# Doctors aren't always right.



## IBS sufferer? (Aug 25, 2013)

My "IBS" got a lot worse after I gave birth. For six months, I was in and out of the GI doctor's office and trying different treatments. I kept insisting to my doc that it wasn't IBS and ran through a list of other things I thought it might be after doing some research. Doc legitimately shot down every suggestion. However, my determination convinced her to FINALLY run some tests besides blood, urine and stool. An upper GI showed a small ulcer in my stomach, probably not the cause of my symptoms but a result of the stress I was facing. A colonoscopy showed only microscopic inflammation, not the inflammation seen with Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis. The last and least stressful test, a CT scan, finally revealed the cause of my symptoms. I had a blood clot in my superior mesenteric vein, which was also the cause of the microscopic inflammation in my colon. After being treated for the blood clot, I got lots better. I'd had bowel problems all my life, and my internist said the blood clot could have been congenital, something I will never know for sure. After the blood clot was gone, my symptoms were never as bad as they had been on and off all my life. Then, after going through menopause, my IBS symptoms have practically disappeared. When I do have problems, extra fiber does the trick. I never have cramping anymore. My symptoms were always the worst right before my periods. If your IBS symptoms are nearly unbearable or if they worsen after pregnancy, tell your doctor you want a CT scan if your doctor hasn't done one, especially if a colonoscopy showed microscopic inflammation. Endoscopies (gastroscopy and colonoscopy) are popular tools for ruling out Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis, and if those tests are negative, one might get an IBS diagnosis without having a CT scan performed. Demand the CT scan. IBS should only be a diagnosis when other possible causes have been ruled out. As odd as it may seem, a blood clot in an abdominal vein could be the cause.


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