Bad Belly Lingo

One thing that I struggled with when I first started researching bowel conditions and joined online groups was the particular “lingo” that is used within this community. Apart from all of the scientific and medical terms, there are also several acronyms and abbreviations, which can be difficult to decipher on your own.

Here is a list of the abbreviations and acronyms that I have seen and their explanations, perhaps this can help you as well:

• IBD – Stands for “Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
• UC – Stands for “Ulcerative Colitis.”
• CD – Stands for “Crohn’s Disease.”
• IBS – Stands for “Irritable Bowel Syndrome.”
• IBS-C – Stands for “Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation.”
• IBS-D – Stands for “Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Diarrhea.”
• IBS-A – Stands for “Irritable Bowel Syndrome Alternating.”
• IBS-B – Stands for “Irritable Bowel Syndrome Both.”
• FODMAP – Stands for “Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols.” Relates to the Low FODMAP diet.
• LI – Stands for “Lactose Intolerance.”
• FM – Stands for “Fructose Malabsorption.”
• HFI – Stands for “Hereditary Fructose Intolerance.”
• GF – Stands for “gluten free.”
• BM – Stands for “bowel movement.”
• FF – Stands for “fructose friendly.”
• SCD – Stands for “Specific Carbohydrate Diet.” Read more here.
• AIP – Stands for “Auto-Immune Protocol.” Relates to the Auto-Immune Paleo diet.
• GERD – Stands for “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.” Read more here.
• GI – Stands for “gastrointestinal.”
• Prep – Refers to “bowel preparation,” which is done before a colonoscopy.
• Spoonie – Someone with a chronic disease. Refers to the Spoon Theory.
• Dx – Symbol for “diagnosis.”
• Rx – Symbol for “prescription.”
• Flare – Refers to a severe episode of symptoms.
• 5-ASA – Stands for 5-aminosalicylic acid, otherwise known as mesalamine, which is a type of medication used to treat inflammatory bowel disease. Read more here.