Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

The most common symptoms of IBS are abdominal pain and cramping of the stomach. The rest of the symptoms vary largely. In some people, it is about discomfort while passing stools and inadequate stools. There may be a need for straining and still the quantity of motion passed may be very little. The feeling of fullness persists. In some others, it is diarrhea, sometimes with mucus and even blood in the motion. The diarrhea symptom often gives the feel for an urgent, uncontrollable need to pass motions. In some cases, both these sets of symptoms appear in turn. In many cases, these signs go into hiding for a few months and then resurface. In some others, they persist for months and even get worse with time.

Therefore, IBS and its symptoms are not a very straightforward case. All that can be taken as symptoms are bloating in the stomach, cramps, gas and either diarrhea or constipation, accompanied by mucus, blood or both in the stool.

In many cases, the signs of IBS are present along with another infection or disease, which is the reason why it is not easy to identify the disorder. In any case, IBS is a chronic disease, and sometimes, does not even respond to medication.

Symptoms usually get worse when one is under stress or even traveling, an extremely uncomfortable situation. The other triggers are the time around the menstrual periods in women, overeating or unhealthy binges in food, and even allergic reactions to certain foods.

Misleading IBS Symptoms

Having said that IBS is incurable, the good news is that most of the symptoms one may have to face are usually mild, and can be due to other disorders like stomach infections. Cramps, bloating or even diarrhea could be the sign of gastroenteritis, which is curable. There may be some other extremely general symptoms like back and groin pain, listlessness, depression, insomnia, and frequent urge to urinate.

The surest way to identify whether one is suffering from irritable bowel syndrome is to identify a pattern of the symptoms, because this is the first thing the doctor will ask you. Medical practitioners can, with the aid of some tests, also identify if the symptoms are caused by IBS or by something else. These usually include a blood test of colonoscopy. In any case, it is never a good idea to try to diagnose IBS by yourself, since it is next to impossible. At the least, each and every symptom of IBS can be confused with at least one other disease Crohn's Disease or even bowel cancer. In case of women, it could be endometriosis or even just plan lactose intolerance. So even if all the above symptoms are making you miserable, see a doctor before jumping to any conclusions.

Treatment

The best-known therapies for IBS patients are hypnotherapy and water therapy. Experts suggest a fiber supplement to take care of the motions troubles, they can ease constipation, and even act as a binder for loose motions. Cramps and pain in the abdomen can be helped by peppermint oil, a natural antispasmodic. It will also help to reduce the stress levels and anything that is known to set off an IBS attack, to escape severe episodes.

A good idea would be to cut back on gas producing foods and go easy on coffee, spicy or very hot food or anything that one may be sensitive to. Irritant of any kind can actually trigger an IBS attack, so it is best to avoid them.

IBS really has no cure, it is a symptomatic disease, and hence even medication may not help in the end. Once the doctor puts you on medication, do not jump to further conclusions and change the treatment to something more holistic. Even though other medical sciences may give you more relief, it makes sense to continue with your prescribed drugs for the period the doctor says so. You may be lucky. Besides, even when there is no known cure, there is regular scientific research under way that can and surely will identify elements that will one day be the cure for IBSs. So take heart.