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With an account you can log your wellbeing each week. Your progress then appears on this sheet.
My notes Since when, and how did it start? What have I tried, and what did it do? Medication and supplements I take Anything else that matters to me Questions I would like to ask Questions that fit your check are preselected. Only ticked questions are printed.
I have noticed warning signs. Which tests are needed now, for example a blood count, a stool test for blood or a colonoscopy? Blood in the stool, weight loss, fever or symptoms at night should always be checked by a doctor before you treat yourself. More on this: Gut tests: what they show and what they do not Would a stool calprotectin test make sense to rule out inflammation in the gut? It helps to tell inflammatory bowel disease apart from irritable bowel syndrome. More on this: Gut tests: what they show and what they do not Has coeliac disease been ruled out? (Blood test for transglutaminase antibodies together with total IgA, while I am still eating gluten) Coeliac disease can explain many gut symptoms. The test is only reliable if you have been eating gluten beforehand. More on this: Lactose, fructose, gluten: making sense of intolerances Could bile acid malabsorption be causing my diarrhoea? Which test or trial treatment is available here? Some people with diarrhoea-type IBS actually have bile acid malabsorption, which can be treated specifically. Availability of tests differs by country. More on this: Bile acids: when bile causes diarrhoea Should my stool be tested for pathogens or parasites, such as Giardia, or C. difficile after antibiotics? Symptoms that persist after an infection or a course of antibiotics sometimes have a treatable cause. More on this: Parasites in the gut: worms, protozoa and Blastocystis Would a breath test make sense (lactose, fructose or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), and how meaningful is it in my case? Breath tests are useful but also give false results. Interpretation by a professional matters. More on this: When the small intestine is too densely colonised Would a stool elastase test make sense to check how well my pancreas digests food? Pale, greasy stool or undigested food can point to too few digestive enzymes. More on this: Stomach acid, bile and enzymes Could my regular medication be contributing to the symptoms, and are there alternatives? Acid blockers, metformin, painkillers and other drugs change digestion and gut flora. More on this: Medications that change the gut How long should I take acid blockers, and how can I taper them off later? Acid blockers help with reflux but should not run long-term without a reason. Stopping suddenly can briefly make symptoms worse. More on this: Heartburn and reflux Could a pelvic floor evacuation problem be behind my constipation? If you have to strain hard or feel incompletely emptied, the problem is sometimes not the bowel but how the muscles work together. That can be trained. More on this: Pelvic floor: when stool won’t come out properly Do my symptoms fit irritable bowel syndrome, and which treatments are options, for example dietary advice or gut-directed psychotherapy? IBS is a real disorder of the gut-brain axis. Several effective treatments exist besides medication. More on this: The gut-brain axis Which other causes should be ruled out before histamine intolerance, such as a food allergy or a mast cell disorder? Histamine intolerance is hard to prove and is often suspected too quickly. More on this: Histamine intolerance: much searched, little proven Should I be tested for Helicobacter pylori? For upper abdominal symptoms, guidelines often recommend a test for this stomach bacterium, for example a breath or stool test. More on this: Sensitive stomach: fullness, upper abdominal pain and Helicobacter Could a breath test show whether I absorb lactose or fructose poorly? A hydrogen breath test shows whether a sugar is poorly absorbed in the small intestine. Leaving it out and reintroducing it in a targeted way also helps. More on this: Lactose, fructose, gluten: making sense of intolerances Print or save as PDF