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Diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be very challenging because symptoms of IBD are similar to other gastric conditions such as celiac disease, parasitic infection, diverticulitis, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These symptoms can include persistent diarrhea, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, fatigue, weight loss, and fever. Health care providers need to first rule out other possible causes of these symptoms before making a diagnosis of Crohn's or colitis (this is also referred to as differential diagnoses). There is no single test that can be used to diagnose Crohn’s or colitis. Providers use a combination of procedures to specifically test for signs of IBD. Whether you've been recently diagnosed with IBD or are still awaiting a diagnosis and showing signs of IBD, it is important to understand what these tests are and how they are used when testing for Crohn's and colitis. In this section of the Journey you can learn about blood tests, stool tests, endoscopy, colonoscopy, ultrasound, MRI and other imaging techniques.