Can diverticular bleeding occur in diverticulosis?

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My friend's doctor said she does not have diverticulitis, but only diverticulosis. She had lots of dark bloody diarrhea for a week & was to the ER twice, all tests (mri,conoscopy pathology, catscan) show nothing. So can a diverticulum rapture (causing dark bloody diarrhea) if she only has diverticulosis?
I hope you can shed some light to her problem. Thanks much.
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How can you get Esophageal cancer?

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I swallowed a dime and I was wondering can I get Esophageal cancer?
No you will not get esophageal cancer. However, if the dime gets stuck in your GI tract and causes an obstruction then you might get an operation.  (+ info)

How do certain foods weaken the lower esophageal sphincter?

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I have read that certain foods can weaken the LES (e.g. chocolate, citrus fruits). How does this happen, and is this a temporary weakening that occurs only shortly after eating the food, or is it a long-term, cumulative effect? Or is it that they increase acid and/or pressure in the stomach, increasing the risk of reflux?
Its a bit of all you mention, if you eat too much in one sitting it pushes the muscle up and the acid rises.You can try a bed wedge to stop the acid from rising and leave at least 4 hours before between dining and going to bed.
Bending over also causes the acid to rise up , I have very bad acid reflux and inflammation of the oesophagus's and can hardly eat a thing without getting the burning feeling in my chest.
The reason why the foods you mention are bad news is because any food that turns to acid when digested has the increased risk of it rising .
Funny enough lemons although are acid they turn to alkaline when digested so if you think you may be suffering from reflux try to get your diet 80% alkaline and 20% acid
Good luck if you are suffering.  (+ info)

how can a person with diverticulosis eat fiber if the fiber gives you gas?

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i was told to eat more fiber in my diet due to diverticulosis diagnosed during my colon test. the foods that are high in fiber, i.e. vegs and nuts and beans, cause stomach gas so what do you do?
ewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published December 21 2006
A Holistic Approach to Treating the Symptoms of Diverticulitis
by Frank Mangano

(NewsTarget) There is often confusion surrounding the difference between two conditions known as diverticulosis and diverticulitis. I'm going to explain the difference and reveal how to treat the symptoms of diverticulitis naturally.

Diverticula are small, pea-sized, bulging pouches in the digestive tract. While diverticula can form anywhere, most occur in your large intestine and are many times found in people that experience frequent constipation.

Having diverticula in the intestines is known as diverticulosis. This condition is many times unrecognized by the person affected because diverticulosis seldom causes any problems. Every once in a while however, diverticula can become infected or inflamed. This condition is called diverticulitis.

Many experts believe that a low-fiber diet is a key contributor to diverticulitis. Reason being is lack of fiber in the diet can make stool sometimes harder to pass. The excess pressure can result in certain areas of the colon to become weakened and collapse. This results in marble-sized pouches (diverticula) protruding through the colon wall. These pouches, which are small at first, but become larger gradually; typically develop in the sigmoid and descending colon. These are the lower portions of your large intestine just above your rectum. They are often the result of straining during bowel movements over a number of years.

Sometimes stool can become lodged in one of the pouches and the result can be an infection. Small tears or perforations can also develop in an infected pouch, which can lead to an infection within your abdomen (peritonitis). A person may also develop a collection of pus called an abscess if the infection is limited to an area around the wall of your colon where the diverticula are inflamed.

Diverticulitis can be acute or chronic. The majority of people affected are usually between the ages of 50 and 90. One reason that older people are generally more affected is that the walls of the large intestine tend to weaken with age.

For many people, symptoms are non-existent or mistaken for simple indigestion. For those who do experience symptoms, a pain in the lower left side of the abdomen is common. The pain is typically severe and surfaces rather abruptly. However, sometimes a person can experience a mild pain that can worsen over several days and have a fluctuating intensity.

Other typical symptoms include abdominal tenderness, fever, nausea, and constipation or diarrhea.

Less common signs and symptoms of diverticulitis may include:

* Vomiting
* Bloating
* Frequent Urination
* Difficulty or pain while urinating
* Rectal Bleeding
* Tenderness in the abdomen
* Blood in the Stool

While the reason is not exactly known, there is some evidence that links smoking & stress to symptoms becoming worse. Other factors that increase risk of diverticulitis are disease in the genes, gallbladder disease, obesity & coronary artery disease.

The best steps you can take in treating diverticulitis have to do with your lifestyle.

