{"id":6562,"date":"2024-12-19T21:50:07","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T04:50:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stoneroselaw.com\/veteranslaw\/?page_id=6562"},"modified":"2026-03-30T19:43:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T02:43:03","slug":"how-to-prepare-for-your-va-exam-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.stoneroselaw.com\/veteranslaw\/how-to-prepare-for-your-va-exam-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare for Your VA Exam: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Ultimate IBS Exam Prep Guide for Veterans From An Accredited VA Attorney\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HKqLsorZDQM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this article, we&#8217;re talking about your upcoming exam for irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IBS is one of the most common service-connected bowel conditions, and unlike many other conditions, it&#8217;s largely rated based on how well you describe your symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your rating will depend on your ability to communicate those symptoms to your examiners, and the IBS rating criteria has a few hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, let&#8217;s get into the details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Criteria #1: Abdominal Pain &amp; Defecation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first thing to know for a compensable rating for IBS is you must have abdominal pain related to defecation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Put another way, your belly hurts when you take a dump, or it hurts less after you take a dump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And that&#8217;s the first hurdle we must clear to get a compensable rating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Often &amp; Severely Do You Experience Pain?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The examiner will also want to know how often you experience that pain: once in the past three months, three times a month over the past three months, or weekly during the past three months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you can see, we need to establish if this is a chronic issue, not just an uncomfortable toilet experience after eating burgers at the dive bar down the street that failed a recent health inspection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, to ensure accuracy, we recommend tracking your symptoms with a defecation log. This helps provide a clear picture for your examiner of how frequently and severely you experience pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be clear, we don&#8217;t mean actually taking pictures. There&#8217;s no need to take pictures of what happens in the bathroom<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Criteria #2: Show at Least Two Additional Symptoms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need to show at least two additional symptoms to continue on that compensable rating path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptom #1: Stool Frequency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One symptom is a change in stool frequency. Are you going to the bathroom more or less often than normal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This isn&#8217;t necessarily just diarrhea or constipation but rather the frequency at which you make deposits to the city sewage system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptom #2: Changes in Stool Form<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second symptom we have is changes in stool form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Does your stool look different than it used to?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a GI doctor, your stool should generally look like a smooth and soft sausage or snake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We recommend looking at the Bristol Stool Form scale, which we&#8217;ve linked in the comments below, which will help you identify changes in your stool consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptom #3: Altered Stool Passage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third symptom they look for is altered stool passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you feel the urgent need to go to the bathroom or you\u2019re going to have an accident?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or when you do go, are you straining or pushing to make a deposit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptom #4: Muccorhea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fourth symptom we have is something called muccorhea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a fancy medical term for mucus in the stool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s normal for mucus to be in stools. Our intestines need a little bit of lubrication to keep things moving,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But excessive mucus will make you look in the bowl and think, \u201cWhat the heck is that?\u201d Or if you go to wipe and you&#8217;re getting mucus on the toilet paper, that&#8217;s a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You need to advise the examiner of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptom #5: Abdominal Bloating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fifth symptom is abdominal bloating, which can feel like a feeling of fullness or gas in the stomach. Sometimes, clients describe it like if they poked a needle into their belly, it would deflate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be clear, that is not true. Please don&#8217;t stick needles into yourself without a doctor&#8217;s express permission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But again, this is another subjective symptom, and you need to be able to explain the abdominal distension and discomfort that you\u2019re feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Symptom #6: Subjective Distension<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The last symptom is subjective distension, which is defined as a measurable increase in abdominal girth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While bloating feels like your belly is getting bigger and fuller, distension means that it actually does look bigger and fuller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, as you can see, getting a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stoneroselaw.com\/veteranslaw\/ibs-va-rating\/\" id=\"https:\/\/www.stoneroselaw.com\/veteranslaw\/ibs-va-rating\/\">proper rating for IBS<\/a> means getting a VA examiner who cares enough to listen to your symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also means you need to know enough about your body and your symptoms to be able to verbalize them to your examiner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We recommend starting a symptom log in your phone or a defecation log where you note things such as the date, time, pain levels, and symptoms you&#8217;re experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This can help ensure that your exam is as accurate as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As always, if you have any questions about preparing for your upcoming exam after this video, do not hesitate to reach out to our team at (480) 498-8998.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we&#8217;re talking about your upcoming exam for irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS. IBS is one of the most common service-connected bowel conditions, and unlike many other conditions, it&#8217;s largely rated based on how well you describe your symptoms. Your rating will depend on your ability to communicate those symptoms to your examiners,&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stoneroselaw.com\/veteranslaw\/how-to-prepare-for-your-va-exam-irritable-bowel-syndrome-ibs\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6562","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"disable_sidebar":"","sm_custom_title":"","sm_custom_menu":false,"sm_disable_sidebar":false,"banner_title":"","banner_image":false,"banner_image_tablet":false,"banner_h1":"","turn_off_button":"","disable_banner_new":"","banner_extra_content":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Prepare for Your VA Exam: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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