Utah gastroenterologists Archives - Granite Peaks Gastroenterology of Utah

Granite Peaks GI is focused on delivering the highest quality of care for our patients and providing a safe, positive experience, whether our patients are having a procedure or being seen in our clinic for an office visit. Part of having a good experience means being an active member of your health care team.

Get More Out of Your Health Care Visit

One of the ways you can make your appointment productive and be sure to receive the information you need from your provider is to ask questions.

1. Bring someone with you – they’ll help remember answers to your questions
2. Know your family and personal health history, including dates of illnesses and surgeries
3. Either bring your medications with you, or bring a list that includes everything you take – prescription and over-the-counter products

Before your appointment, write down a few questions you have for your health care provider. Your provider will not go through 20 separate health concerns at one appointment, so focus on the questions you would like answered about symptoms, medication, treatment options, tests or procedures.

During your appointment, let the medical assistant or nurse know you would like to ask your medical provider some questions. When you’re with your provider, ask the questions you prepared starting with those most important to you. Then listen to the answers and take notes. If you don’t understand something, let your provider know. If you are having tests done, ask when you might expect results and how you will receive them – by phone, mail or online patient portal.

It is important for you to understand if you have been given a diagnosis and what treatment options are available to you. If medication is prescribed, be sure you understand what it will do. Before prescribing for you, your health care provider will check for interactions. This is why your provider having your complete list of medications is so important. If a procedure or surgery is recommended, be sure you understand the risks and other options for treatment and how it could affect your daily life.

After your appointment, follow your health care provider’s’ instructions. If you are to start a medication, ask the pharmacist questions about it if it’s a new medication to you. Read all of the side effects and possibilities for altering your state of health and your ability to continue daily functions. If you notice a problem or if you are having unexpected side effects, contact your doctor’s office. It is possible a different medication may be a better choice for you.

If you are going to call your physician after your visit, prepare for a phone call the same way you did for your appointment. Write down what you need to ask them because it is possible you will need to leave a message or contact them electronically. Let your medical provider know if you are having side effects or other difficulty with your medication or if your symptoms worsen. If you are waiting for test results, be sure you understand any results you are given. You are entitled to receive the full report of any tests results.

You play an important role in providing your doctors with accurate, complete information about your health history and your current condition. Your doctor uses this information to decide the safest, most effective treatment options to help you feel your best. Get involved, get informed and get healthy!

by James M. Stewart, MD

Abdominal pain is one of the most common complaints a gastroenterologist hears in daily practice. Evaluating abdominal pain is complicated and often involves looking for patterns. The first place to start is with some questions about the pain.

Common questions include:

• When did the pain start? Whether a patient’s pain has been present acutely (starting within the last month) or chronically (starting months to years ago) helps narrow the diagnosis.

• Where does it hurt? Some abdominal pain stays in one part of the abdomen, such as just above the right hipbone (appendicitis) or under the right ribs (gallbladder disease). Other pains may migrate around the abdomen or be very difficult to localize to one spot.

• Does it ever go away? Most pains will come and go but some pains are consistent for long periods of time.

• Is there anything that a patient can do to make the pain better or worse? Is it associated with eating or defecating? Is it worse during the morning or night? Is it exercise or position-related?

• Are there any other symptoms present at the same time as the pain, such as diarrhea or nausea? This can help a physician figure out which part of the gastrointestinal tract is involved.

A physician’s physical exam focuses on palpating places in the abdomen to feel for masses or lumps that may provide clues. The physician is also trying to see if pressure will increase the pain. At the physician’s discretion, further physical exam aids include tapping on the abdomen to listen for trapped air or listening to the bowel sounds within the abdomen.

Bloodwork may be ordered to evaluate for abdominal pain. The physician will often combine physical exam, bloodwork, and the patient’s history with other diagnostic testing to find the cause or to suggest a treatment regimen.

If the physician believes that the pain is coming from the intestinal tract they may use an endoscopy to diagnose abdominal pain. An upper endoscopy is an evaluation through the mouth that looks at the esophagus, stomach, and the first several inches of the small intestine (the duodenum). A lower endoscopy, or colonoscopy, primarily evaluates the large intestine and a little of the very end of the small intestines. Biopsies can be taken during an endoscopy, which can be analyzed under a microscope to provide guidance regarding the pain.

Additional tests include 3D imaging of the abdomen, often done with a CT scan or with an ultrasound or MRI machine. These exams look under the skin and muscles of the abdomen to the organs underneath and see if anything looks unusual about them.

Sometimes, even after all of this testing, there is no obvious source of the abdominal pain. It can be frustrating for patients to not have a definitive cause for the pain.

At this point, a physician and patient discuss the pros and cons of medication, supplement trials or dietary approaches to aid the body. Sometimes, psychotherapy can be helpful if stress or anxiety are manifesting as abdominal pain. It takes patience and sometimes trial and error to find something that helps alleviate the pain. Since opiate-based pain medications can worsen gastrointestinal symptoms and pain, gastroenterologists very rarely use these medications.

Determining the cause of your abdominal pain can be a process, but one well worth discussing with your gastroenterologist to alleviate pain, discomfort and its interruptions to living your life well.

Tag: Utah gastroenterologists

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Abdominal Pain