Hello,

I am feeling very bloated every afternoon and seem to have developed pain in my left side. Does this sound like IBS and if it is, what can I do to relieve bloating, which is the main issue for me.

IBS is diagnosed by a doctor using the Rome Criteria and tests such as colonoscopy.

The Rome III Criteria are the current standard for this definition.

The Rome diagnostic criteria of Irritable Bowel Syndrome always presumes the absence of a structural or biochemical explanation for the symptoms and is made only by a physician.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome can be diagnosed based on at least 12 weeks (which need not be consecutive) in the preceding 12 months, of abdominal discomfort or pain that has two out of three of these features:

1. Relieved with defecation; and/or
2. Onset associated with a change in frequency of stool; and/or
3. Onset associated with a change in form (appearance) of stool.

Symptoms that Cumulatively Support the Diagnosis of IBS:
1. Abnormal stool frequency (may be defined as greater than 3 bowel movements per day and less than 3 bowel movements per week);

2. Abnormal stool form (lumpy/hard or loose/watery stool);

3. Abnormal stool passage (straining, urgency, or feeling of incomplete evacuation);

4. Passage of mucus;

5. Bloating or feeling of abdominal distension.

Supportive Symptoms of IBS:
1. Fewer than three bowel movements a week
2. More than three bowel movements a day
3. Hard or lumpy stools
4. Loose (mushy) or watery stools
5. Straining during a bowel movement
6. Urgency (having to rush to have a bowel movement)
7. Feeling of incomplete bowel movement
8. Passing mucus (white material) during a bowel movement
9. Abdominal fullness, bloating, or swelling