From the patient feedback I get, most docs have never even heard of the Rome Criteria. They diagnose IBS without ANY diagnostic work at all - not even basic bloodwork. They diagnose IBS when the symptoms DON'T fit IBS, and they still don't run any tests.
I'd rather give patients all the info about tests they might need, and all the info about other illnesses that can mimic IBS, and then let them decide if they can trust the diagnosis they've been given.
Even without red flag symptoms, I'd insist on blood work to check for signs of inflammatory bowel disease and for celiac.
I don't think everyone needs the full run of every diagnostic test in the book just to be sure they "only" have IBS. But I also can't in good conscience tell people to just let any doctor they see tell them their symptoms fit the bill for IBS and that's that. Patients need to self-educate in this area and then decide for themselves if they trust what their docs are telling them - or not.
- Heather
-------------------- Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Technically, I could agree, but in the real world I can't...
