Why does everyone confuse IBD with IBS?????

You are NOT alone in your frustration, huk. I guess one source of the confusion is the fact that WAY MORE people suffer from IBS, so it's much more common for doctors and nurses to come across that particular ailment. Like I said in another post today... docs and nurses don't like being confronted with ailments they know little about, and even the specialists are in the dark with us IBD-ers sometimes... imagine how the regular docs and nurses must feel! They're often clueless, but somehow they think we won't notice. Pah!

What actually annoys me more than that... while we're on the topic... are people who say "oh yeah, I know EXACTLY how you feel because I have IBS." I wouldn't say such a thing even if I were talking to another crohnie!

I have found that I have slightly better luck if I don't call it IBD when I go to the ER. I call it crohns, and only crohns. People seem less hesitant to admit ignorance when I give it a specific name like that, rather than just IBD (even though I know that IBD only includes 2 diseases or whatever). It seems to be easier for them to mentally categorize me.

You're right. IBS and IBD are far from interchangeable, and some people on here DO have both.

Maybe we should all carry a little "Crohns disease 101" pamphlet that we can give to people when they think they know what they're talking about!

Well, therein lies the problem. I haven't been diagnosed with crohn's yet. Just IBD. GI isn't sure which I have, UC or CD, even though everyone at the ER and my osteo & most others think it's CD. So I don't have a dx yet & can't really say crohn's.... So when I say IBD, then the IBS thing comes out of everyone's mouths!

And, YES, I had someone tell me today she knows about my pain because she has IBS!

If you have been diagnosed with IBD you have either Crohns or Ulcerative Collitis. IBD is just a abbreviation for inflammatory bowel disease. Maybe if you say you have a inflammatory bowel disease instead of using the term IBD, people will get it a little more. JMHO

I always refer to my disease as Crohn's and only when I get the confused look do I say it's an "Inflammatory Bowel Disease" I never ever never call it only IBD because it's too confusing to the plebs. On the other hand, I also have IBS- which I only call IBS so I don't tend to have that issue. I would suggest spelling it out (even for reg docs and nurses because I find they don't know it a lot) just to avoid complications.

This is tough because so many out there are not aware of either IBS, IBD and even celiacs...I myself never had a clue of any of them until I got sick with crohns and then a few yrs ago my GI added IBS on there too, I hadn't even heard of celiacs until they told me they were checking me for that when they were checking for CD as well (the usual tests, as they knew I had CD but wanted to confirm).

Thing is with IBS and IBD the only real differences is IBS means no inflammation or bleeding from the bowels or the extraintestinal manifestations like what you get with IBD but the frequency, urgency issues are very much the same as IBD, same with the feeling of incomplete evacuation.

Don't be to hard on people, they don't know any better, you can't know everything about everything and if they don't live it then they're likely not gonna be as aware.

:)

Me, I rather suspect it has something to do with the efficacy of various support and lobby groups in promoting patients' interests. I think there would be an awful lot less confusion if our CCAs, CCFAs, etc had more funds / made more of an effort to raise public awareness. The celiac lobby has done a very good job here - I see posters and pamphlets quite often.

I.

Actually, I would rather they called it colitis than IBS. Maybe that's what I should call it until I have confirmation of Crohn's. Or maybe I should just tell them I have Crohn's, I don't know. I do have colitis & inflammation so maybe that's what I should call it.

I just get annoyed when doctors call it IBS because I DO have inflammation that shows up on tests & biopsies, so I don't understand why they would use interchange IBS & IBD....

I think we just need to start using the blanket term - "garden hose." No one mistakes that for anything but what it is At least it gets the picture across to my friends!

Well, that beats the old term for CD in the bad ol' days: Terminal Illeitis. Yikes! Start making the funeral arrangements.
I understand your irratation ( & I mean that in multiple ways! LOL) on the mistakes about our DD moniker. I get the IBS for IBD even from doctors ( actually, esp. from docs!). GROWWWL. Colitis *IS* accurate in my case sine my illness primarily effects my colon. However, there is symptomatic evidence of small bowel disease yet unseen.
I just say, IBS doesn't cause this red underwear & TP, see, want to look? That should do it..

Matthew