Jubla Posted November 4 Report Share Posted November 4 My husband, 79, has had alternating diarrhea and constipation for the last year. He has had a colonoscopy with no problems revealed in the bowel. Everything I read on IBS matches his symptoms except for the pain. He sometimes has stomach pain when he is constipated but none otherwise. Doctor has kind of given up I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey Roberts Posted November 18 Report Share Posted November 18 Hi Jubla, I'm sorry to read about your husband's difficulty. It is definitely more tricky to diagnose someone above 65 years old. You always worry about another cause. Abdominal pain is really the hallmark symptom of IBS. It is often relieved by a bowel movement. If that's not the case for your husband, I think the doctor needs to look further. Some imaging or stool cultures might help to find the cause. There are also some markers in blood work which could reveal if inflammation is involved. You would hate for something to be missed. If your doctor is truly unwilling to investigate further than I would increase the fibre. That can help both diarrhea and constipation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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