I.B.S. stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and is the most common condition to affect the gut. However,as many other bowel conditions can cause similar symptoms, it is important that you get this diagnosis from your doctor.
IBS is a problem of bowel function rather than structure so during investigations there is nothing abnormal to find and therefore a diagnosis of IBS is based on symptoms alone using a system known as the Rome IV Criteria (released in 2016) which states the following:
“Recurrent abdominal pain, on average, at least 1 day per week in the last 3 months associated with two or more of the following criteria:
- Related to defecation
- Associated with a change in frequency of stool
- Associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool
Whilst this is a little complicated, it is basically saying if you’ve had changes in your bowel habits over a period of 3 months (and anything serious has been ruled out) you’ve probably got IBS. The following symptoms also are considered in the diagnosis:
- Fewer than three bowel movements per week
- More than three bowel movements per day
- Hard or lumpy stools (constipation)
- Loose or watery stools (diarrhoea)
- Straining during a bowel movement
- Urgency (having to rush to have a bowel movement)
- Feeling of incomplete bowel movement
- Passing mucus (white material) during a bowel movement
- Abdominal fullness, bloating or swelling
- Lower abdominal pain
- Wind with distension of abdomen, rumbling and flatulence
- Nausea
- Rectal pain
If you suffer from any of these symptoms, and have been diagnosed by a doctor, following my ‘4 Steps to IBS Freedom’ system may help to improve your symptoms and allow you to transform the quality of your life.....
