Diarrhea for 10 years, GP says cant be IBS as symptoms are constant, is that true?

I have just found this website, I've been feeling so isolated with this constant watery explosive diarrhea, it is affecting my life so badly. GP told me it can't be IBS because my symptoms have been with me constantly for 10 years, but he did blood tests and excluded everything else. He wants me to be referred, so I suppose that will involve lots of unpleasant examinations, but I don't understand why he is ruling out IBS. From what I've read on this website, lots of people have symptoms like mine?

Suilven, you went to your DR for help with diarrhea. Getting a "diagnosis" of IBS would be helpful only inasmuch as you agree to treat your irritable bowel symptoms. Since "IBS" is not a disease there is no medication to treat it. There are several dietary solutions out there that people have focused on (FODMAP comes to mind). Have you considered these options?

Your DR is doing the right thing by referring you to a GI. Yes, there might be unpleasant examinations. The key factor is that your quality of life is negatively affected by this problem, and if there is an underlying disease I'd think you'd want to know. Having chronic inflammation of the bowel, for example, raises your risk of developing colon cancer. If you could treat that inflammation and reduce your risk and also improve your quality of life, isn't that worth some unpleasantness in the near term?