 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Righty,
Gut issues a couple of weeks back so went to GP.
Bit of prodding about and listening to my very active stomach and GP immediately diagnosed IBS and prescribed me tablets (Mebervine).
Can diagnosis be as simple as that?
Had 'gut' issues myself many years ago and was prescribed various different tablets to try and calm the gurgling and frequent toilet visits but was eventually diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and had to have a 'total colectomy' operation. Not suggesting this is what you have but i suspect your GP will using Mebeverine to monitor your condition first before subjecting you to other more invasive tests/checks (finger/camera in the rear end).
Always worth getting a second opinion from another doctor.
Sufferer rather than doc, so can't really comment on the speed of diagnosis, but I guess it depends very much on your age, symptoms and how long you've had those symptoms. Do you get the symptoms described [url= http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/irritable-bowel-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx ]here[/url], have you had a few episodes like this and have you been under stress lately (which can exacerbate the condition)? If so, it's probably a safe first guess, as IBS is relatively common.
Did your GP also tell you to cut out caffiene, alcohol and try and reduce your stress or anxiety levels as well as taking the mebeverine until it settles? I found after doing this, I could stop taking mebeverine and then re-introduce alot of the triggers (alcohol etc.) in moderation or as long as I take the tablets as well. But everyone's symptoms will be different. Obviously, if you find after 2-3 weeks of taking the tablets 3 times a day that things haven't settled, go back and ask for a second opinion.
As I understood it IBS could only be diagnosed by ruling out everything else first! I have gut issues myself but I would look at medication as a last resort because there are a lot of things you can do to improve the condition yourself. As has been mentioned alcohol, caffeine & stress can be major triggers, but so can a load of seeming innocuous foods like milk, cheese, aubergene, beetroot, etc (google GAPS diet which is a method for isolating "trigger" foods). Personally I have found that supplementing with glucosamine has helped, although it took a few months to have an effect.