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IBS-A With Alternating Constipation And Diarrhea
So, you have IBS-A with alternating constipation and diarrhea, the commonest form of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This condition is not only common; it is one of the most extraordinary combinations of illness when you think about it, I mean constipation and diarrhea!!!Most IBS sufferers have a degree of constipation or diarrhea although one form often predominates over the other. But to have literally constipation and then diarrhea to varying degrees makes it a lose-lose situation to some people. Why? Because in some ways, it is the hardest to treat as most treatments that are aimed at constipation can make the diarrhea worse and then diarrhea treatment can make constipation worse! Similar to other forms of IBS, it can be associated with abdominal pain, wind, bloating, tiredness, nausea and fatigue. Diagnosing IBS-A with alternating constipation and diarrhea-ADiagnosing your alternating IBS symptoms is fairly straight forward and encompassed in the Rome Criteria for diagnosing Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Essentially, you have to have had symptoms for 3 months, with the alternating bowel habit associated with abdominal pain. This isn’t difficult to diagnose, but concerns are always raised if there is any family history of bowel cancer or if someone presents with the symptoms of new onset and are over the age of 50 years. In these situations, the bowels should be investigated further and the best way of doing this usually is with a colonoscopy procedure . Diverticular disease commonly causes similar symptoms to this form of IBS too so it’s also worth considering, particularly when symptoms start later in life. Treating IBS-A SymptomsTreating your alternating IBS symptoms is difficult as outlined earlier. Most treatments are aimed at the most predominant symptom, so if this is diarrhea, medication that controls the bowel frequency can sometimes help as well as minerals such as calcium. If constipation is the predominant symptom, high fiber and laxatives may help some suffers along with other treatments such as magnesium. The best treatment option for you though, doesn’t involve medication. IBS lifestyle changes are a very important IBS-A treatment. Lack of exercise, poor diet and smoking may all have an effect on symptoms. We know that a lot of people don't exercise enough, have a poor fluid intake and a poor diet too. Does this sound familiar to you? Do you drink enough fluids? We know most people don’t realise how much fluid they actually do drink. Poor fluid intake or inappropriate fluid intake is common in alternating IBS. Excessive caffeine from drinking too much tea or coffee can have a detrimental effect on your IBS symptoms. Avoiding caffeine can make a significant difference to some sufferers. Increasing fluid intake to at least 2 ½ to 3 litres a day makes the stool softer when you are constipated and makes going to the toilet easier to manage. Water or juices are by far the best way of achieving this and measuring the quantity of fluid you are taking in can be very helpful so you know exactly how much volume you really are taking in. The single most important way of managing your IBS-A symptoms is through diet. Diet has an influence in most cases and is definitely proven in up to 70% of cases. I suspect you have already noticed certain foods make your symptoms worse, but to be sure of this it is always worthwhile keeping a food diary of everything you eat and drink. Do this over a few weeks and you may see a pattern emerge when your symptoms are bad. I would strongly recommend that you look in the IBS diet section to learn more about this. Other Web Pages On This Site That May Interest YouTreatment for IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms Irritable Bowel Syndrome foods IBS symptoms forum Treatment for bloating Irritable Bowel Syndrome natural cures Medicinal uses of aloe vera Getting In Touch With Other IBS-A SufferersBelow, you will see a submission form for you to fill in if you would like to provide details of your IBS-A. This is totally anonymous (unless you wish to put your name to it and “come out”). It is a way of opening up about your symptoms and helping others too. Perhaps outline what works best for you and what makes things worse. Get in touch with other sufferers too. If you are submitting details, you should try to make it at least 300 to 400 words long. Why? Because when you submit your discussion topic, you create a web page on the site. We know that search engines expect web pages to be at least 300 to 400 words long, otherwise they penalise the website so I can’t publish anything less (yes, don't blame me on this one, but Its always nice to read a story rather than a snippet!). It's also really benefit to you too as a long submission is more likely to gain a response from fellow sufferers. If you really can’t manage that sort of length, I will try to incorporate what you have said in to the main web page, but only if I feel it adds content that others will find of benefit. Share Your IBS Story With Other SufferersShare your IBS with other sufferers here as outlined. To Return From IBS-A To The Best Colon Cleanse Page Click Here To Return From IBS-A To The IBS Help Online Homepage Click Here |
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