IBS symptoms and causes

by Geoff
(Manchester, England)

About Your IBS symptoms and Causes

My GP and Consultants think I may have IBS after various tests, examinations and endoscopies have revealed no other possible causes. They have not been able to prescribe any effective treatments so far.

My symptoms include discomfort in the lower abdomen and rectum during the night, only alleviated if and when I break wind. This feeling can leave me awake for up to an hour, sometimes more than once, when I'm in bed. It often continues when I get up.

On most mornings I need to 'empty' my bowels fairly soon after rising (apostrophes will be explained shortly). This is invariably a prolonged - half an hour - uncomfortable procedure, entailing much wind and usually bitty, almost diarrhoea-like stools. But pretty much every day I need to go back to the toilet to empty my bowels again. So it's quite 'normal' for me to use the toilet three times a day, twice before lunch, occasionally four in all.

Discomfort recurs sometimes after I begin to feel as though I have finished using the toilet, again relieved by wind when that happens. The pattern results in my being unable to go out for any length of time until the
mid afternoon for most days.

I have tried some herbal or natural medicines as well as those that have been prescribed. I have also monitored my diet, finding only that a few things - spinach, rocket, aubergines - aggravate the symptoms.

Can you suggest anything that may help, please, and offer an opinion as to whether this could in fact be IBS?

Thanks

Answer: About Your IBS symptoms and Causes

Geoff, your symptoms as I see it are mainly night time abdominal pain and wind with morning urgency. You have clearly been diagnosed with IBS symptoms and causes other than this have been largely excluded. Whilst I suspect that this is IBS, my only reservation is your night time symptoms which are rare with IBS. One other condition that springs to mind is small bowel bacterial overgrowth. This could potentially cause all of your symptoms and it is important that you check that this has been excluded. It is normally diagnosed after a Glucose-Hydrogen breath test and treatment is in the form of recurrent antibiotic courses interspersed with probiotics.

Well done for monitoring your diet, but I think it is important that you make sure you have a low fibre diet in your situation. Also make sure you keep away from caffeine in tea and coffee (plus carbonated drinks) and avoid alcohol. You can read more on by going to the IBS diet page.