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Irritable bowel syndrome, often abbreviated as IBS, is a disorder that affects the large intestine (colon). IBS symptoms include abdominal pain, bloating, gas, cramping, diarrhea, and constipation. While being marked by regular discomfort, there is no evidence of IBS causing permanent damage to the colon. Irritable bowel syndrome does not cause inflammation or changes in the bowel tissue, nor does it increase your risk for colorectal cancer. According to the National Institutes of Health, as much as 20% of the adult population has the symptoms of IBS. There is a higher occurrence of the disorder in women who are 2 times more likely to be diagnosed than men. For half of the people with IBS, the onset of symptoms occurred before the age of 35 and often begin in the teen years.
Getting the facts separated from the misconceptions of irritable bowel syndrome is important for people struggling with this uncomfortable disorder. IBS is not caused by your diet and does not lead to malnutrition. It is not a stress-related disorder. Having IBS does not increase your risk for cancer or colitis. There is no evidence that IBS gets worse with age and it does not shorten life expectancy. While irritable bowel syndrome is a long-term condition, the symptoms do change over time, often coming and going. Most people struggling with IBS have found successful ways to manage their condition and reduce or eliminate symptoms by understanding what triggers a flare-up.
Triggers for IBS vary from person to person, but are often caused by eating certain foods, taking medications, or from stressful or emotional events. One of the most important steps to take in effectively managing IBS is to identify any of the factors that can aggravate or induce symptoms. Like many other syndromes, these triggers can come from a wide range of sources, which drives the need to log a lot of different types of health information. HealtheHuman is the only effective software tool for people trying to manage irritable bowel syndrome because it provides all of the tracking features needed for this variant, complex condition in one place. Additionally, HealtheHuman provides an extensive set of tracking, analysis, charting, and reporting features that help people with IBS manage their condition and share this important information with their doctors and other health advisors.
Key Health Information to Track for IBS
Abdominal pain, bloating, and cramping are the most commonly associated symptoms reported by people with IBS. Keeping accurate records of your pain levels throughout the day may provide valuable insights into activities or other things that could be triggering your discomfort. HealtheHuman provides a comprehensive pain and symptom tracking tool that helps you record your pain levels by hour of the day for each of the areas on your body where you are experience pain or other symptoms.
Eating certain foods is a very common trigger for the symptoms of IBS. Some of the more frequently seen trouble foods include chocolate, nuts, cereals, milk, alcohol, and carbonated drinks. Some fruits and vegetables may lead to feeling bloated or sharp gas pains. Foods such as tea, colas, and caffeinated drinks that over-stimulate the digestive tract may also increase symptoms. Over eating, eating too quickly, and consuming high levels of fat in your diet can also have a negative effect on your IBS symptoms. It is important to track your diet, both what you are eating and when you are eating certain foods, to identify any correlations with your symptoms. Providing your doctor or health advisor with the details of your diet can provide important insights that can improve your symptoms. HealtheHuman provides an extensive Diet Tracker, including built-in summaries of your nutrition by meal and for the day.
Often the most obvious impact of IBS is with bowel movements, both for diarrhea and constipation. Certain triggers might result in different responses from your bowels, including changes in shape, color, consistency, and the presence of mucous. Documenting your body’s responses to different foods is an important part of understanding and managing IBS. The Bladder and Bowel Tracker in HealtheHuman can help you create detailed daily logs of all your bathroom activities.
There are not consistent triggers for IBS, which is one of the biggest challenges in coping and managing this condition. HealtheHuman provides a number of ways to track different potential triggers such as the Quicktags feature and the Health Journal. Using Quicktags, you can define your own possible triggers, such as long periods of time not eating or wearing tight clothing. Each of these can include intensity rating from 0 to 10 as well as a duration value. Using the Health Journal, you could keep a diary of how you feel or what you were doing at different times of the day. The ability to organize and document all the different parts of your health in one place is the real power of using a product like HealtheHuman to manage IBS.
Women are two times more likely to have irritable bowel syndrome, which has led many researchers to believe that hormone cycles can play a significant role. Women often report an increase in intensity and frequency of symptoms before and during their menstrual periods. HealtheHuman includes a Women’s Health feature that helps track your menstruation, ovulation, pain, and other symptoms.
Exercise is always an important part of being healthy, but it is important for people with IBS to get regular exercise. Lack of activity can make symptoms worse. Some exercises can also reduce the pain and discomfort of certain symptoms. It is important to incorporate regular exercise into your routine and log your activity levels to see if they can help alleviate some of your symptoms. HealtheHuman includes an Exercise and Workout Tracker that makes it easy to log all of your daily activities and exercises.
