Diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Diagnosis of IBS can be made a number of ways, you can see your GP or by referral to a Gastroenterologist. Your healthcare team to may include a Nutritionist or Dietician and they can help provide you guidance on lifestyle and dietary intake. The tests recommended by Health by Design Hub's Nutritionists can act as markers and help differentiate between inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel. However should you feel things are more serious, in every instance we always recommend you seek medical advice.
Whichever healthcare professional you are visiting, you will be asked about your symptoms, so very often, it is a good idea to keep a diary of your food intake and when symptoms show. You will be asked about your bowel movements or pain that you may be feeling, when you notice it and what makes it better or worse.
Getting to the root cause of why you have IBS is important and your GP/Nutritionist may recommend you have blood tests to help determine what responses your body goes through.
In the meantime we have put together a useful IBS Relief Guide which can provide you with a greater understanding of gut issues and why they occur.
Should you have unexplained weight loss or blood or mucus in your stool or diarrhoea that lasts longer than 6 weeks, then we recommend that you see your doctor. You may be advised to take further tests if advised.