind, bloating and diarrhoea. The foods that tend to make wins and bloating words are dried fruits and nuts, baked beans and vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower. Fizzy drinks such as cola and beer can also increase wind.

Reducing bacterial activity in the bowel has been shown to help many patients. This was first realised when some patients found their IBS symptoms temporarily improved after a course of antibiotics prescribed for an infection. This suggests that bacteria in the gut can be a cause of IBS symptoms.

If you are an IBS sufferer there are basically two forms of diets that will help to reduce malfermentation. One is that all fibre diets and the other is the exclusion diet. The law fibre diets is probably the most straightforward diets for the treatment of IBS. For this reason it is normally the first diets recommended by doctors. The exclusion diets will help to find out whether you have any specific food intolerance is although it can be difficult to pinpoint the individual foods that are causing the problems. There are some foods that are more likely to be responsible for IBS symptoms than others, however the only be to decide which foods cause your symptoms is to test them individually. Before starting any diets always discuss it with your doctor. Common foods that have proven to be the source of the problems in many patients, including beef, potatoes, citrus fruits, wheat, daily products, fizzy drinks and yeasts.

Gluten is the protein found in meat and other cereals. Many people suffer from a gluten intolerance to various degrees (some patients may not even be aware of this intolerance). And in free diets will involve avoiding wheat, rye and barley, and all products containing them.

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Confusion around IBS

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), is an ailment involving the bowels or intestines, in particular the colon or large bowel. IBS can be difficult to diagnose correctly as the major symptoms which includes, diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pain and constipation are quite common complaints in the modern world.

These symptoms can also be the result of many other conditions, including bowel cancer. If you regularly experience any of these symptoms you should see your doctor as a precaution for the following medical checks, kidney function tests, thyroid function tests, liver function tests, tests for inflammation and examination of faeces for bacteria and parasites. For patients over the age of 45, it is advisable to have a large bowel examination by x-ray or colonoscopy to exclude cancer.

In the old days, many doctors believe that that IBS was simply a physcosomatic disease, caused by anxiety, depression or panic. The reason for this belief was the fact that no signs of disease could be found in the bowel to explain the symptoms. Nowadays, although it is known that psychological factors can affect IBS, this disease is no longer dismissed as largely all in the mind.

Many people still shoe that as no serious disease is found in the barrels that IBS is a trivial problem. This is far from the truth, although IBS is not a dangerous disease the effects and symptoms can be devastating for the patient.

The abdominal pain of irritable bowel syndrome can be most severe and have serious impacts on the patient’s everyday life. IBS is certainly not a minor problem in fact it is the commonest reason for referral to gastroenterology department’s worldwide. For example the annual costs of IBS in the UK alone are estimated at £46 million and in the USA over $1.6 billion!

If you believe you me have IBS you should visit your doctor to check that you are indeed suffering from IBS and get advice on any medication which may help the symptoms.

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• IBS Around the Web (fightingfatigue.org)
• What Is IBS (Spastic Colon) – Symptoms, Proper Diet, Coping With Stress (healthhype.com)
• Interstitial Cystitis & IBS Around the Web (fightingfatigue.org)
• Bowel Problems ~ Symptoms Diagnosis by a Doctor (healthhype.com)
• Causes of Chronic (Prolonged, Persistent, Constant) Diarrhea (healthhype.com)