My father passed away on 9/30 of colon cancer, we were really close and I am depressed but getting out of it. I am on Lorazepam for the anxiety. Since his death I have had a little discomfort almost right on the bottom part of the left rib. If I stand or lay down absolutely […]

I’m 28 years old and here recently I have been seeing blood in my stool. Should I be worried?
Doctor Joshua’s Answer
There can be basically three types of blood in stool:
1) Bright red blood. By far the the most common reason is hemorrhoids (piles). Anal fissures are also typical causes. There are also other, more […]

hi .. i am 15 years old , i was 14 at the time .. i had pains in my stomach and it got real bad and i had been vomiting all night. so i went to the emergency room they didnt do nothing , they said i had something else. i went to my […]

Hi, i’ve had heartburn for about 10 years, but it went untreated for so long because of my age. i recently changed Dr’s and he put me on Protonix for about a year now, which allowes me to eat w/out the burning, but i have to stay on it. in the past month, […]

Every time I eat I have a bad stomach ache. It’s in a strange spot higher up than most stomach pain and it is very sharp. It is very different from gas pain so I already know it isn’t that. It happens EVERY time I eat and it has been going on […]

Dear Dr. Joshua,Â
 
I am a twenty seven year old woman that had gastric bypass surgery overÂ
three years ago. I have been experiencing some severe cramps in the right  
side of my abdomen. Also, I have been having more migraine headaches alot  
more often.The pain from both are so bad that I can no longer tolerate […]

August 2, 2006 
Hi, 
I need help! I have been having swallowing problems and now experiencing weight loss. I do not have an appointment with a gastro doctor until August 28, 2006. I had a barium swallow test done and it showed that my neck bones are pressing on my esophagus. Is this […]

My question to you is:  I’ve been having some problems with constipation for about 3 years now. However, I’ve been diagnosed with IBS about 2 months ago(irritable bowel syndrome) and I started taking Zelnorm, which helped me greatly. I”m no longer on the medication and the only thing I take right now is Metamucil, […]

Three years ago, I got a blood test and it showed a ggt score of 135, I just took another on and the score is 128. All of my other blook scores are in normal limits. I have never drunk alcohol. Can you tell me what is going on?
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (Gamma-GT, GGT) may […]

I work for the UN and am stationed in Sudan. I tested posted for malaria, and took coartem, then felt fine. I did not go back to the UN doctor for the follow-up test to see if it was gone, because I was in the field. About three weeks later, the malaria symptoms returned, but […]

I went to the doctor Wednesday and they did a biopsy to check the lining of my uterus for cancer and pre cancer cells (just so you know if you ever do it to someone it feels like contractions when you are having a baby). they had me come back the next day to do […]

I have had pain in my upper abdomen for a long time but just thought of it as an ulcer or something. It has gotten worse over time. The pain covers an area about the size of my fist and it is right at the top part of my stomach. I have had gallbladder surgery. […]

here is a list of my symptoms..all beginning around January 3rdish.
1. chronic fatigue- i could sleep the entire day. i am often tired
when i wake up.
2. intolerance to alcohol - i used to drink pretty much every day and
now even the smell makes me nauseous.
3. chronic back pain - it is primarily in […]

I had a hysterectomy about 2yrs ago. I live in constant pain like I have a
period every day all the time. Intercourse doesn’t hurt, but the next day I
fill like someone hit me in the stomach with a 2×4. It hurts to get out of
the bed. The Dr. I go to says I have Inerrable […]

I have been doing research on ulcers. Peptic and duodenal. Can you please tell me the difference between them or if they are both gastric ulcers. I still don’t understand and everything I read seems to contradict each other. What is the difference between peptic, duodenal & gastric or are they the […]

Here is my symptoms, some burning below and above v of
my ribs, worst when lay down, times very nervous and
restless, spell when skin fill tingly shakey and cold
feet are cold feel like am going to pass out. tested
sugar most the time when feel sick it is low. symptom
worse when lying down. have been treated twice […]

I have been expereincing unusual body happenings for the past month now. There is light red blood my stool, sometimes it is a bigger amount and sometimes it is a smaller amount. I also have sharp pains in the abdomen sometimes, seems like in various places, but mostly in my lower right side. I eat […]

I am a 31 year old female. Over the past 6 weeks, I have been experiencing (sp) sereral episodes of the same illness. However, each time I get sick, a new symptom occurs. It started one evening with a sudden onset of stomach cramps and nausea. No other symptons. The next time, was […]

What causes rectal discharge with a little blood?
Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
The most common causes are hemorrhoids and anal fissure. Neither of these is dangerous. There are other less common reasons, so have your doctor take a look.

I want to give you a little background about the disease/ my husband was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis approximately 18 months ago, last month he became an insulin dependent diabetic. He has been taking enzymes for about six months as his pancreas was not breaking down his foods the way it should. The dr. told […]

Surgical Treatment of Obesity - Bariatric Surgery - Gastric Bypass Surgery
I am considering a procedure for obesity, but what are the risks, and how much weight am I going to lose after surgery? Is it reversible?
Doctor Joshua’s Answer:
First, we need to assess whether you are a candidate for bariatric surgery. Generally, a Body mass index […]

My dad bent over 2 months ago and felt a burning pain in his upper right quadrant. Since then he has had pain in the area – only relived by leaning forward when sitting and when supine at night. He can ‘pin point’ the exact spot the pain originates and it has a lateral transfer […]

I have been experiencing a horrible pain on my lower back at my waist line, it causes me to feel cramps on my stomach, and I’m also feeling nausea. The pain in my lower back waistline line reminds me of the cramps I felt when giving birth. I also have no appetite when this occurs. […]

Incontinence (anal leakage)
I have been having a problem with a clear liquid leaking from my rectum. It doesn’t happen all the time, but at different, very inconvenient times. I take Metamucil twice a day, and it isn’t diarrhea or constipation. Does this sound at all familiar to you, and if so, what should I do […]

I am 32. I was diagnosed with double hernia in April. I had my right side operated in May. It turned out
that I had two other ruptures inside besides the main hernia which was also incarcerated. They repaired them all. My recovery is very slow.
My left side is to be operated in late September. Can […]

am a 36 year old male in good health. I have been having abdominal pain in various places not severe comes and goes. Also sore around ribs and in to thje lower back muscles.No urine problems or stool problems.I do drink coffee and soda also 3- 4 beers a day. Does this sound like […]

P. asks about his colon:

My provider does cover sigmoidoscopy but only colonoscopy if there are clinical or other indications. I had hemoccult lab test and sigmoidoscopy recently and they were negative. No clinical indications. Family history has only one occurence, my 80 year old (at the time) grandmother.I am curious if there are any statistics […]