Is my IBS misdiagnosed?

Question

I am 16 years old and I was diagnosed with IBS a few years ago. My stomach hurts almost every day and I have sharp intense pains in my lower right abdomen. Along with the pain is intense diarrhea. I have not noticed any certain foods that trigger my symptoms. I was recently asked to do an ultrasound and they found a lot of ovarian cysts. My periods are also really irregular and very heavy. I wonder if this is a misdiagnosis. My stomach hurts so bad and I cannot deal with this pain everyday. It interferes with my daily life. Any suggestions? Do you think it could be a misdiagnosis? What should I do I am running out of options and patience. It is very embarrassing and I can not deal with this much longer.

Doctor J · Accepted Answer

Hi Katie.  It's important to understand that IBS is not a "true" diagnosis.  It is a label given to patients when the doctor cannot determine the cause of chronic gut symptoms.

There are many diagnosable causes of symptoms like yours.  Common causes include:

1) Celiac Disease - a COMMON, but rarely diagnosed autoimmune disease caused by an allergic reaction to proteins called gluten/gliadins in wheat, rye and barely.

2) Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) - excessive levels of bacteria in the small intestine - usually caused by use of acid-blocking drugs such as Prilosec and Nexium.

3) Other food allergies/intolerances such as: a) lactose intolerance, b) fructose intolerance, c) diary and/or other true food allergies (type II immune responses).

4) Gall-bladder problems, pancreatic insufficiency, and/or hypochlorhydria (too little stomach acid).

It might be helpful to have a thorough evaluation by a nutritionally-trained health care professional.  

Best wishes and good luck.

Trending News

Is my IBS misdiagnosed?

1 Answer