Newly Diagnosed IBS Sufferer

[newly_diagnosed]

Hi, i'm a 34 year old female and have just been diagnosed as having IBS.  The doctor has recommended collefac to me which i've been taking for about four days but my symptoms don't really seem to be getting any better.  For a long time (since childhood) i've suffered from either constipation or diorreah and now on top of this am getting quite severe stomach cramps and a burning sensation when going to the toilet.  The doctor has told me to avoid tea and coffee (I also suffer from migranes so only drink de-caff anyway) to avoid wine (which I rarely drink) onions (which always upset my stomach) fried foods (which I rarely eat) and really high fibre foods (again which I rarely eat) I have been under a lot of stress recently and wonder if this may have caused my condition ?? I also have really embarrasing and painful wind.  Can anyone help me ? is there anything that I can take to ease my symptoms, i'm not sleeping at all well and feel quite desperate..

[kakk333]

Some doctors will automatically write you off as having ibs or anxiety without even running any tests.  IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, after all other tests have been done and come back normal.  I personally was diagnosed with IBS. After 6 months of cramps under my ribs and weird aches, I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, normal blood test.  I requested a hydrogen breath test a few weeks ago and tested positive.  If you were diagnosed with IBS, I would recommend getting this test done.  If you test positive, it means you may have a bacterial overgrowth in your small intestine causing your aches.  I was put on a round of rifaximin for a week, and am now on flagyl and feel MUCH better.  Also some kind of stool test for giardia/c.diff. would be a good idea. The doctor will probably say "you don't show any signs of this." Don't take no for an answer,  Sometimes your symptoms won't match exactly what you see on the internet or what they tell you. Good luck!