Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

source: http://www.webmd.com/ibs/guide/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs-cause, http://www.webmd.com/ibs/guide/irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs-exams-and-tests, http://www.webmd.com/ibs/guide/should-i-have-tests-for-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs, http://www.webmd.com/ibs/guide/coping-with-ibs, http://www.ibstales.com/mark-pimentel.htm

The exact cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is not known. However, health experts believe faulty communication between the brain and the intestinal tract causes the symptoms of IBS.

A complex combination of elements, including psychological stress, hormones, theimmune system, and chemicals called neurotransmitters, appears to interfere with messages between the brain and the bowel. The miscommunication causes abnormal muscle contractions or spasms, which often cause cramping pain. The spasms may either speed the passage of stool, causing diarrhea, or slow it down, causing constipation or bloating.

I got it, which I thought is due to blood sugar...the doctor suspect metformin...but now I seem to be able to rule out both... which leave stress...the only factor...

Bloating start after I stop metformin initially, but nowaday mostly diarrhea...occasionally abdominal cramping near the left lower colon.

Symptoms often occur after a meal..

Backache.

Fatigue.

Anxiety or depression.

Heart palpitations (feeling like the heart  fluttering).

are the symptoms I came across..

Tests may include:

• Medical history and physical examination.
• Complete blood count (CBC), which provides information about the kinds and numbers of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets in the blood; andsedimentation rate, which checks for inflammation in the body.
• Stool analysis, which may include testing for blood in the stool (fecal occult blood test), infection (stool culture), or parasites (ova and parasites test).
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy, which allows a health professional to look inside the lower part of the large intestine for abnormal growths (such as tumors or polyps), inflammation, bleeding, hemorrhoids, and other conditions (such asdiverticulosis).
• Colonoscopy, which allows a doctor to look at the lining of the entire large intestine (rectum and colon) through a thin, flexible viewing instrument called a colonoscope. The colonoscope helps the doctor detect polyps, tumors, and areas of inflammation or bleeding.

Thyroid function tests are occasionally done.

In some cases, treatment with diet or medicines may not help. If diarrhea is the main symptom and it is not getting any better, a blood test for celiac disease may be done. Celiac disease is a lifelong (chronic) condition in which foods that contain gluten-a form of protein found in some grains, notably wheat, barley, and rye-damage the small intestine, making it unable to properly absorb nutrients. Celiac disease may cause symptoms similar to IBS symptoms.

If the diagnosis is unclear after routine tests and you have other symptoms or pain in an area of the abdomen that may indicate a different problem, further tests may be done to clarify the diagnosis. These tests may include:

• Upper endoscopy, which allows your doctor to look at the lining of youresophagus, stomach, and the first part of your small intestine (duodenum) through a thin, flexible viewing instrument called an endoscope. The endoscope helps your doctor look for ulcers, inflammation, tumors, infection, or bleeding.
• Upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series, which examines the upper and part of the middle portions of the digestive tract. After you swallow a "shake" made of barium and water, X-rays are taken to track the movement of the barium through the esophagus, stomach, and first part of the small intestine (duodenum) usingfluoroscopy connected to a video monitor.
• Gallbladder ultrasound, which can provide a picture of the gallbladder.
• Barium enema, an X-ray examination of the large intestine (colon and rectum) or small intestine.

If results of the above tests don't show any clear problem, further testing, such as an abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan may be needed to check forinflammatory bowel disease or other problems.

I do got backpain, and doctor do suspect gallbladder stone...done colonscopy, but didn't detect anything wrong...

Coping with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) presents a number of daily challenges. While there is no cure for the disorder, treatments are available for this medical condition.

Movement problems of the small intestine result in bacterial overgrowth in IBS. The concept that disordered small bowel motor function.