Does this sound like IBD?

[ccerulean]

My boyfriend has always had some GI issues. He'll get a flare up where he gets very painful bloody diarrhea for one day. This will put him into a cycle where he is extremely constipated followed by diarrhea and intense stomach pain once it releases. This will go on back and forth for a couple months and then he's ok. Until the next flare up.

He's had a lower GI series with barium enema years ago but the docs didn't find anything unusual. Now with my recent Crohn's diagnosis, and hearing all the scary inflammation things I'm reading about, he's wondering if he should see a specialist again. Or perhaps this is IBS? Thoughts?

 

[sfmreb2]

Sounds to me like he needs to keep pushing Until the finally figure out what's wrong.

 

[UnXmas]

Passing blood rules out an IBS diagnosis.

Crohn's and colitis are quite common causes of his symptoms, but there are other possibilities.

He'd need to see a doctor and get some tests done again to know what the problem is. Initially they will probably do quite simple tests, such as blood tests to check for nutrient deficiencies and inflammation markers, and stool tests to check for bleeding. A rectal exam could also be done to check for some causes of bleeding, such as haemorrhoids. After that, scopes or imaging studies may be suggested, as this does sound like something he should be getting treatment for.