Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | It depends on what you mean by "help"

No GI doctor is going to be able to fix your IBS - there isn't any cure and there isn't even any drug that always controls symptoms for everyone. What you can ask of a GI doc first and foremost is that he (or she) do all the tests necessary for a solid diagnosis of IBS.

Beyond that he should understand what IBS is and should not think it's "all in your head". He should be willing to work through the possible remedies with you - anti-anxiety, anti-depressants, whatever meds there are for C or D or whichever you have - and prescribe each of them in turn to see if they work. You should also expect that he's aware of new drugs as they become available.

If you find a site on the Internet that says it can help your IBS, you should be able to go to your GI guy and tell him about it and have him say one of the following:

1) Sure, that might help.
2) No, I don't think that will help but it won't hurt so give it a try if you want.
3) No, that's bad for you. Don't do it.

Ideally, your GI doc should also be aware of clinical trials that you might participate in.

My doctor, Dr. Schumann, fits all those criteria. But he can't "fix" my IBS. No one can.

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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]

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