farting (flatulence)
passing mucus from your bottom
tiredness and a lack of energy
feeling sick (nausea)
backache
problems peeing – like needing to pee often, sudden urges to pee, and feeling like you cannot fully empty your bladder
not always being able to control when you poo (incontinence)
Non-urgent advice:See a GP if you think you might have IBS

What happens at your GP appointment

The GP will ask about your symptoms, such as:

what symptoms you have
if they come and go
how often you get them
when you get them (for example, after eating certain foods)
how long you’ve had them

Before your appointment, it might help to write down details of your symptoms to help you remember them.

The GP may also feel your tummy to check for lumps or swelling.

Tests for IBS

There’s no test for IBS, but you might need some tests to rule out other possible causes of your symptoms.

The GP may arrange:

a blood test to check for problems like coeliac disease
tests on a sample of your poo to check for infections and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

You will not usually need further tests in hospital unless the GP is not sure what the problem is.

What happens to the bowel with IBS?

Poorly coordinated signals between the brain and the intestines can cause your body to overreact to changes that normally occur in the digestive process, resulting in pain, diarrhea or constipation. Inflammation in the intestines. Some people with IBS have an increased number of immune-system cells in their intestines

What happens if you’re diagnosed with IBS

If the GP thinks you have IBS, they’ll talk to you about what it is and what the treatment options are.

It might be difficult to take in everything they tell you.

If you’re unsure about something afterwards, write down any questions you have and make another appointment to go over them.

The IBS Network also has online information you might find useful.

There’s no single diet or medicine that works for everyone with IBS. But there are lots of things that can help if you have been diagnosed with it.

General tips to relieve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms

Do

cook homemade meals using fresh ingredients when you can
keep a diary of what you eat and any symptoms you get – try to avoid things that trigger your IBS
try to find ways to relax
get plenty of exercise
try probiotics for a month to see if they help

Don’t

Delay or skip meals
Eat too quickly
Eat lots of fatty, spicy or processed foods
Eating more than 3 portions of fresh fruit a day (a portion is 80 g)
Drink more than 3 cups of tea or coffee a day
Drinking lots of alcohol, Soda or fizzy drinks

How to ease bloating, cramps and farting

eat oats (such as porridge) regularly
eat up to 1 tablet of Senna-lax a day
avoid foods that are hard to digest (like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, beans, onions and dried fruit)
avoid products containing a sweetener called sorbitol
ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help, like Buscopan or peppermint oil

How to reduce diarrhea

cut down on high-fiber foods like wholegrain foods (such as brown bread and brown rice), nuts and seeds
avoid products containing a sweetener called sorbitol
ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help, like Imodium (loperamide)

Important

If you keep getting diarrhoea, make sure you drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

How to relieve constipation

drink plenty of water to help make your poo softer
increase how much soluble fibre you eat – good foods include oats, pulses, carrots, peeled potatoes and Senna-lax
ask a pharmacist about medicines that can help (laxatives), like Evaculax

The main symptoms of IBS are:

What can trigger IBS symptoms