Looking to Track IBS Symptoms? This App makes it easy

What is IBS? 

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal condition that affects the large intestine and colon. It is characterised by abdominal pain, bloating, and flatulence. Some people with IBS experience alternating bouts of diarrhea and constipation. 

In some cases, these symptoms can be mild, while others can be severe. 

The condition often starts in childhood, but it can begin in adulthood. Genetics along with stress, anxiety and depression are closely linked to IBS. 

IBS Treatment

After ruling out other gastrointestinal disorders, there are various treatments available for IBS, depending on the symptoms you experience. These can include temporary dietary changes to alleviate symptoms and lifestyle changes to improve stress levels and wellbeing. This process is completely tailored to an individual and a vital part of if is continuing to track and understand IBS symptoms' triggers. 

A food-symptoms diary is often used as part of treatment. But the task itself can be arduous on those already dealing with gastrointestinal discomfort then expected to write down everything that's being consumed and the symptoms that go with it. 

Online Food and Symptom tracking with Bowelle

Bowelle is a food and symptom (and stress) diary available on iOS and Android apps. The App was designed to complement treatment with a health care professional by providing an easy way to track day-to-day symptoms and lifestyle factors that go with it. 

We took Bowelle for a road test and found it a great tracking tool that helps ease the burden of logging symptoms throughout the day. 

The usability of the Bowelle App is fabulous, and you can see a lot of work has been put into making sure that it is fast and easy to enter data, including daily tracking of:

• How You Felt (using a smiley face scale)
• Bowel movements, number, consistency, and amount
• What you've eaten and drank, each meal quickly tracked with timestamps and allowance for extra notes and photos. 
• Your Stress* (Rating on a scale of 1 (not stressed) to 8 (exceptionally stressed) *I liked that this was included.

The great thing about the App is that you can send the report to your dietitian. It also has the flexibility to add custom fields if you and your dietitian want to track additional information. 

Informative IBS Symptom Reporting

And suppose you're a data nerd like me. In that case, the overlay graphs are just great and informative, particularly looking at the stress scale overlayed with the symptoms experienced. 

Bowelle is free for use and will store and aggregate 14 days' worth of data history. If you want to go premium, it's $5.49 per month, or $22.99 if you pay annually, which gives added features and unlimited data storage and reports. 

Final Thoughts

I liked the Bowelle App, it places less burden on those needing to complete a food-symptoms diary, and the reporting with stress tracking included can genuinely assist in managing IBS. The App has great features available in its free version and provides thorough documentation and guidance for appropriate use. 

Note: Bowell website acknowledges a partnership on their website with aguulp, a gut supplement brand in the UK, though this is not evident in the UK we always advise consulting with your health professional before taking adding supplements to your regimen. 

Image Credit: bowelle.com
This post is not sponsored and was created out of interest from our editorial dietitians.