IBS is not a diagnosis

[Crohnie1023]

I guess I just felt the need to say this. I have had this discussion with my own Drs and they readily admit this. It's a label one is given when they don't know WHAT is wrong with you. Years ago peptic ulcer disease was attributed to stress and lifestyle. Now we know that H. pylori plays a role in many cases. Celiac disease is all the rage now because previously it was poorly understood. Some day they will discover the cause of IBS symptoms ....just as hopefully someday they will find the cause of IBD.

 

[nogutsnoglory]

IBS is a diagnosis for unexplained gastrointestinal issues. So, you are right, it's basically doctors saying we aren't sure. IBS unlike IBD is not a disease but just functional symptoms that can affect ones life. I don't think they can ever declare one reason for IBS, I imagine there are multiple factors and some have it due to poor genes, medication side effects, or some unknown allergies.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Crohnie1023, I agree with you, so many doctors are so quick to slap an IBS label on any type of gastro symptoms. I've heard that some doctors don't feel IBS is even a real thing, that everyone with significant gastro symptoms has something else "real" going on (things like IBD, food allergies, celiac, bacteria or parasite, etc). That theory definitely has some merit - certainly from the stories of every undiagnosed person I've read on the forum, most of them sound like much more than "just IBS" to me, but most of them have been told by at least one doctor that they've got IBS. That's so frustrating especially when it's clearly not IBS! It's a lazy catch-all "diagnosis" that most people just should not accept.

I seem to recall that you're diagnosed but your son is still undiagnosed, correct? Are his doctors trying to slap the IBS label on him and give him the brush-off, or are they still fighting to find the reason behind your son's symptoms? I'm just wondering if your son's struggles are the reason behind this IBS vent - if so, I'm sorry to hear it, I am undiagnosed myself and I know how frustrating it is to be given the IBS label.

 

[UnXmas]

I completely agree, though I actually think that: 1. Many, many conditions get diagnosed as IBS. I don't think it's that it has a cause, an illness that has not been identified yet. I think there are many unidentified digestive conditions which all get labelled as IBS. And 2. I think many people diagnosed with IBS actually have illnesses that are known about and which do show up on tests, it's just that doctors diagnose IBS not just when the actual cause is unidentifiable, but also when they just haven't bothered to do enough tests. E.g. many people are diagnosed as having IBS but then much later find out it's Crohn's.

I feel the biggest problem with the diagnosis, however, is that most doctors seem to automatically assume that if a person has IBS, their symptoms cannot be that bad, that it can't possibly be serious, and that it's probably due to the patient living an unhealthy lifestyle or being useless at handling stress. And the association between IBS and stress leads to some of the negative opinions doctors have of mental illness. With IBS it's like the burden of getting better lies almost entirely on the patient.

(And yes, I was also misdiagnosed with IBS for a long time. If you want to vent, Crohnie1023, people here will understand what you and your son are going through.)

 

[Aidy]

Yes if in doubt it's IBS or maybe just a virus! I know it's not always that easy for GP to diagnose Crohn's disease because of the way the disease can present itself but if a patient keeps returning it should flag up concerns. I was told I had IBS for five years before I was diagnosed. I believe the last GP thought of me as hypochondriac and strangely prescribed an inhaler to placate me.

On the upside some scientist in Ireland have found a protein that might make Crohn's a simpler disease to diagnose.

 

[Crohnie1023]

Aidy that's interesting. I test positive for crohns in the IBD panel but my son does not. I am also HLA-B27 positive and ANA positive. But again these r only clues.

 

[Cross-stitch gal]

Strange thing is that if IBS isn't a diagnosis, I sometimes seem to find more info on it and Crohn's more often than IBD and Ulcerative Colitis/Proctitis...

I'm not saying that you guys are wrong though. Just something to point out and keep in mind...

 

[Ihurt]

Doctors like to throw around the IBS diagnosis. It is the card they pull out when they do not know what is wrong. Unfortunately, you are going to have to be your own advocate and push for answers. I know for me, being chronically ill for so long, I have learned that if you want answers, you are going to have to do the research and sometimes you will need more than one opinion. Sometimes you will need many before you find the right one. Good luck.

 

[Little Bear]

My gastro is desperately trying to slap the IBS label on me, although he's done a hasty U-turn since it came back I'm suffering bile malabsorption. He only tested for SIBO because I asked. Now he's doing a radio isotope study where they tag white blood cells and put them back and scan you for inflammation where the cells collect.

I ate dried banana yesterday and now am so sick my guts are so swollen I'd been fairly good for a while after antibiotics for an ear infection. So fed up

 

[Naturelover]

I'm so frustrated! How can the docs say IBS when they don't run any tests? I've been suffering for years. How do you get the docs to do their job and help you?

 

[PVail]

IBS well what does it mean ? What is a syndrome ?. I believe its a real cop out by the health service. For a few years I was in agony everyday ,had all the visual symptoms of IBD everyday , I was scanned non stop in the lower bowel and not much showed up . I was put on Asacol and within a month I dramatically came round and then got worse again . I went to my doctor repeatedly until I just felt embarrassed and began to doubt my sanity.
How does a doctor sit there and say IBS when they know there are definite issues and dont tell me im fine when blood and mucus are coming out of me on a daily basis. I had external lumps under my arms , eye pain ,sensitivity to light , aching joints and still they said IBS.
It was only discovered when after getting rid of a H pylori infection I had terrible pain . So eventually I had Crohns of the Ileum and to be honest my meds are much the same as when they called it IBS or more of. I believe my meds are much to weak to knock it down but Im up against the same storey , Im managing fine so they wont make any effort. If I lay down on the floor maybe they would do something but I guess ive got more tolerant of this condition and handle it better. My review is 4 months overdue .
IBS what a scam.

 

[Naturelover]

IBS Definitions:

IBS - I Bull Shi*#*n' you.:hallo3:

IBSC - I Bull Shi*#*n' you. Confused?:yrolleyes:

IBSD - I Bull Shi*#*n' you. Duh!:devil:

My IBS-C is turning out to be slow transit constipation and now waiting on biopsy results from colonoscopy. Got a polyp and granular mucosa in the colon.

oo: