G.I. Issues
Understanding G.I. Issues
G.I. refers to gastrointestinal. These are issues that are centered around the stomach, intestines, and bowels. There are many different aliments that fall under this umbrella term and it is used to describe to a host of different problems patients are facing. Some of the most common ailments that fall under this title are acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion, your basic vomiting and nausea. Peptic ulcers, abdominal pain, belching, bloating, flatulence, gallstone issues and pancreatitis will fall under this as well. Things such as constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), hemorrhoids, and rectal problems are all under this umbrella of a term until they are fully diagnosed and treated.
There are two types of gastrointestinal issues, functional and structural. If it is a functional issue then it takes place when the GI tract appears normal but things are not moving properly. The most common of these are IBS, nausea, gas, bloating and diarrhea. There are many factors that can affect the functional GI issues such as diet, traveling, stress, overuse of medication, certain types of medication and pregnancy. Structural issues are where things look abnormal from the start and also don’t work properly. This is an occasion where sometimes surgery is needed to fix the issue. Examples of structural issues are strictures, stenosis, hemorrhoids, diverticular disease, colon polyps, colon cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease.
The type of doctor that deal with these GI issues is a gastroenterologist and sometimes a proctologist. I am lucky that I have a very good doctor that has helped with my diagnoses of different GI issues throughout the years. I have had my gallbladder removed because I had so many gall stones that developed. I have dealt with several severe cases of pancreatitis as well. I have been diagnosed with IBS and Gastritis and have been treating those for several years. I have been very lucky that I haven’t developed much more serious GI issues throughout my life since I deal with so many autoimmune diseases. I am on several medications to help with all my GI issues and I try to keep a balanced diet as much as I can with all my allergies that affect what I can eat and drink. I get regular testing for GI issues such as colonoscopy, and take all my medication as I am supposed to.