Gastroenterology

Occasional heartburn is uncomfortable, but when it becomes a regular occurrence, you need effective treatment. With the kind of care you receive when you visit the physicians at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center, you can get your GERD symptoms under control. And when it comes to preventive care for intestinal issues, there’s no better place to receive compassionate care. While prevention is by far the best approach to avoid abdominal pain and colon cancer, early intervention keeps those problems from getting more serious. Call today for an appointment.

Our physicians prevent, diagnose and treat issues of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Your GI tract consists of the:

• Stomach
• Esophagus
• Colon and rectum
• Small intestine
• Liver
• Bile ducts
• Pancreas
• Gall bladder

Problems in any one of these organs may not make for great dinner conversation, but you should discuss it with your physician at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center. Begin that conversation during your first visit with your primary care physician.

You don’t have to wait for a condition to become extreme before you seek treatment, either. The earlier issues are detected, the sooner and more easily your condition can be treated. Additionally, preventive steps are the best way to avoid bigger problems. So if you’ve had gastrointestinal problems in the past, make seeing a physician part of your health-screening checkup.

Prevention

Most GI disorders are entirely preventable. Untreated, however, they can lead to serious complications that may cause permanent damage and require invasive procedures. Your physician at the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center provides you with a detailed plan for reducing and even eliminating uncomfortable conditions, such as:

• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• GERD and heartburn
• Gas and bloating
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Gastritis
• Diverticulitis
• Anal fissures

We recommend proven techniques to avoid many stomach and GI problems, such as:

• Eating a high-fiber diet
• Getting enough exercise
• Reducing the amount of dairy products you consume
• Lowering stress
• Moving your bowels promptly when the urge strikes
• Avoiding overuse of laxatives and stool softeners that weaken your bowel muscles
• Eliminating antacids that contain aluminum or calcium
• Reducing caffeine consumption

Screen for Your Life

Colorectal cancer is the second most common type of cancer in the United States. Yet it’s one of the most preventable and curable cancers, particularly when caught early. A colonoscopy, performed on a regular schedule, is the preferred screening method. During the procedure, your doctor checks for cancerous cells and removes polyps, which are possible precursors to colon cancer.

At the Medex Diagnostic and Treatment Center, doctors rely on the most modern screening procedures to find GI issues before they erupt into a full-blown disease. Other diagnostic tools include:

• An upper endoscopy, used to find and often treat upper GI symptoms
• Sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing to discover anal warts
• Liver enzyme tests that rule out liver problems as the source of abdominal pain
• A stool sample test to look for infections
• A CT scan to determine the severity of diverticulitis
• A breath test to diagnose digestive disorders
• Small bowel capsule treatments to examine the middle section of your GI tract

Treatment Options

Since so many different organs are involved in processing food for your body, treatments for GI conditions vary significantly. For example, removing polyps during a colonoscopy may be all you need to prevent cancer. If you wait too long, however, cancer can spread from your colon throughout your body, requiring extensive treatments like radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.

While we prefer to catch GI issues early and provide lifestyle changes as the most effective treatment, you may need advanced treatments, including:

• Medications for conditions such as IBS
• Minimally invasive surgery to remove hemorrhoids or repair anal fissures
• Antibiotics to treat infections

Regular Checkups and Emergency Care

The most productive way to stay healthy is to get regular checkups, particularly if you have a family history of GI disorders or have had previous GI tract conditions. Everyone over the age of 50 should maintain a regular schedule of colorectal screenings — usually every five years if polyps were removed. Seek treatment as soon as possible if you experience more severe symptoms, such as:

• Anal bleeding
• Changes in your normal bowel movements
• Severe gas or abdominal pain
• Weight loss you can’t explain
• Fatigue
• Piles, which are blood clots that cause pain when you have a bowel movement
• Lasting or alternating diarrhea or constipation