Posts for: August, 2015
Are you one of the approximately 1.4 million Americans currently suffering from inflammatory bowel disease? If so, you owe it to yourself to visit Melvin D. Bullock, MD in Roswell to learn as much about this chronic disease as you can.
What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
Inflammatory bowel disease is the name of the group of conditions that cause the intestines to become regularly inflamed and irritated. The two most common types of inflammatory bowel disease include Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, but these are not the only two.
What Causes Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
While Roswell gastroenterologists do not know the exact cause of inflammatory bowel disease for sure, doctors do have a few theories. Some doctors believe the conditions may result from an immune system malfunction while others suspect that heredity may also play a role.
What are the Symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
For people suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, symptoms can be mild or severe, and they can come and go without warning. Common symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease include diarrhea, fever, fatigue, pain, a reduced appetite, unintended weight loss and blood in the stool. If left untreated, these symptoms can become debilitating or even life-threatening.
What Treatments are Available for Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
If your inflammatory bowel disease is regularly interfering with your daily life, speak to Dr. Bullock about developing a treatment plan. While there is currently no cure for inflammatory bowel disease, you may be able to find some relief with the right treatment plan.
When treating inflammatory bowel disease, your gastroenterologist Dr. Bullock in Roswell will likely recommend medication at first. The type of medication your doctor recommends will depend on your condition and your symptoms, but may include anti-inflammatory drugs, immune system suppressors, antibiotics, anti-diarrheal medications, pain relievers or nutritional supplements.
You will likely be asked to make certain lifestyle changes as well, such as limiting dairy products, spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine and tobacco and increasing your intake of low-fat, high-fiber foods. You may also be asked to eat smaller meals, drink plenty of liquids and begin taking multivitamins if you aren't taking them already.
If medication and lifestyle changes alone are not enough to ease your symptoms, your doctor may also recommend surgery. Surgery for inflammatory bowel disease is quite invasive and may not even cure your condition, so your doctor will likely save surgery as a last resort.
Living with inflammatory bowel disease can be painful, embarrassing and inconvenient. If you are currently suffering from this painful condition, visit Dr. Bullock in Roswell to create your treatment plan today.