Tagged As: Story Of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Question:
I returned from a vacation in the tropics with a terrible GI disorder. The doctors and labs in the US could not find the cause and called my condition irritable bowl syndrome. They told me I had to learn to live with it. Well after 1.5 years of suffering I returned to the vacation spot to see if Dr's there could help me. They diagnosed my problem as resistant Giardiasis. Since that diagnosis my recovery has been slow but measurable...Well this is a long story. My point is, keep searching for a cause. The irritable bowl syndrome diagnosis has set my (as well as several other people I have met) recovery back significantly.
Answer:
The advice to keep searching implies that if enough tests are done, a cause will eventually be found. Unfortunately, for the vast majority of people who have been evaluated (thorough history, physical examination, and selected diagnostic tests), *no cause* will be found. These poor folks are then subjected to an endless cascade of tests and treatments, none of which is likely to help and all of which have the potential to do harm.
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