Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: IBS symptoms??? Pain location??

Robert W. Schuman, MD
101 Old Short Hills Road
West Orange, New Jersey 07052
973-731-4600

If you want someone who's more "listen-y", you might check this thread for doctors who are great to patients with IBS and see if there's one near you. Dr. Schuman knows his stuff, but he's not going to give you his undivided attention for very long. I suspect he's be a good guy to see for tests and diagnosis - that seems to be his thing. I do well with him because I know I have IBS, treat it with Heather's diet, and go to him with specific questions about tests and meds. My only caution about him is that he has no qualms about prescribing meds that haven't been on the market long. Having been on Propulsid before it got yanked, I'm pretty cautious about new meds.

Before you see any other doctor, I would definitely read what Heather has to say about what conditions should be ruled out and what tests you should have before accepting a diagnosis of IBS.

Unlike Nelly, I follow Heather's diet down the line (okay, I cheat from time to time) and have had great results from it. One of the big reasons I decided to give Heather a try - besides simple desperation - was her explanation of why sometimes a food would make an IBSer sick and other times it wouldn't. It was like a lightbulb going on over my head. I tried her regimen and the rest, as they say, is history.

If you want to give Heather's diet a try or you have more questions about IBS, you might try posting over on the IBS Diet board - you'll probably get more responses there than in the Living Room. (You can also Search on stuff like Zelnorm and see what other people have had to say about it. I'm a little surprised it was prescribed for you if you alternate between diarrhea and constipation.) Weekends are sometimes slow.

A couple of follow-up questions, if I may. In your original post you say the "IBS The First Year" says abdominal pain should be 'lower' and that if it's upper then its not IBS. Can you give me a page or chapter reference on that - I skimmed the first part of mine quickly and can't find it. Thanks.

Also, just out of sheer curiousity, which GI in New York are you scheduled to see?

HTH. Take care.

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

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