"So I have IBS, what does that mean as I need more Irritable Bowel Syndrome patient information?"

Well done, you have taken the first steps to knowing more about IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome.I expect your doctor has told you a bit about Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but I would like to go through this again with you as there are some important points and IBS patient information is important:

First, it is a chronic condition. There, not something you want to hear first, but let’s be honest, it’s important to know! This means symptoms are going to be present to some extent all the time and are unlikely to fully go away. Fortunately, the symptoms are of varying degrees (especially diarrhoea and constipation), so it’s not all 'doom and gloom' and remember, there are ways of improving your symptoms, so for more patient information read on!

When doctors diagnose this disorder, they look for a pattern of symptoms that are described in something called the Rome III criteria. The main symptoms are a 'triad' of change in bowel habit (diarrhoea/diarrhea, constipation), wind ( bloating or swelling of the abdomen) and pain. These symptoms occur to some degree in all sufferers.

IBS is a COMMON disorder so you are not alone! You are likely to know friends and family with the condition. In fact in the UK 1 in 5 people have it and this is similar in the USA. So, it really is common, but Symptoms do vary so not everyone seeks help particularly when in its mildest form they are also unlikely to talk about it either, through fear or stigma. I hope this website will help you break through that barrier as I really believe keeping your symptoms bottled up makes symptoms worse. So start talking about it now, after all, I do every day!

"So who gets Irritable Bowel Syndrome or IBS?" Well the answer is we all can! It is no respecter of sex or age. Women are twice as likely to get it as men and most commonly in those between the ages of 20 and 40 years old. If over 45, with new onset of diarrhoea, constipation or abdominal pain then it is important to have the symptoms investigated further as similar symptoms can occur in other bowel diseases (such as inflammatory bowel disease and Coeliac disease ) as well as bowel cancer. So if you know someone in this group ask them to get it investigated!

Sadly, at present, there is no cure for the condition, but that doesn’t mean ‘that’s it’. There is plenty more to look at and plenty of ways to help with your symptoms and that is why you are here I guess? So read on for more irritable Bowel Syndrome patient information....

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