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How does one know if he/she has IBS in addition to UC?

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Posted 10/9/2012 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
How does one know if he/she has IBS in addition to UC?

-Ray of Hope
Posted 10/9/2012 6:48 PM (GMT 0)
Good question. I sometimes wonder about this one myself. I'm dying to hear the other posts because sometimes it seems like the doctors can't even get our dignosises correct. One minute we've got UC the next minute we've go CD. One year we've got CD and 5 years later they say it's UC.
Posted 10/9/2012 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
i was diagnosed with IBS before i was diagnosed with UC. that's the only reason i know.
Posted 10/9/2012 6:52 PM (GMT 0)
I think it's generally because one is having some symptoms, yet a c-scope shows a complete absence of inflammation/ulceration.
Posted 10/9/2012 7:00 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with fruitgirl. Marked inflammation, bleeding, and histological changes to colon cells occur with IBD. While there is some low-level inflammation with IBS, there is almost never bleeding or histological changes.

As for CD vs UC, you can definitely rule-in uc if there are granules in the biopsy. But only 60% of CD patients have them, so absence of granules does not rule-out CD. You cna also get a definitive CD vs UC diagnosis if you have your all or part of your colon removed, because when dissected CD ulcers go deeper into the colon tissue, and UC ulcerations are just on the mucosal layer. But, I don't want a differential so bad I will give up any more of my colon.
Posted 10/9/2012 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
One of my GI's said you always have IBS when you have an IBD. I didn't believe him that and still don't. But I think when you are in remission and still have some issues with your tummy then you might have IBS. That's my imagination of it.
Posted 10/9/2012 7:12 PM (GMT 0)
I think most of us have some degree of IBS anyway. With lifestyle, ways of coping, etc...some may be more prone to mechanical dysfunction of the digestive tract/colon.

IBS symtptoms most times related to distress/nerves/food intake/etc.

While UC flares are also sometimes exacerbated by the same, the symptoms would continue and progress.

Experience eventually can help us differentiate certain symptoms, and the "clinchers" of a flare for most of us would be pretty much continuation with no relief from food changes, normal antispasmodics dosage, etc.

q
Posted 10/10/2012 5:34 AM (GMT 0)

quincy said...
I think most of us have some degree of IBS anyway. With lifestyle, ways of coping, etc...some may be more prone to mechanical dysfunction of the digestive tract/colon.

IBS symtptoms most times related to distress/nerves/food intake/etc.

While UC flares are also sometimes exacerbated by the same, the symptoms would continue and progress.

Experience eventually can help us differentiate certain symptoms, and the "clinchers" of a flare for most of us would be pretty much continuation with no relief from food changes, normal antispasmodics dosage, etc.

q

That sounds correct. Pretty sure I have IBS because I have such a wild reaction to different foods, I can go liquid and if I don't right the ship it will eventually become a flare. I get the IBS warning first, my mistake last time was overcoming it, getting somewhat stabilized then thinking it was ok to take amoxicillan shortly thereafter - huge mistake.

Mebeverine for IBS - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mebeverine

Mebeverine is an antimuscarinic. Mebeverine belongs to a group of compounds called musculotropic antispasmodics. These compounds act directly on the gut muscles at the cellular level to relax them. Mebeverine is also an inhibitor of calcium-depot replenishment. Therefore, mebeverine has dual mode of action which normalizes the small bowel motility.
Posted 10/10/2012 6:19 AM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with IBS because I had pains in the abdominal area, but the c-scope showed no inflammation.

I was told that since we have IBD, we are 3 times more likely than the general public to develop IBS.
Posted 10/10/2012 10:48 AM (GMT 0)

Isn't there a couple of forms of IBS? Like IBS with constipation, IBS with diarrhea, IBS with inflammation, etc. 

Posted 10/10/2012 12:17 PM (GMT 0)
Scarecrow, yes, IBS can cause constipation in some and diarrhea in others. However, IBS never causes inflammation. If there's inflammation, it's IBD. IBS = irritable bowel syndrome, IBD = inflammatory bowel disorder.

I really doubt I have IBS.  I occasionally have loose poops due to food, but it's when I've waaaaay overdosed on fresh fruit/veggies when they're in season.  I can't imagine a person with a normal colon not having loose poops after eating as much of that stuff as I do!

Posted 10/10/2012 12:22 PM (GMT 0)
I was diagnosed with IBS - sometimes D, sometimes C when I had a scope and it showed no inflammation but yet I was still having issues with D. I find that now I am in remission from my Uc, that some foods cause me major grief and that I assume is from my IBS. When I'm flaring from my Uc, I honestly can't tell the difference nor do I care to be honest because food avoidance is the same with both.
Posted 10/10/2012 2:52 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone for your responses - they are helpful. From what I understand from your responses - For me to know if I have IBS or not, first I need to control my UC, and then if I still have symptoms but no inflammation then I mostly have IBS too. Is my understanding right?

One more question: Is/Are there any thing(s) that we need to do differently to control IBS symptoms which we do not do for controlling IBD, like any medications/supplements specific to IBS?

Thanks again.

- Ray Of Hope.
Posted 10/10/2012 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
Correct. IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion (eg. everything else first is tested and if they are negative, yet symptoms persist, you are diagnosed with IBS).

My IBS responds similarly to my IBD, but I keep getting confused by the symptoms. As a result, its hard to tell what is responding to what, if any.
Posted 10/10/2012 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
If you have IBS in addition to an IBD but your IBD is in remission, you can try a high fiber diet. There really is no medication that successfully treats IBS because IBS is mainly food driven. The high fiber diet can help keeps things running smoothly.
Posted 10/11/2012 11:11 AM (GMT 0)
I was told I had IBS for over 10 years.

Stupid GP was too lazy to investigate and I was more stupid for not getting a second opinion.

Anyway after about 10 years I started bleeding along with D and (a different) GP started to take notice.

Colonoscopy confirmed moderate pancolitis.

I believe that IBS is stage one IBD, the tip of the iceberg so to speak.

Many people never go beyond suffering IBS.
Some are borderline IBD.
Some go on to develop IBD.
Posted 10/11/2012 11:43 AM (GMT 0)
Some excellent replies here- but let's not forget that both IBD (UC and CD) and IBS are what I like to call "we haven't got a clue" diagnoses- IBD is when they see inflammation and haven't got a clue what the cause is (whereas in the case of non IBD "colitis" inflammation they may determine it's due to c.diff or parasites or something); IBS is when there are symptoms of pain and/or discomfort and/or D and/or C but no inflammation- at least inflammation detectable to the scope or microscope- and they haven't got a clue as to the cause. Since they haven't got a clue in Either case, it's quite possible- indeed probable, IMO, that the two conditions may be more closely related than the official diagnoses may suggest. Diagnoses are just bureaucratic filing cabinets.
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