Patient was instructed on signs and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as follows:
- Signs and symptoms vary based on the pattern of the smooth muscle contractions the patient is experiencing.
- Individuals with contractions that are too strong and prolonged can present with severe abdominal pain, cramping, gas production, and diarrhea. This variant of the syndrome is called IBS – Diarrhea.
- Individuals with weaker contractions of the intestines can result in bloating and constipation and are said to have the variant of IBS – Constipation.
- Some individuals can present with symptoms that are a mix of both variants, IBS – Mixed.
- Episodes that are prolonged and unresolved can result in malnutrition, weight loss, rectal bleeding, and anemia, if blood loss happens to be severe.
