Chronic Gastrointestinal Issues Treatment Specialist in Pflugerville, TX

Chronic gastrointestinal problems include any factors or symptoms that affect the way your body is able to effectively and properly digest food. There are quite a few factors that can influence the functioning of your gastrointestinal tract and how well it is able to maintain movement during the digestion process. Some examples of chronic gastrointestinal problems include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gastroenteritis, celiac disease, chronic diarrhea, chronic constipation, ulcers, and hemorrhoids. Your gastrointestinal tract is around 9 feet long, so when one problem occurs, it can heavily affect the rest of the tract, and allows for quite a bit of room for error if you are at risk for developing one of these chronic gastrointestinal problems.

Chronic gastrointestinal disorders can range from fairly mild but causing discomfort to very severe and causing immense pain. Since the gastrointestinal tract is so long and is in charge of our proper digestion, any minor issue can quickly lead to significant discomfort or trigger other problems. Our digestive system is what allows our bodies to absorb the nutrients we require for proper functioning. More severe gastrointestinal diseases that actually affect the functioning of your digestive tract may require surgeries or emergency procedures to avoid continuing complications. Without proper treatment for some of these diseases, if symptoms are severe or prolonged, they could end up being fatal. It is important to ensure that all concerns or discomfort regarding your gastrointestinal tract are quickly addressed by medical professionals to rule out any serious conditions and to relieve you of uncomfortable or painful symptoms.

Many gastrointestinal diseases can be triggered by one or several factors, whether the factors are diet or lifestyle-related. Simply not consuming a sufficient amount of fiber can be enough to trigger discomfort or pain. Other dietary factors that could be triggers include excess dairy products, the overusing of anti-diarrheal medications (they lead to the weakening of bowel muscle movements), antacid medications that contain calcium or aluminum, and other medications such as antidepressants, iron supplements, and narcotics.

Some examples of lifestyle factors that could trigger gastrointestinal diseases include insufficient exercise, stress, becoming pregnant, and resisting bowel movements (due to hemorrhoids or some other discomfort). There are many different possible triggers for gastrointestinal diseases, so it is important to make sure that you try your best to keep track of potential triggers if you do ever have a flare-up or reaction to ensure that you receive any necessary treatments.

A few of the most common symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases include bleeding, constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and nausea/vomiting. Bleeding can occur in a couple of different ways that will be indicative of upper or lower-tract diseases and can be observed through vomiting blood, rectal bleeding, and blood in the stool. Constipation can be further recognized through its own symptoms including pain, less frequent bowel movements, increased difficulty passing bowel movements, incomplete bowel movements, abdominal swelling or pain, smaller or harder stools, bleeding, and for more severe blockages, vomiting.

Bloating will typically just feel like your stomach is full and tight, and is typically caused by a build-up of gas in your stomach. Other symptoms indicative of diarrhea includes more frequent and loose, watery stools, and cramping or pain in the abdomen. Nausea and vomiting can be associated with many of the other symptoms that develop from gastrointestinal diseases as your body deals with significant discomfort and pain and as your body is telling you that something is wrong. Contact us today for more information or to request an appointment today! We are conveniently located at 701 FM 685, Ste 125 Pflugerville, TX 78660. We Serve Patients from Pflugerville TX, Austin TX, Round Rock TX, Hutto TX, Georgetown TX, Cedar Park TX, Taylor TX, and Manor TX.