Surgical Abdominal pain or discomfort for at least 12 weeks out of the previous 12 months colitis-irritable-bowel These 12 weeks do not have to be consecutive colitis-irritable-bowel Abdominal pain or discomfort in association with bowel dysfunction is the main symptom colitis-irritable-bowel Symptoms may vary from person to person colitis-irritable-bowel Some people people have constipation (hard, difficult-to-pass, or infrequent bowel movements) ; others have diarrhea (frequent loose stools, often with an urgent need to move the bowels) ; and still others experience alternating constipation and diarrhea colitis-irritable-bowel Some people experience bloating, which is gas building up in the intestines and causing the feeling feeling of pressure inside the abdomen colitis-irritable-bowel adequate sleep Also, large meals can cause cramping and diarrhea, so eating smaller meals more often or eating smaller portions should help IBS symptoms colitis-irritable-bowel It may also help if your meals are low in fat and high in carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice, rice, whole-grain breads and cereals (unless you have celiac disease) , fruits, and vegetables colitis-irritable-bowel Bleeding, fever, weight loss, and persistent severe pain are not symptoms of IBS and may indicate other problems such as inflammation or rarely cancer colitis-irritable-bowel bloating from gas in the colon Can changes in diet help help IBS? changes to the stressful situations in your life Colon motility (the contraction of the colon muscles and the movement of its contents) is controlled by nerves and hormones and by electrical activity in the colon muscle colitis-irritable-bowel Contractions move the contents slowly back and forth but mainly toward the the rectum colitis-irritable-bowel During this passage, water and nutrients are absorbed into the body colitis-irritable-bowel What remains is stool colitis-irritable-bowel A few times each day, strong muscle contractions move down the colon, pushing the stool ahead of them colitis-irritable-bowel Some of these strong contractions result in a bowel movement colitis-irritable-bowel The The muscles of the pelvis and anal sphincters have to relax at the right time to allow the stool to be expelled colitis-irritable-bowel If the muscles of the colon, sphincters, and pelvis do not contract in a coordinated way, the contents do not move smoothly, resulting in abdominal pain, cramps, constipation constipation or diarrhea, and a sense of incomplete stool movement colitis-irritable-bowel counseling and support Criteria for IBS Diagnosis Drinking six to eight glasses of plain water a day is important, especially if you have diarrhea colitis-irritable-bowel But drinking carbonated beverages, such as sodas, may result in gas and cause discomfort colitis-irritable-bowel Chewing gum and eating too quickly can lead to swallowing air, which again leads to gas colitis-irritable-bowel drinks with caffeine, such as coffee, tea, or colas For many people, careful eating reduces IBS symptoms colitis-irritable-bowel Before changing your diet, keep a journal noting the foods that seem to cause distress colitis-irritable-bowel distress colitis-irritable-bowel Then discuss your findings with your doctor colitis-irritable-bowel You may also want to consult a registered dietitian, who can help you make changes to your diet colitis-irritable-bowel For instance, if dairy products cause your symptoms to flare up, you can try eating less of those foods colitis-irritable-bowel You might might be able to tolerate yogurt better than other dairy products because it contains bacteria that supply the enzyme needed to digest lactose, the sugar found in milk products colitis-irritable-bowel Dairy products are an important source of calcium and other nutrients colitis-irritable-bowel If you need to avoid dairy products, be sure sure to get adequate nutrients in the foods you substitute or take supplements colitis-irritable-bowel Hope Through Research How does stress affect IBS? How is IBS diagnosed? IBS affects the motility or movement of stool and gas through the colon and how fluids are absorbed colitis-irritable-bowel When stool remains in the colon colon for a long time, too much water is absorbed from it colitis-irritable-bowel Then it becomes hard and difficult to pass colitis-irritable-bowel Or spasms push the stool through the colon too fast for the fluid to be absorbed, resulting in diarrhea colitis-irritable-bowel In addition, with spasms, gas may get trapped in in one area or stool may collect in one place, temporarily unable to move forward colitis-irritable-bowel IBS does not harm the intestines and does not lead to cancer colitis-irritable-bowel It is not related to Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis colitis-irritable-bowel IBS is a common disorder found more often in women than than in men and usually begins around age 20 colitis-irritable-bowel IBS is a disorder that interferes with the normal functions of the colon colitis-irritable-bowel The symptoms are crampy abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea colitis-irritable-bowel IBS is diagnosed by its symptoms and by the absence of other diseases colitis-irritable-bowel IBS itself itself is not a disease colitis-irritable-bowel As its name indicates, it is a syndrome--a combination of signs and symptoms colitis-irritable-bowel But IBS has not been shown to lead to any serious, organic diseases, including cancer colitis-irritable-bowel Through the years, IBS has been called by many names, among them colitis, mucous colitis, | 