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Welcome to Episode 41 of Wrestling the Octopus IBD. This time, we're talking primary care and inflammatory bowel disease - how to get the best from your GP when treating your IBD and how we as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients can help too.

Our guest is north London GP, Dr Lindsay Samaan. She tells us how GPs can help IBD patients with everything from flare symptoms and investigations ,to vaccinations and bone health,. Our discussion highlights the importance of collaborative, patient-centred care.

Topics covered

The role of the GP in inflammatory bowel disease
When to contact your GP, IBD team or A&E
Blood tests, stool tests and faecal calprotectin
Vaccinations and biologic medicines
Bone health and osteoporosis risk
Patient portals and healthcare communication
AI in healthcare letters
Preparing for consultations
Managing mental health and other conditions alongside IBD

Key takeaways

Your GP can do more than you might think!

GPs are often the best first point of contact when symptoms change. They can help determine whether symptoms are related to IBD or another condition and arrange many initial investigations. They also take a broader view of health, helping to manage other medical conditions, mental wellbeing and overall health needs.

Investigations available in primary care

Your GP can often arrange:

Blood tests
Anaemia and nutritional deficiency screening
Faecal calprotectin tests
Stool tests to rule out infection
Certain scans and investigations
DEXA scans for bone health assessment

When to seek urgent help

Go to A&E if you develop:

Severe or rapidly worsening abdominal pain
Abdominal swelling or distension
Fever with gastrointestinal symptoms
Possible bowel obstruction symptoms such as severe cramping, not passing wind or not opening your bowels [

Vaccinations matter!

Patients taking biologics or immunosuppressants should discuss vaccinations with their GP practice. Vaccines mentioned include:

Annual flu vaccine
COVID vaccine
Pneumococcal vaccine

If you are unsure whether to attend a vaccination appointment when unwell, your GP practice or practice nurse can advise.

Don't overlook bone health

People with inflammatory bowel disease who have received repeated steroid treatment may be at increased risk of osteoporosis. Your GP can arrange DEXA scanning and provide advice on vitamin D, resistance exercise and lifestyle measures to help protect bone health.

Know your baseline

One of Dr Samaan's biggest tips is to understand what is normal for you:

Typical bowel frequency
Usual symptoms
Current medications
Previous test results and treatments

Being able to explain what has changed since your usual baseline helps your GP assess whether symptoms may represent an IBD flare or another gastrointestinal condition. [

Use patient portals

Hospital portals can provide quick access to:

Clinic letters
Test results
Appointment details
Treatment information

Having this information available can be particularly useful if communication between hospital and GP systems is delayed.

Final thought

Good patient-centred care relies on partnership. While your specialist team manages treatments such as biologics, your GP can help with investigations, monitoring, vaccinations, mental wellbeing, bone protection and wider gut health concerns. Understanding your own condition and communicating changes clearly can help you get the most from every consultation.

We vow to keep our podcast non-commercial: this means no ads and no sponsorship. If you enjoy what you hear, please pay it forward by telling other IBD patients or healthcare professionals about our podcast. Please also consider subscribing and rating us on your podcast platform. Thank you.

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Follow Nigel at @crohnoid

#41 Getting the most out of primary care when you have IBD

Wrestling the Octopus IBD

#41 Getting the most out of primary care when you have IBD