A high fiber diet has been shown to be protective against diverticular disease. You'll need at least 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day to help prevent problems from diverticulosis. Consume fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals that are high in fiber and bran. Be sure to drink plenty of pure water each day, as a high fiber diet will not be effective without adequate water consumption.

Studies have also shown physical activity, specifically jogging or running, to protect against symptomatic diverticular disease.

Avoid foods such as celery and corn as these foods contain indigestible roughage and use bran to prevent constipation.

Eat a diet with your primary source of protein being from fish & vegetables. Stay away from grains, seeds or nuts, as these foods can be hard to digest which results in bloating & gas. Other foods that should be avoided include dairy products, red meat, fried foods, spices, sugar products as well as processed & refined foods.

Also remember to:

* Try not to strain during bowel movements
* Avoid alcohol
* Exercise moderately
* Drink at least eight glasses of pure water a day
* Avoid smoking

Establish a regular bowel routine by spending at least 10 minutes a day trying to have a bowel movement at approximately the same time.

Avoid extremely hot or cold foods and fluids (which cause gas).

When you feel an attack or pain coming on, give yourself a cleansing enema with 2 quarts of luke-warm water mixed with the juice from a fresh squeezed lemon. This will aid in ridding the colon of undigested food that has been trapped and will also relieve pain.

Aside from lifestyle changes, supplementing with the following can also be helpful:

Acidophilus (Take as directed on label) - Helps support a healthy intestinal tract (gut) and replaces the flora in the small intestine, primarily to improve assimilation.

Fiber (Take as directed on label) - Helps prevent constipation. Also prevents infection.

Super Greens Formula - Garden of Life provides an excellent greens formula that is high in chlorophyll, which is extremely beneficial for this condition. Diverticulosis sufferers also seem to do better when chlorella is part of the diet. Chlorella will provide you with all the benefits of magnesium, carotenoids, chlorophyll and much more.

Vitamin B Complex (100 mg 3 times daily) - Aids in proper digestion.

Proteolytic Enzymes (Take as directed on label, between meals) - Aids in digestion & reduces inflammation in the colon.

Essential Fatty Acids (Take as directed on label) - Aids in protecting the cells that line the wall of the colon.

L-Glutamine (500 mg twice daily. Take with water or juice but never with milk) - Maintains the absorption surfaces of the gut called the villi.

Vitamin C - Anti-inflammatory and boosts immunity. I recommend a minimum of 3,000 to 8,000 mg daily in divided doses.

Garlic - Aids in digestion and is a natural antibiotic. I personally use Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract by Wakunaga, which is a high-quality odorless organic supplement. Take 2 capsules 3 times daily.

Alfalfa (2,000 mg in capsules or tincture) - Natural source of vitamin K and essential minerals that most people with intestinal disorders are lacking. Also contains chlorophyll, which aids in healing.

Aloe Vera Juice (Drink ½ cup 3 times a day) - promotes healing of the inflamed areas.  (+ info)

Are there any good websites to find recipes for cooking for people with Esophageal Cancer?

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I need to find recipes for bland (non-acidic) soups and purees. Things that are not spicy and that are easy to swallow.
You know what? The best way to make people with esophageal cancer feel better and at the same time have enough energy to have their therapy done properly is to put them under enteral nutrition until they finished their treatment and have recovered their initial weight (before being sick)!
You can find that on TONS of medical publications!

I'm sure that you really wanted to help but WHEN YOU'RE FIGHTING THIS TYPE OF CANCER AND FACING A STRONG CHEMOTHERAPY, YOU MUST EAT ALMOST TWICE THE AMOUNT OF PROTEIN AND ENERGY THAT YOU SHOULD BE EATING NORMALLY!
example: for a man of 70kg (154 lb witch is quite light for a man) you must give to him 700g (1.54 lb) of beef meat or 16 eggs or 22 yogurts per day every day!!!!
Forget about your soup unless it's only for pleasure (but it'll full the stomach and make him feel like "I don't want to eat nothing more!")
You have some ABBOTT or NESTLE or NUTRICIA clinical nutrition kind of yogurt or purees that are hyperproteinated (they taste great) and if you are SURE that he will take the right amount of proteins: use it (pharmacy only) but believe me it's almost impossible to make it in a normal way!  (+ info)

Is there any treatment for the esophageal varices?

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I am 460 lbs. I have Type II non-insulin dependant Diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and hypersplenia.

