IBS or allergy? Advice please

[PoptartPoptart]

What are the classic symptoms of IBS? I'm not sure if DS (6yo) has IBS or an allergy or intollerance. He eats a very healthy diet and never snacks between meals yet his tummy is massively bloated and he looks 9 months pregnant! His arms, legs etc are all normal size yet his tummy always looks bloated. His bowel movements have never been good, he goes about every 3-4 days but he has always been like this ever since a baby. He sometimes complains of tummy ache, but it never lasts long. I asked the doctor about this last year and she sent him for blood tests to test for allergies - wheat I think - but it all came back negative. I'm not sure what to do really? Is there medication for IBS? I've thought about cutting things out of his diet but I'm not sure where to start? And how long would I have to cut something out for before I knew it was or wasn't making a difference iykwim. Any advice appreciated please

Hello Poptart

Is he very windy?

As you're concerned, would it be worth going back to the GP and maybe asking for his advice again and also to feel his tummy maybe when he hasn't 'been' for a few days?

Could he be constipated? Going every 3-4 days doesn't sound like alot. If her is eating every day and well, maybe something is just bunging him up. I'm no expert by the way, but have digestive 'issues'and over the years have cut things like white bread out of my diet as it used to have that effect on me.

Another thing that I find helps me is, Probiotics. I find taking them on a regular basis really helps. You can buy lots of yogurts and yogurt drinks with them in, but these are also often sugary so you could buy the powdered form from a good health food shop rather than the more 'gimmicky' stuff.

I think it would be worth speaking to your GP again before you start cutting things out. They should also be able to advise you on how to go about trialing removing foods etc. Maybe also refer you to a dietician.

Sorry I can't offer anything more but I hope you figure out what the culprit/s is/are soon.

take care

When you say he was tested for allergies do you know if he was tested for coeliac disease? The symptoms you describe sound very like coeliac disease which is an autoimmune disease that acts rather like an intolerance to gluten. I definitely think you should get him tested for this and if the blood test comes back negative, ask for a referral to a gastro specialist anyway as sometimes you can get false negatives with the blood test so a specialist might want to try some other tests.

It's very important that you do NOT start cutting out gluten until all the tests have been done otherwise you won't be able to get an accurate diagnosis.

Thanks both for your replies. Yes, I think I will take him back to the doctor and push for more tests/answers. When I mentioned my concerns before, especially around coeliac disease, the doctor said to have blood tests. When I called to get the results the receptionist just said they were all clear. I'm not convinced tbh. He is not especially 'windy', but he can get quite lethargic and definitely does not have as much energy as other boys his age. DH thinks he's just lazy as he has always tired easily, but I think there's more to it.

Definitely test for coeliac. Those are the exact symptoms of my DS1 (4.5), who was diagnosed with coeliac earlier this year.

Ask for a blood test for coeliac. Make sure you don't cut gluten out of his diet beforehand, as then the test won't work. Also ask for a blood test for iron-deficiency anaemia (very common with coeliac because the body fails to absorb iron) - this would be contributing to the tiredness.

DS1 has been gluten-free for four months. His hugely bloated belly has completely flattened, he is bursting with energy instead of being lethargic and tired (walks everywhere when before always wanted to ride in the pushchair). It is wonderful to see, and makes me so cross when I think how our previous doctor never thought to test for coeliac, and if we hadn't fortunately seen a different one, he would have gone on suffering perhaps all his childhood.