If you’ve never had heartburn
before (other than after a spicy or super-sized meal) and you’re
suddenly experiencing burning on the regular without a specific trigger,
it’s time to call your doctor—especially if you have other symptoms
like weight loss, the feeling that food is getting stuck in your throat,
or blood in your stool. You could be one of the estimated 20 percent of people,
according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with
gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition where stomach acid
causes inflammation and narrowing of the esophagus, says Marion. Since
heartburn can lead to serious complications including ulcers and asthma,
you shouldn’t suffer in silence—the right medications usually nix
symptoms.
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Some people also confuse heartburn with chest pain, since the burn
often hits between your chest and abdomen. “Once people hit their
forties, they take it more seriously. Severe heartburn can feel like
angina, and it can be hard to distinguish the two,” says Marion. That’s
why it’s all the more important to see your doc and get checked if
you’re experiencing what feels like an unusual new bout of heartburn.
Abdominal pain can be tough to pinpoint. “Even though your appendix
is in your lower right abdomen, a lot of people have pain in their belly
button when they have appendicitis,” says Marion. Problems with your
gallbladder, located just below your liver in the middle of your
abdomen, can give you pain in your upper abdomen or even your back.
Recurring abdominal pain could also be a sign of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which, according to the American College of Gastroenterology, is
thought to affect 10 to 15 percent of Americans, although only 5 to 7
percent get diagnosed. Symptoms, which often include gas, diarrhea,
and/or constipation, happen at least three times a month for three
months or have been ongoing for at least six months.
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When to talk to your doc depends on how long you’ve been feeling
discomfort and how sharp the pain is. “If it’s relatively new and not
something you can associate with any change in your diet or lifestyle,
if it’s keeping you from doing your daily activities and especially if
associated with red-flag symptoms (more on that below), you should see
your doctor after a couple of days,” says Marion. Also check in if you
have regular, ongoing pain, even if it passes—there’s often something
your doc can do about it.
“Being constipated is not alarming, and there’s no amount of bowel
movements that’s ‘normal,’” says Jennifer Katz, M.D., Attending
Physician at the Montefiore Medical Center
Department of Gastroenterology in New York, NY. In fact, getting
stopped up is one of the most common gastrointestinal problems,
affecting an estimated 42 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Usually, constipation—taking a poop less than three times per week or
having incomplete bowel movements—is caused by not getting enough fiber
or a change in your routine or diet.
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That said, constipation can sometimes be a sign of something more
ominous, says Katz, which might include a thyroid problem, scarring or
structuring from injury to the lining of the colon, IBS, or side effects
from medications. If your BMs are interfering with the things you like
to do, you’re constantly running to the toilet to take a BM in
installments, your stool is harder and requires straining, or you’re
using laxatives all the time to try and get things going, make an
appointment, says Marion.
“There are an amazing number of people who suffer in silence because
they’re reluctant to bring it up with their doc,” says Marion. “There
are many things we can do, like dietary changes or medications.”
Acute diarrhea, which lasts less than four
weeks, is super common, with about 179 million cases happening every
year, according to the NIH;
it can be caused by viral or bacterial infections, a parasite, or even
eating too many sorbitol-containing foods (commonly found in sugar-free
gum, sorbitol is also a common cause of gas). Since diarrhea can lead to
severe dehydration fast, it’s important to see a doc if you have the
runs with any of the following symptoms: loose stools for more than two
days; a fever over 102 degrees F; frequent vomiting; six or more stools
in 24 hours; severe pain in the abdomen or rectum; black, tarry, or
blood/pus-containing stools; or symptoms of dehydration (thirst, sunken eyes, dark pee, peeing less than usual).
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Chronic diarrhea, which happens on-and-off for at least one month, is less common. It could be caused by a thyroid issue, injury to the colon, medication side effects, a long-standing infection, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, celiac disease, or (rarely, and usually in older people) even cancer—although these tend to go hand-in-hand with red-flag symptoms. Or it might be a food allergy or intolerance to cow’s milk, soy, cereal grains, eggs, or seafood. The only way to know for sure is to talk to a doc. “We want to find out exactly what’s happening so we can treat problem from the source,” says Marion.
Literally everyone gets gas—but some toot more than others. Maybe
you’ve always been a little gassy for as long as you can remember, or
maybe you rarely let one loose but have been super bloated
for a week. If that discomfort keeps you from your normal routines, a
good nutritionist and/or a gastroenterologist can help. It could be an
anatomic problem like a stricture; inflammation related to IBS,
Chrohn’s, or colitis; or a functional issue with what Marion calls the
“choreography or mobility of your bowel.” You could even have recently
developed a food allergy like lactose intolerance, which tends to crop
up after the age of 30, celiac disease, or a bacterial overgrowth, adds
Katz.
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No matter the cause, it’s time to see your doctor—especially if gas is accompanied by signs like bleeding, weight loss, or recurrent vomiting—to get tests to pinpoint the cause and medication to treat it if necessary. A dietitian may also want to check your diet to help you figure out if you should cut certain foods that might be making you balloon.
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Chronic diarrhea, which happens on-and-off for at least one month, is less common. It could be caused by a thyroid issue, injury to the colon, medication side effects, a long-standing infection, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, celiac disease, or (rarely, and usually in older people) even cancer—although these tend to go hand-in-hand with red-flag symptoms. Or it might be a food allergy or intolerance to cow’s milk, soy, cereal grains, eggs, or seafood. The only way to know for sure is to talk to a doc. “We want to find out exactly what’s happening so we can treat problem from the source,” says Marion.
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No matter the cause, it’s time to see your doctor—especially if gas is accompanied by signs like bleeding, weight loss, or recurrent vomiting—to get tests to pinpoint the cause and medication to treat it if necessary. A dietitian may also want to check your diet to help you figure out if you should cut certain foods that might be making you balloon.
