# can you request a colonoscopy if you think youve got ibs d?



## dannifox

hi just wondering if anyone has had a colonoscopy who suffer from ibs d? want to ask my doctor for more tests you see so just wondering if this would be applicable


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## Starr

Dannifox, it is applicable--or rather my first doctor did that because of my family history and I did have a couple polyps (spelling?) --BUT why would anyone with IBS-D ever willingly put themselves through that? I am so sorry, but it can be horrible -- though to be honest I had THE most wonderful nurse and doctor -- he did not want to put me "out" so she said "just act like it hurts, and he will put you right out." So I did (though I was not really acting) and he did and I didn't come to until he was almost done -- got to see them cut out the last polyp!







Ya that was really great!







Ok so who wants to "give yourself the big D" which is what you have to do before hand? clean it all out nice and sweet? YUKKKKKKKI am doing everything in my power to stop the next one (ok just not reminding the doctor -- I'm 50 with a family history of colon cancer). Stupid, I know - but hey, it was torture (for me). Unless you are really young, most likely your doctor will eventually give you this test to rule out other things - if your IBS D is bad enough.Starr


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## Kathleen M.

A lot of IBSers do end up getting colonoscopies.How much you need it varies.If you have clear IBS symptoms and are young with no family history of early polyps it may not be an absolute requirement for diagnosis.If you have red flag symptoms (click on diagnostic criteria up on the menu bar above) you probably need one.Usually the hospital requires the doctor to order that, I don't know if you can just call the clinic and request one without going through your doctor.Some people will not be happy with an IBS diagnosis until everything else is ruled out.K.


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## 23470

I, too, have been wondering about requesting a colonoscopy. I'm 28 (I don't know if people here would consider that young) and have had bowel problems of some type most of my life. My diagnosed IBS-D kicked in over the past year, seemingly triggered mostly by dairy products and fiber. I had an upper GI about 2yrs ago which showed nothing, stool tests both then and a few months ago showed absolutely nothing, blood tests clear, but have a noisy gut....and I rarely have the IBS "pains", just D within a short period after I eat something my gut doesn't like. I have no family history of cancer of any kind, either. All of this coupled with the triggers seeming to be lactose intolerance, sinus drainage, and stress led the doc to diagnose IBS without doing the colonoscopy. I'm having decent success using calcium to control it. However, I've still wondered whether or not I'm a candidate for a colonoscopy, or if I should just ditch the worry/hypochondria and trust my doctor?


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## suppermommy02

I just wanted to add a few words. I has really bad problems and they kept telling me it was IBS. But nothing they did made it better. No test I got done showed anything. I had an upper GI and a few other things. But after moving I had to get a new doctor. He knew right away what it was. They had tested me for it before but said I did not have it. So he looked over everything in my records and still thought he knew. So one last test. This is not a normal test because they do not like to order it because its alot of money and I do not know. Alot to do. But there it was. My gallblader. I did not have gallstones. That was not it at all. It was not working. It was what they called slush. It was only working at 15%. It caused all the problems of IBS and did not work with any of the medications. And only after one doctor order this expensive test did it get found. Really was not to bad though. You do not eat for like 12 hours. You get an IV and sit on a table. Like an Open CT scan or Xray machine. The inject fat into you IV. Let me tell you I got so sick within mins for it. But there it was. 10 mins of pain for an answer that got taken care of. You do not have to have gall stones to have problems its called slush. And causes the same pain. Just can not be seen with an upper GI. Always when you eat you get pain. More so when its higher in fats. If you think this is what it is try the diet they tried to put me on for two weeks while I waited for surgery. Eat salad with no fat dressing, eat soup with no fat. Like broth as I did. Do this for two days. If you notice less pain and feel like its only when you eat. Try eating a big dinner after two days. If the pain is bad you know. See I ate healthy. But I noticed it after eating soup for a few days. Good luck!


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## Kathleen M.

While that can indicate a gall bladder, the gastrocolic reflex often causes problems for IBSers. The colon gets a signal from the stomach when you eat. Heavy, fatty meals tend to create a bigger signal so can cause more pain and often lead to diarrhea for a lot of those on the diarrhea prone side of things.The gall bladder can a problem for some people. The pain with that is typically on the upper right up under the ribs that often radiates to the upper back near the shoulder blade. The colon has a bend near there that can also cause pain. If your pain is typically other places even if it is after eating a fatty meal it may not be gall bladder related.Unfortunately the amount of symptom overlap between various diseases can be a problem. Some have more IBS problems after a gall bladder removal than they had before. It depends on how much bile you end up releasing post gall bladder removal vs how well you recycle it. Excess bile in the colon can cause diarrhea and some people even after the gall bladder is removed end up having to stay on a low fat diet or treat the bile problems with a bile binder.I'm glad you found out what was the problem for you. Hope you continue to feel better.K.


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