Sleep is a very important part of the bodies healing and rejuvenation cycle. Consistent, quality sleep is an essential part of a healthy functioning body. A lack of sleep, or poor quality sleep, can make your body more susceptible to IBS symptoms. Overall, getting a good night’s sleep is good for your body, your mood, and your stress management, which will help manage your IBS symptoms. The Sleep Tracker makes it easy to log the duration, quality, and other important factors in your sleep patterns.
Stressful events can make your irritable bowel syndrome symptoms worse or more frequent. While IBS is not caused by stress, exposure to stress can exacerbate symptoms. Try to avoid prolonged exposure to high levels of stress and avoid situations where you are exposed to unexpected stressful scenarios. It is not possible to eliminate stress from our lives, but knowing your stress levels and its source can help you manage your symptoms. HealtheHuman includes a daily Stress Tracker that allows you to track your stress levels hour by hour throughout the day. Tracking and identifying high-levels of stress might reveal insights into other triggers or symptoms of your IBS.
Some of the commonly used medications for IBS include antispasmodics and various pain medications to alleviate the discomfort from symptoms. Some people have had positive results by taking a probiotic to increase the level of “good bacteria” in their digestive system. Peppermint oils have been found to help some with IBS. One of the most important pieces of information to provide to your doctors and health advisors is an accurate, comprehensive list of the prescription, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and supplements you are taking. Many people have reported having IBS symptoms triggered by certain medications and supplements, so documenting your use of all these substances can be very valuable information. HealtheHuman includes a Medication Tracker and Supplement Tracker that make it easy to build a comprehensive daily log and history of your medications, vitamins, and supplements.
While there are not any conclusive tests for irritable bowel syndrome, your doctor may order a number of different tests to monitor your condition. Some IBS suffers have been found to have low levels of serotonin, which is an integral part of a normal digestive system. Your physician might also run blood work, checking for anemia or monitoring your other important nutritional levels. Other potential tests include stool samples, urinalysis, or tests to rule out other serious conditions, such as Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, or ulcerative colitis that might have similar symptoms. HealtheHuman includes a detailed Laboratory Test Results Tracker to help you record, chart, analyze, and generate reports for all your test results.
Dealing with a chronic condition can be hard, especially with all the discomfort of irritable bowel syndrome. Some people report higher levels of depression and anxiety, especially when trying to get their IBS symptoms understood and under control. Monitoring your moods, and changes in mood during certain times of day or related to specific events, can be very valuable information in the management and treatment. The Mood Tracker in HealtheHuman makes it easy to track your moods throughout the day, and then analyze, chart, and generate reports of changes in your moods over time.
Part of successfully coping with IBS is to understand what triggers your symptoms. One of the primary benefits of using HealtheHuman to manage irritable bowel syndrome is tracking all of the different parts of your health in a single, integrated tool. When flare-ups or other significant events occur, you can use the Event Tracker feature to create detailed chronological reports of all your health data before, during, and after. The Events Tracker can be used to record significant events such as severe intestinal pain or a flare-up cause by the use of an antibiotic for an infection. You can analyze these reports yourself, or bring them with you on your next doctor’s visit or other meeting with a health advisor to try to identify possible triggers, alternative treatment options, or other valuable insights.
Throughout your treatment for IBS, you might undergo a number of different procedures, such as a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. Keeping your doctors well informed on your complete medical history is an important part of your care and could impact their course of treatment. Make sure to provide your physicians and other health advisors with as much detail on your past medical procedures, surgeries, hospitalizations, or any other relevant aspect of your health. HealtheHuman provides a set of features to help you build a comprehensive health history and profile to share with all your health advisors.
Managing IBS often involves seeing different doctors, specialists, and advisors from your primary care physician to a dietitian to a gastroenterologist. It is important to maintain accurate records for all the people who have been a part of your treatment. Providing details on the advisors involved in your treatment, both past and present, can be very important to a new physician or specialist. The Advisor History feature in HealtheHuman helps you keep track of all your health advisors, including maintaining information of their contact details, prescription history, appointments, and related expenses.
One of the most important things you can do to manage your IBS is to see your doctors and health advisors regularly and be actively involved in your care. A key part of having a successful interaction with your advisors is to be prepared with the information and questions to make your time with them as effective as possible. The extensive set of charting and reporting features found throughout the various tools in HealtheHuman help you provide the insight, detail, and history needed to keep information flowing between you and your advisors.
Other Resources
National Institute of Health, MedlinePlus, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, IBS
About IBS from International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
Medpedia, Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Medical Disclaimer: All information on this site is of a general nature and is furnished for your knowledge and understanding only. This information is not to be taken as medical or other health advice pertaining to your specific health and medical condition.
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