Most people will go through some form of stomach bloating after doing things like eating a large meal or enjoying a carbonated beverage, but it's not supposed to be a daily occurrence. If you've been experiencing bloating regularly or even daily with no relief, it's likely that there's an underlying cause that goes beyond what you're consuming. This cause could be irritable bowel syndrome. Here's what you should know about it.
What Is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome is a disorder that isn't yet fully understood. What is known is that many people suffer from it, and it can cause a combination of symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and stomach pain. In some people, it will also cause vomiting. The good news is that irritable bowel syndrome doesn't typically pose a threat to a person's health, beyond the symptoms you may already be experiencing.
What Triggers It?
While the causes behind irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, aren't fully understood, the triggers are. Certain foods can set off this disorder and cause the symptoms to come to the forefront. For example, fibrous foods, fatty foods, and carbonated beverages are often on the no-go list when it comes to avoiding these symptoms.
What to Do
If you think that you might have irritable bowel syndrome or just want relief from your bloating, you should go to a doctor. Preferably, a specialist that focuses on disorders of the stomach.
Irritable bowel syndrome is typically diagnosed just by uncovering what symptoms you're having and by determining if a change in diet makes it better. However, your stomach doctor will likely order additional diagnostic tests in order to ensure that it isn't something else that's causing your problems. As scary as it might be, other illnesses can cause similar symptoms, ranging from celiac disease to cancer. Some of these disorders can be diagnosed with a simple blood test, but others may require something called an endoscopy.
An endoscopy is a test where, while you're under general anesthesia, the doctor will run a tiny camera down the throat and into the stomach. Once it's there, they can look for problems like scar tissue, tumors, cancer lesions, and other issues. They can also take tissue samples, which will let them run tests to determine the cause of your problems.
IBS is manageable with help from a physician. Don't ignore your stomach bloating symptoms. Get help from a stomach doctor and ensure that it's not something more severe.