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Constipation: Why Does It Happen?
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When Are Bowel Symptoms A Sign Of IBS?
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Coping with GI Symptoms
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Bowel Symptoms and Bloating: Could it Be IBS?
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How to Manage Vague Bowel Irregularities of IBS
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Is Your Heartburn Medicine Working?
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Medication Strategies for Heartburn
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When is Heartburn Just Heartburn?
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The Right Recipes for GERD
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Night Pains: Is Heartburn Keeping You Up?
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Using Over-the-Counter Medicines for Heartburn
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Heartburn: What's Going On Down There?
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Why Do I Still Have Heartburn?
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Part 1: Diagnosis and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Dining Out with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Diagnosis and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Cooking For People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Insurance and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Advocacy Issues with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Nutritional Problems in Crohn’s and Colitis
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Part 2: Cooking for the Person with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Treating Kids with Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis
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Kids Coping Strategies
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Leading Edge Developments in the Treatment of IBD
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Leading Edge Developments in the Diagnosis of IBD
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The Genetics Of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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Influencing Public Policy: Becoming an Advocate for IBD
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Surgery and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
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IBD and Colorectal Cancer: Keeping a Close Watch
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Coping as a Family
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Kids Coping with IBD
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IBD and Cancer: Up Close and Personal
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Medical Issues
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Stomach Trouble?
Learn what's causing your bellyaches—and untie the knots for good.
Tell a friend you have a stomach problem—the delicate euphemism for nausea, heartburn, diarrhea and constipation—and you're guaranteed a sympathetic smile. Most women know the agony of stomach and intestinal ills all too well. Each year, nearly 25 percent of Americans suffer pain and discomfort from digestive disorders, according to the Foundation for Digestive Health and Nutrition in Bethesda, Maryland. With so many stomachaches striking so often, it's difficult to know which ones are the pop-two-antacids variety and which warrant a call to your doctor. So with the help of top gastroenterologists, SELF developed the handy chart on the next page to help you make sense of those cramps, gurgles and internal burns. Follow the arrows to learn what your symptoms might mean, look up your problem on the accompanying pages, then ring your physician to discuss what you find. Before you know it, you'll be on the road to relief.
Got a stomachache?
Answer these questions to diagnose your problem.
DO YOU GET THEM OFTEN
(at least once a week for at least three weeks during the past three months)?
ALL ABOUT ULCERS
Heads up to those who regularly take more than the recommended dose of aspirin or ibuprofen: Occasionally, this practice can cause an ulcer. Usually, however, these sores in the stomach lining are triggered by H. pylori, a bacteria often contracted when you're young; the bug typically lies dormant for years, but your physician can detect it through a blood test if she suspects it's to blame for your ache. If the test is positive, you'll get a round of antibiotics and several months' worth of acid-reducing medication, such as Prilosec or Prevacid, to help the ulcer heal. "Many patients are cured of the bacteria after one round of therapy," says Cynthia Yoshida, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Digestive Health Center of Excellence at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. If your doctor thinks your pain is due to too many over-the-counter meds, she'll likely suggest you stop taking them and recommend an acid-reducer. But if you continue to suffer after a month or so, you may need an endoscopy, a procedure in which a small camera is inserted through the mouth and into the stomach to allow further examination. Day to day, ulcers might smart less when you have food in your stomach, and you can forget those old rules about eating a bland diet; there's no evidence it helps. Still, it's a good idea to avoid any foods that trigger your pain, and the same goes for cigarettes and alcohol.
GET THE FACTS ON GERD
You thought those fire-breathers at the circus were illusionists; heartburn will make you wonder if they're for real. But that scorching pain right behind your breastbone is often nothing to worry about. If it strikes only once in a while, try chewable antacids or OTC acid reducers such as Zantac, Pepcid and Prilosec, says David Markowitz, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians &Surgeons in New York City. But when it flares more than twice a week or is no match for drugstore remedies, you are probably possessed by heartburn's evil twin, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Call your M.D. for an exorcism. People with GERD have a lazy or confused sphincter muscle separating the esophagus and stomach; either it doesn't stay closed or it opens at the wrong times, both of which allow gastric acid to slip up and irritate the lining of the esophagus. Besides the telltale burn, you may experience coughing, hoarseness and a sore throat. Over time, GERD can lead to bleeding or ulcers in the esophagus; left untreated, it can increase the risk for esophageal cancer in some people. The usual strategy: prescription-strength meds along with a couple of (easy) lifestyle changes. Eating five or six small meals a day and avoiding chocolate (sorry!), peppermint and high-fat foods can all help prevent reflux, Dr. Markowitz says. Large meals overfill the stomach, putting extra pressure on the sphincter, while the treats relax the muscle. Surgery is a last-resort option.
25% OF AMERICANS HAVE DIGESTIVE ILLNESSES.
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Author Info: Michelle Andrews
Published: FEBRUARY 2004, SELF Magazine, The Condé Nast Publications |
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