Acidity and GERD: Beyond the Antacid Bottle
Reaching for an antacid several times a week is not a solution — it is a symptom. Persistent reflux damages the oesophagus and occasionally hides something more serious.
Read articleIrritable bowel syndrome is a disorder of gut function producing abdominal pain with altered bowel habit, without any structural damage to the intestine. It is genuinely distressing and genuinely not dangerous, and both halves of that sentence matter.
Symptoms
Not everyone gets every symptom, and the pattern can differ in older people, in people with diabetes and in children. These are the ones most often reported.
- Abdominal pain or cramping relieved by passing stool
- Alternating constipation and loose stools
- Bloating and excessive gas, worse through the day
- Mucus in the stool
- A feeling of incomplete evacuation and urgency in the morning
- Symptoms worsening with stress, travel or particular foods
When to see a doctor
Do not wait these out
If any of the following applies, arrange to be seen the same day. For anything sudden or severe, call 9281862028 or come straight to the emergency department at SIMS — it is open 24 hours and does not need an appointment.
- Blood in the stool, or black tarry stools
- Unintended weight loss, night-time diarrhoea or fever
- New symptoms starting after the age of 45
- A family history of bowel cancer or inflammatory bowel disease
- Anaemia found alongside bowel symptoms
Tests that may be advised
Your consultant will order only the investigations that change the plan. Most of the following are available on the SIMS campus, so results usually come back the same visit.
- Complete blood count and inflammatory markers
- Stool examination for infection and parasites
- Coeliac and thyroid screening in selected patients
- Colonoscopy where alarm features are present
- Ultrasound of the abdomen to exclude other causes
How it is treated
Treatment is decided case by case — by how advanced the problem is, what else you are being treated for, and what you can realistically sustain. Broadly, it involves the following.
- Regular meal timings, adequate fluid and a food-and-symptom diary
- Soluble fibre for constipation-predominant symptoms; identifying and limiting trigger foods
- Antispasmodic and symptom-directed medication for defined periods
- Managing stress, sleep and anxiety, which strongly influence gut symptoms
- Reassurance and periodic review rather than repeated unnecessary investigation
This page is general information, not a diagnosis
Irritable Bowel Syndrome can look like several other conditions, and the reverse is equally true. Nothing here can replace an examination, your test results and the judgement of the doctor treating you — and no medicine mentioned by name to a friend or relative should be started on the strength of this page. If you recognise yourself in it, book a consultation with the Medical Gastroenterology department. If a symptom is sudden or severe, call 9281862028.