Irritable bowel syndrome is an inflammatory condition whose underlying cause hasn’t yet been completely discovered. We know that stress and certain foods can trigger symptoms and that alcohol and smoking tend to irritate the condition in IBS sufferers. However, medical professionals aren’t sure exactly what causes it. For these reasons, many other conditions can be mistaken for IBS. In this post, we’re going to cover what can be mistaken for IBS and answer the questions: how do you know if it’s IBS or something else, and what can IBS pain be compared to?
Let’s start by running through the symptoms of IBS:
Abdominal cramping that comes in waves
Gassiness and bloating
Alternating episodes of constipation and diarrhea
Some patients will experience one more than the other
General indigestion symptoms
Bowel movements that are irregular and unpredictable
Mucus in the stool
Urgency and trouble waiting to release stool
What Can IBS Pain Be Compared to?
The difficult thing about IBS pain is that its intensity tends to vary greatly throughout the day. However, if you have persistent, nagging pain, almost like someone with incredibly hot hands is squeezing and pulling on your bowels like a tube of toothpaste, you might be experiencing IBS pain. The pain from IBS and food poisoning are very similar, especially in more severe cases. Some people also liken IBS pain to the pain you feel in your muscles after a workout that caused a build-up of lactic acid.
Getting an IBS Diagnosis
If you are experiencing symptoms like the ones listed above, do not try to self-diagnose. There are a variety of more serious bowel conditions that can look a lot like IBS. As with any bodily issue, you should see a doctor for a referral or go directly to a specialist. Ignoring abnormalities when they arise can lead to complications and make your potential conditions much harder to treat or manage.
What Can Be Mistaken for IBS?
Since IBS has a broad collection of symptoms that overlap with other bowel conditions, it tends to be a default assumption whenever a patient has bowel issues. However, closer inspection might actually reveal something else. Let’s take a look at the conditions that share similar symptoms with IBS:
Ulcerative colitis: usually presents with weight loss and bloody stools
Crohn’s disease: may present with mouth ulcers, weight loss, and exhaustion
Lactose intolerance: triggers are isolated to lactose-containing products
Diverticulitis: often presents with nausea, vomiting, and fever
Celiac disease: triggers are isolated to gluten-containing products and often presents with canker sores, bone loss, and joint pain
Gallstones: often presents with very specific (rather than dispersed) and identifiable abdominal pain – often in the upper right abdomen. Also presents with intense back pain, nausea, and vomiting.
How Do You Know if It’s IBS or Something Else?
Many of the conditions listed above have determining and diagnostic features that can only be seen internally by a medical professional. You may need tests such as a colonoscopy, a PET or CT scan, or maybe even an X-ray. At the very least, your doctor may be able to rule out the more serious conditions so that you can have some piece of mind. Furthermore, getting an IBS diagnosis will allow you to start focusing on managing those sets of symptoms so you can avoid complications, especially during pregnancy.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team of IBS and IBD specialists here at the Colorectal Clinic of Tampa Bay. We can help you get a diagnosis and work towards eliminating your symptoms for good!