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New Approaches to Treating Chronic Constipation When Are Bowel Symptoms A Sign Of IBS? Bowel Symptoms and Bloating: Could it Be IBS?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A Personal Look at Bowel Problems

Summary & Participants

When you are an avid runner, constipation, bloating and abdominal pain can cramp your pace. Listen to one person describe how she fought off embarrassment and finally went to see a doctor.

Medically Reviewed On: June 19, 2008

Webcast Transcript

GERARD GUILLORY, MD: One of the things that I often do in the first visit is tell them up front that there's not going to be any exam involved and that all we're going to do is talk about it. And they fill out a rather lengthy questionnaire to get at the heart of some of the symptoms that I think are important for making a diagnosis of IBS.

ANNOUNCER: Dr. Guillory determined that Shannon had no alarm symptoms that might indicate a more serious disease or condition, so he diagnosed IBS and began treatment.

GERARD GUILLORY, MD: For patients with IBS and constipation, one of the first goals of therapy is to try and get the bowel movement more regular, and often times I will try fiber supplements as a first-line treatment. And that's what we did with Shannon.

ANNOUNCER: Dr. Guillory also wanted Shannon to work on her schedule.

SHANNON: He wanted me to basically, what he calls, adult potty training, where he wanted me to have an exercise every day where I went to the bathroom and relaxed and tried to sit there with a magazine or a newspaper for a prolonged period of time to try and reeducate my body to go to the bathroom in the morning when I first wake up. So I did try that, as well.

ANNOUNCER: But Shannon continued to have problems with constipation and bloating, and she went back to Dr. Guillory a few weeks later.

GERARD GUILLORY, MD: I saw Shannon for follow up after we had tried fiber and establishing a consistent time for elimination. She was marginally better but still having quite a bit of problems with the discomfort and irregularity.

ANNOUNCER: Dr. Guillor assured Shannon there was no reason for despair. He explained to Shannon, as he does all of his patients, there are always next steps in the treatment of IBS.

GERARD GUILLOR, MD: "Here's what we're going to try first, and if that doesn't work we're going to try this and this and this," so they realize, if they don't become too frustrated if the initial intervention is ineffective, just to let them know up front that there are other options.

ANNOUNCER: The next step for Shannon was a prescription drug that stimulates the intestine, speeding the transit of stool. The treatment was effective and quick.

SHANNON: Well, immediately I knew it was working. I took it the following morning when I woke up, before I ate my meal. And within an hour or two I was able to go to the bathroom successfully.

GERARD GUILLORY, MD: I saw her in follow-up, and she was markedly improved. She's a very active girl, likes to run, and this had significantly improved her quality of life.

SHANNON: Well, running is a lot easier and more fun now, because I'm able to go to the bathroom before I go, so I can go out for my runs. I can do my pace work, my speed work, my long runs, all of this, without having to worry about the bathroom or when I'm going to be able to go next or my bloating or abdominal pain. I mean, it's absolutely fantastic. It's like I'm a new person.

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