Sealy TX Gastrointestinal Doctor

Are you in need of a Sealy TX gastrointestinal doctor? Did your attending doctor recommend you to a gastrointestinal doctor? Perhaps you’re wondering what a gastrointestinal doctor is and what branch of medicine they focus on. Or maybe you’re unsure if a gastrointestinal doctor is a specialist you’re searching for.

Sealey TX Gastrointestinal Doctor
Sometimes what you eat can make all the difference!

Have you been having trouble swallowing or stomach pains? Are you often feeling sick in the stomach, nauseous, and throwing up? Is your skin yellowing? Perhaps you have frequent diarrhea or have ongoing constipation.

If you are experiencing any of those symptoms, you may need to contact a gastrointestinal doctor. A gastrointestinal doctor, a GI doctor or gastroenterologist, is a medical professional specializing in the digestive system. They diagnose, treat, and care for those who have any issues with their digestive system.

Simply put, they’re a type of stomach doctor specializing in organs that play a role in food digestion. They can figure out if you have any problems with your digestive tract. This tract includes your mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon), rectum, and anus.

The Credibility of a Sealy TX Gastrointestinal Doctor

What is gastroenterology? It’s the treatment of diseases or issues in the digestive tract and liver. So what is a gastrointestinal doctor?

As stated earlier, a gastrointestinal doctor is an internal medicine physician. They’ve gone through additional education and training to specialize in gastroenterology.

Most gastrointestinal doctors have about eight years of pre-med and medical education under their belts. Then these specialists must complete a three-year residency after graduating from medical college. After the residency, they must have at least one fellowship in gastroenterology, usually lasting two to three years.

Once done with their training, they’re finally “board eligible.” At this point, they qualify to take the Gastroenterology Board Certification Test given by the American Board of Internal Medicine. When they pass the test, these doctors are now “board certified” gastroenterologists.

When you visit any of these certified gastrointestinal doctors, you know you’re in capable hands.

What Gastrointestinal Doctors Treat

A Sealy TX gastrointestinal doctor is capable, but is your situation one where they can help? These doctors are specialists, so they only focus on one aspect of the medical field. If your condition doesn’t fit their primary criteria, they may not be able to help.

Gastrointestinal doctors can diagnose and treat issues and problems that happen in your digestive system. That is, they focus on the normal function of your digestive organs. These functions include food’s movement in the digestive tract, its breakdown and absorption, and then its removal.

The digestive organs include the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and etc. Some of the common diseases they deal with are irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, inflammation of the pancreas, and jaundice.

Sealey TX Gastrointestinal Doctor
Let a Sealy TX Gastrointestinal Doctor diagnose any stomach issues you may have.

It may be time to seek medical treatment from one of these doctors if you’re feeling chronic abdominal pain. This pain can also include feeling constant bloating, gas, diarrhea, or other common digestive symptoms. If you see an extreme system like blood in your stool, you definitely should contact a doctor to diagnose you.

Even if you’re feeling milder issues like nausea or an upset stomach, these may indicate a more significant problem. If these symptoms don’t relent, they may be the start of substantial issues like celiac disease or lactose intolerance.

If you address any concerns earlier, you can prevent future damage to your digestive system.

Some Treatments that Digestive Doctors May Use

Like with any other doctor, once they identify the issue, they may perform a procedure to help fix your problem. Most of these don’t require surgery. These treatments may include short-term or long-term medication. However, if the situation requires it, they may refer you to a surgeon.

One of the major procedures stomach doctors use is endoscopy. They insert a narrow, flexible tube with a camera into the intestinal tract. This procedure helps them visualize what’s happening inside and better diagnose your issue.

Some other procedures they may use are colonoscopies or liver biopsies. Regardless of which they choose, these procedures can help better understand the issue causing you pain or unideal symptoms is.

Should You See a Digestive Specialist?

Both adults and children can experience pain or symptoms in their digestive tracts at any point. If you or your children are feeling gut or stomach-related symptoms, you should contact your doctor to see what’s wrong. Once they do, they may recommend you to a specialist.

These symptoms may seem silly at first, like having trouble swallowing, but this can lead to more issues down the line. If you have heartburn, stomach pain, constant nausea, or yellowing skin, you should speak with a specialist. If you’re experiencing frequent diarrhea, ongoing constipation, or blood in your stool, you’ll also want to see a specialist.

When you reach the age of 50, you may want to contact a specialist for routine checkups. At that age, there’s a higher risk for colon or rectal cancer.

Digestive system specialists may also work with other specialists, like a hepatologist, radiologist, or oncologist. Hepatologists are gastroenterologists with a more specialized focus on liver problems. If you have a liver issue, you may see one of these instead.

Sealey TX Gastrointestinal Doctor
If you’re experiencing stomach pain, call Dr. James Maher for your evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment!

Radiologists and oncologists are specialists in imaging and cancer, respectively. If your stomach doctor thinks there’s something they can’t discover by themselves, you may also see one of these.

Contacting a Stomach Doctor

Perhaps you’re experiencing one or multiple symptoms listed above. If you are, you may want to find a doctor to help you diagnose it better. You should address any possible health issues as soon as possible, so it can’t become a more significant problem.

Of course, you shouldn’t completely trust any medical advice you find on the Internet. The best way to know your condition is to seek the help of a professional. If you think you’re having an issue with your digestive system, get your doctor to examine your case first.

If it turns out to be accurate, they’ll likely recommend you to see a specialized stomach doctor. Please contact the office of Katy Stomach Doctor James Maher if you’re in need of a Sealy TX gastrointestinal doctor today.

Sealy, TX Fun FActs:

  • The town of Sealy was named in honor of George Sealy, a director of the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railways.
  • In 1881, Daniel Haynes came to the new railroad town of Sealy. Four years later, he invented a process and machine to manufacture a felted cotton, non-tufted mattress.
  • By 1949, Sealy was incoporated into Austin county.
  • For more fun facts, visit Sealy’s official site.