Diagnosis Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome

There is often a long, drawn out diagnosis period when it comes to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Because a lot of the symptoms (ex, abdominal pain, nausea, changes in bathroom habits) are non-specific, meaning they could be the result of any number of things, doctors kind of need to rule out a lot before making a diagnosis. This can be very frustrating for patients and their loved ones because without an official diagnosis of IBS, most doctors are reluctant to treat a patient. Obviously, without proper treatment and care, the odds of someone’s quality of life improving are not very high.

The process of a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome can be grueling for many patients. Oftentimes a person has to go through mountains of tests which
I don’t mean to sound negative even though I am sure it is coming off that way. I am merely someone who suffered from my own chronic, invisible illness (ulcerative colitis) for 12 years before opening up to anyone who wasn’t my parents about what I was going through. And what helped me was seeing other people either write or share a video about the hard times and feelings they either had experienced or was currently struggling with. It made me feel less alone and empowered me to want to open up more, help people and continue to connect with others who understood and got
Other people don’t want to go the medication route and try all possible dietary and lifestyle changes that can be made. Even if at the end of the day those changes help improve quality of life for that person, that too can also be a trial and error process that comes with frustration and loneliness. Lots of times, the treatment that works best for IBS sufferers is a combination of various types of therapy but even small changes can improve symptoms a bit making life a little easier to get