Celiac Vs. Ibs

[Zeb]

What are the defining difference between Celiac and IBS? I was told I have IBS back in 1993. As I mentioned in another thread, literally over night, I went from normal BMs to massive multiple diarrhea BMs daily for several weeks which caused me to go to a doctor which later on, after a lot of tests, the MD determined it was all IBS. The doctor said to start increasing fiber content in my diet. I did this and eventually things got better but with the exception of time to time bouts of diarrhea usually after eating a meal. Then 3 weeks ago, BOOM, I was hit again just as I did back in 1993 but to a lesser degree. Now after discovering Celiac I am wondering if this has been Celiac all along. I read somewhere that IBS symptoms can really be Celiac because they're so similar in nature with some exceptions.

What I'd like to know is if someone can tell me the real differences between the two conditions that makes them stand apart from each other. I would appreciate your input.

Thank you.

By the way some things -- before all of this hit 3 weeks ago -- that really triggered an urgent diarrhea BM would be foods that had sugar in them like Coke, chocolate (especially dark chocolate), consumption of a lot of candy over the period of days, and late evening consumption of green leafy salads -- eating green leafy salads after 8:00 pm pretty much guarantee sending me into a diarrhea tizzy -- it's a given. I also seem to have problems right after eating a very full/large meal especially Mexican foods with spices. Any spicy foods will pretty much causes diarrhea right after or at least an awful lot of foul smelling gas. Eating peanuts will do the same as well. FYI.

[mushroom]

The problem, in a nutshell, is that there really isn't a specific definiition (so far as I can tell) of what IBS is. To all intents and purposes the symptoms are similar/the same. If a doctor can't find any other cause (or can't think of any other cause) for your bowel being irritable, s/he will label it as IBS. At least that is my take on it. Anyone who knows of a specific definition for IBS - fire away.

[ShirleyGFD]

  On 7/28/2010 at 3:41 PM, mushroom said:

The problem, in a nutshell, is that there really isn't a specific definiition (so far as I can tell) of what IBS is. To all intents and purposes the symptoms are similar/the same. If a doctor can't find any other cause (or can't think of any other cause) for your bowel being irritable, s/he will label it as IBS. At least that is my take on it. Anyone who knows of a specific definition for IBS - fire away.

Exactly. IBS is just sort of a junk box term for "We don't know why your intestines hate you but we know you are sick." and that's usually followed by "now eat more fiber and run along" or other such dismissal because they don't have answers. I'm in the process of self-diagnosing celiac because I've been on so many wild goose chases with doctors over the years and have read about so many false negatives that I'm determined to work this out myself, then head to the doc when it seems more conclusive to me.

[Zeb]

Thanks, everyone for the help.