| As previously suggested, irritable bowel syndrome | | | | As suggested previously, there are no established |
| is not one recognizable illness, disease or infection. | | | | tests which can be used to prove whether you |
| Instead, it is a collection of symptoms that are all | | | | are suffering from IBS or whether you have |
| grouped together under the same heading for the | | | | nothing more than an upset stomach. |
| sake of convenience. | | | | Consequently, the science or art of diagnosing |
| For this reason, there is a problem that when you | | | | irritable bowel syndrome is based upon discounting |
| have an upset stomach, this is almost always | | | | alternatives that produce IBS-like symptoms to |
| exactly what it is - nothing more or less than an | | | | eventually arrive at the correct conclusion. To do |
| upset stomach. And equally obviously, not | | | | this, doctors use many different systems and |
| everyone who suffers an upset stomach is a | | | | criteria. |
| genuine irritable bowel syndrome sufferer. | | | | Whilst there are plenty of different algorithmic |
| For this reason, general descriptions of the | | | | systems that doctors have used to diagnose IBS |
| symptoms attached to IBS are not always | | | | (including the Manning Criteria), many of these |
| particularly helpful because a suggestion that a | | | | systems are now considered obsolete, having |
| term such as 'changes in your bowel habits' is | | | | been replaced by the Rome III Criteria or process |
| representative of IBS does not really get you | | | | which was published in 2006. |
| much further forward. | | | | This is therefore the system that we will use to |
| Because most people who are suffering stomach | | | | try to formulate a reasonably accurate diagnostic |
| or bowel problems need to know whether irritable | | | | symptom list for IBS. |
| bowel syndrome is their problem, it makes sense | | | | As a patient, you would meet the basic criteria |
| to analyze the symptoms in a little more depth. | | | | for IBS according to the Rome III process if your |
| In order to do so and in the interests of making | | | | symptoms have persisted for a period of at least |
| the description of what IBS is as detailed as | | | | six months, assuming that during that period of |
| possible, I will highlight how your doctor might | | | | time, you have suffered at least three bouts of |
| decide whether you're suffering from irritable | | | | difficulties or discomfort every month. |
| bowel syndrome or not. | | | | |