IBS has a cure doctor? My life is no longer the same, please help me! This is something I hear almost every day and it breaks my heart to see so much helplessness and anguish in people. In this article I will give you my perspective on some of the most common concerns regarding this topic
What are the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome IBS?
As a Gastroenterologist, I make the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome or irritable colon when a person tells me that they have pain in their abdomen and that their stool has also changed in consistency (diarrhea, constipation or both) or that the number of times they are going to defecate is different than it was before
You don’t need to go to the bathroom 30 times to say it’s diarrhea. It is enough that the stool becomes soft or liquid even once or twice a day. Nor is it necessary for you to have a bowel movement every 8 days, only if it is difficult or unpleasant. These symptoms may be accompanied by distention in the abdomen, flatulence, sounds in the abdomen, weakness, headache, among others.
But be careful with what I just said: The discomfort must have been going on for more than three months, even if it is intermittent. If these symptoms appeared on you the weekend after a party, even if you feel like what I just wrote, it is not irritable colon. It is also not irritable colon that you only feel bloated or flatulence.
Why do I have this problem?
A lot of research has been done on this topic, but we still don’t have a concrete answer. We know that in people with irritable bowel there are several of these alterations:
There is greater sensitivity in the walls of the intestines and they move and work differently.
The intestinal flora (the bacteria that normally live in the intestines) is altered by the growth of unhealthy bacteria.
Our brain is connected to the digestive system through nerves, hormones and chemicals. When events such as stress, emotional trauma, states of anxiety or depression that affect our brain, it transmits signals to the intestines that increase their sensitivity.
Changes in digestive hormones change
A state of microscopic inflammation may exist.
Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
Although medicine has tried to group the symptoms or possible causes under a single diagnosis, I believe that each person can have a different origin of the problem and that is why you can see that in the world there is no single or specific treatment.
IBS has a cure?
During all the years that I have seen patients with irritable bowel syndrome, I almost always hear the same story. They have visited clinics, hospitals, various famous doctors and there they are told:
You have an irritable bowel and that doesn’t heal, so get used to living sick.
You are too young to need an exam.
Your colonoscopy came back normal, so what you have is stress
If you have pain take antispasmodics, if you have diarrhea anti diarrhea, if you have constipation laxatives.
You have to remove meat, milk and dairy products, eggs, gluten, fruits and vegetables. The Nothing Diet
For me, irritable bowel syndrome is just an intermediate diagnosis. It’s just the reflection that something is wrong.
Even if you meet the criteria for irritable colon, keep this in mind so that you can find the solution to this problem:
You need tests to rule out other diseases that cause the same symptoms, but it is not always the colonoscopy
Normal exams don’t mean you don’t have anything. What you tell is always the most important
There are things that make us sick but are not diagnosed by an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, a CT or an MRI
Sometimes we ourselves get sick.
The cure may involve patience, faith, perseverance, and work for you. We always want things now, now, but it’s not always like that
So, IBS has a cure ? The answer is YES, as long as we discover and address the roots of the problem. There’s the Intringulis
What can cause my irritable bowel symptoms?
I’m just going to give you a few day-to-day examples. If what accompanies your pain is diarrhea, there are things we should always think about such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, microscopic colitis, allergies in the intestines, celiac disease, overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine, among other diseases.
If what predominates is that there is constipation, we must rule out, for example, problems with your pelvic floor, endometriosis, strictures or tumors in the intestines, altered intestinal flora, medications and other things.
The idea is not that you have to cross out all the possible diseases or take all the exams. Thinking about doing that can frustrate you. Simply let yourself be guided by your gastroenterologist
How can I help you? Your IBS has a cure
I am going to listen to you so that I can use all my experience, intuition and knowledge to find out what is happening to you.
I will advise you the most appropriate exams or review the ones you already have. If we discover a cause of your problems, we will initiate the appropriate treatment.
I will guide your diet so that your nutritional status and quality of life are not altered. You don’t always need to restrict yourself and sometimes that’s something that only makes things worse.
Depending on your discomfort, I will recommend some medications or therapies so that your symptoms improve.
I will monitor your progress and we will evaluate together if you need adjustments. If you have lived with irritable bowel for a long time, we will seek in every way to improve and achieve our goal.
If you want to know if your IBS has a cure schedule your appointment with me so that we can start this journey.
You can do it by WhatsApp by clicking this link: http://wa.me/573207571313 or on the phones
☎️ 60 4 3223087 / 3207571313
Learn more about my Endoscopy and Colonoscopy Center at https://endoscopiaycolonoscopia.com/en/
I’ll wait for you!
Mauricio González Hernández
Your Gastroenterologist in Medellin