I was scheduled for Gastric Bypass surgery on April 5th, 2007 but they aborted the operation due to the esophageal varices. The GI specialist that my bariatric surgeon sent me to says there in NO TREATMENT. Yet my surgeon will not allow a second opinion. Please leave any advice you have.
The treatment for esophageal varices is directed immediately to control the bleeding, and then long-term medical therapy. Immediate control of bleeding is usually performed by endoscopic means. In fact, bleeding can be initially controlled in approximately 90 percent of cases. However, the failure rate for endoscopic therapy is between 10 and 30 percent. Thus, longer term therapy is required in order to prevent a patient from bleeding.

Variceal hemorrhage stops spontaneously in approximately 62 to 70 percent cases. However, recurrent bleeding occurs in 40 percent of patients within the next 72 hours. In fact, 60 percent of patients will rebleed within seven days of their initial bleeding. Although this type of bleeding will stop, it is the high rebleeding rate and the complications from acute hemorrhage which make control of bleeding mandatory in both the initial period of the variceal bleed and the chronic state after the patient has been stabilized.

Variants of esophageal varices are gastric varices. Gastric varices are dilated blood vessels that are found predominantly in the stomach. The true incidence of gastric varices is unknown. However, investigators have reported a wide incidence ranging between 20 and 70 percent in patients with esophageal varices. When gastric varices are identified without coexisting esophageal varices, a splenic vein thrombosis may be present.

Another variant of portal hypertension is portal hypertensive gastropathy. It is present in 50 percent of patients with portal hypertension. These patients have dilated arterioles and venules (small veins). This abnormality is seen usually in the fundus and cardia of the stomach (approximately 2/3 of the stomach). It is rarely seen in the antrum (last 1/3) of the stomach. It appears to have a "snake skin " or "reticulated" appearance.

Long-term treatment of portal gastropathy and gastric varices is with beta-blockers. They usually take the form of propranolol, a nonselective beta-blocker. These medications allow the pressure within the veins to be decreased, thus reducing the chance that bleeding will occur. Increased incidence of portal hypertensive gastropathy is noted in patients who undergo sclerotherapy for esophageal varices in the past.

Other treatments for upper GI bleeding associated with esophageal varices include vasopressin, vasopressin with nitroglycerin, somatostatin, balloon tamponade, TPSS (transhepatic portosystemic shunt), transhepatic catheter embolization, shunt surgery, gastric stapling and sclerotherapy with or without any.

=]  (+ info)

What are treatment options for Lower Esophageal Sphincter problems if meds haven't worked?

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My wife has reflux so bad that even bending over to pick up a box will result in reflux. The medications have not helped. She has only seen an internist at this point who does not seem to know much about such problems. What are other options besides meds? And if surgery is the option, what is the surgery called. And is there a particular specialist, besides a gastroenterologist, who should be seen?

Thanks for any help.
its surgery and called Nissen fundoplication,it can be done by laproscopy also  (+ info)

My brother is having surgery tomorrow for esophageal cancer as well as a large hernia. How bad is this?

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Is it going to be much worse for him, with two surgeries at the same time? What are his chances, and how long is the recovery? We just don't know what to expect, and we are very worried.
That isn't an easy question to answer because surgery can completely remove a tumour in some cases, but in others it might be done only to provide relief (palliative). The fact that he is having the hernia done as well is a positive sign. The surgeon and oncologist should really have discussed with you what to expect. I suggest you ask these questions directly:
1) what pain relief (hopefully a PCA pump), what drains, catheters etc?
2) how long before he can eat by mouth?
3) how long they expect him to be in hospital?
4) what is the long-term prognosis?
5) has he been properly assessed (CT scan) to make sure the cancer has not spread?  (+ info)

Anyone ever had an esophageal motility test?

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I'm looking for anyone's personal experience with having this test done. Did they numb your throat first? Did you feel nauseated afterwards?

sorry maybe this will help?



http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003884.htm  (+ info)

What types of treatment are there for esophageal cancer?

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I mean other than Chemo and radiation.
Hi Nishi

There are several ways to heal the body, its a matter of actually believing you can and doing it. DOesnt really matter what type of cancer it is. The body is toxic and you need to get the toxins out. The best herbal plan I know is called the Incurables program (herdoc.com). My uncle used this plan to heal his Lympoma within 60 days. Easy part is knowing what to do and actually doing it is a challenge. Educating yourself on detoxifying the body you will overcome any obstacle.

Best of health to you  (+ info)

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