33 years
I feel flatulence and i burg i feel food do not digest i feel pain in upper left side of abdomen what medicine should i take ?
Apr 8, 2015
The source of the pain is most likely the stomach, and your symptoms may be due to acidity. But we cannot prescribe medications to a patient unless we perform a full clinical evaluation (obtain detailed history of symptoms plus perform a physical examination). You need to consult a physician and get a proper evaluation in the clinic.
Your symptoms could also be due to a condition known as gastroparesis, which is a chronic (long-term) condition whereby there delayed or slower than usual emptying of the contents of the stomach into the intestines.
The resulting symptoms include:
• feeling full very quickly when eating
• nausea and vomiting
• loss of appetite
• weight loss (unintentional/unplanned)
• bloating
• abdominal pain or discomfort
• Heartburn
These symptoms range in severity from mild to moderate to severe, and tend to be intermittent (not present all the time).
As to the causes of gastroparesis, it is hypothesized that this condition is caused by a problem with the nerves and muscles that are in charge of emptying of the stomach. If these nerves are damaged, the muscles of your stomach may not contract and relax properly, thereby slowing down the mechanical digestion and emptying of food. In the majority of cases, the exact cause of gastroparesis is unknown – this is called idiopathic gastroparesis.
Known causes include usually poorly controlled diabetes (either type 1 or type 2 diabetes). The nerves to the stomach can be damaged by high levels of blood glucose. Gastroparesis can also be a complication of some types of surgery, such as bariatric surgery or gastrectomy (removal of part of the stomach).
Medications, such as opioid painkillers (for example, morphine) and certain antidepressants, may also induce symptoms of delayed gastric emptying, but these effects are usually reversible once the culprit drug is discontinued.
The diagnosis of gastroparesis is based upon history of symptoms, physical examination, and some of the following tests:
• a barium swallow X-ray – you swallow a liquid containing the chemical barium, which shows up on X-ray and highlights its passage through your digestive system
• a gastric emptying scan using scintigraphy – you eat food containing a very small amount of a radioactive substance that is detected on the scan; gastroparesis is diagnosed if more than 10% of the food is still in your stomach four hours after eating
• a wireless capsule test – you swallow a small, electronic device that sends information about how fast it moves through your digestive tract to a recording device
• Endoscopy – a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) is passed down your throat and into your stomach to examine the stomach lining and rule out other possible causes, like inflammation, or helicobacter pylori (bactrie that causes gastric ulcer) infection.
Treatment options for gastroparesis
• More frequent, smaller meals– less food at once in the stomach, easier to pass through the digestive system
• Soft and liquid foods, which are easier to digest
• Rigorous chewing of food before swallowing
• drink non-fizzy liquids with each meal
Avoiding certain foods that are hard to digest – such as apples with their skin on, or high-fiber foods as well as foods high in fat (which can also slow down digestion), may also help in preventing the symptoms.
Medications
The following medications may help improve your symptoms:
• domperidone –taken before meals; helps trigger the stomach to contract its muscles and help move food forward
• anti-emetics – medications that control nausea
It is important to know that there is no solid evidence to support the use and effectiveness of these medications to relieve the symptoms of gastroparesis.
Your symptoms could also be due to a condition known as gastroparesis, which is a chronic (long-term) condition whereby there delayed or slower than usual emptying of the contents of the stomach into the intestines.
The resulting symptoms include:
• feeling full very quickly when eating
• nausea and vomiting
• loss of appetite
• weight loss (unintentional/unplanned)
• bloating
• abdominal pain or discomfort
• Heartburn
These symptoms range in severity from mild to moderate to severe, and tend to be intermittent (not present all the time).
As to the causes of gastroparesis, it is hypothesized that this condition is caused by a problem with the nerves and muscles that are in charge of emptying of the stomach. If these nerves are damaged, the muscles of your stomach may not contract and relax properly, thereby slowing down the mechanical digestion and emptying of food. In the majority of cases, the exact cause of gastroparesis is unknown – this is called idiopathic gastroparesis.
Known causes include usually poorly controlled diabetes (either type 1 or type 2 diabetes). The nerves to the stomach can be damaged by high levels of blood glucose. Gastroparesis can also be a complication of some types of surgery, such as bariatric surgery or gastrectomy (removal of part of the stomach).
Medications, such as opioid painkillers (for example, morphine) and certain antidepressants, may also induce symptoms of delayed gastric emptying, but these effects are usually reversible once the culprit drug is discontinued.
The diagnosis of gastroparesis is based upon history of symptoms, physical examination, and some of the following tests:
• a barium swallow X-ray – you swallow a liquid containing the chemical barium, which shows up on X-ray and highlights its passage through your digestive system
• a gastric emptying scan using scintigraphy – you eat food containing a very small amount of a radioactive substance that is detected on the scan; gastroparesis is diagnosed if more than 10% of the food is still in your stomach four hours after eating
• a wireless capsule test – you swallow a small, electronic device that sends information about how fast it moves through your digestive tract to a recording device
• Endoscopy – a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) is passed down your throat and into your stomach to examine the stomach lining and rule out other possible causes, like inflammation, or helicobacter pylori (bactrie that causes gastric ulcer) infection.
Treatment options for gastroparesis
• More frequent, smaller meals– less food at once in the stomach, easier to pass through the digestive system
• Soft and liquid foods, which are easier to digest
• Rigorous chewing of food before swallowing
• drink non-fizzy liquids with each meal
Avoiding certain foods that are hard to digest – such as apples with their skin on, or high-fiber foods as well as foods high in fat (which can also slow down digestion), may also help in preventing the symptoms.
Medications
The following medications may help improve your symptoms:
• domperidone –taken before meals; helps trigger the stomach to contract its muscles and help move food forward
• anti-emetics – medications that control nausea
It is important to know that there is no solid evidence to support the use and effectiveness of these medications to relieve the symptoms of gastroparesis.
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I advise to test for H.pylori infection
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