Dr. Gott: Stomach problems defy diagnosis
Dear Dr. Gott: I have stomach and bowel problems that are very disturbing, and no doctor can find what is causing my bloating, discomfort and occasional diarrhea.
A surgeon gave me a colonoscopy and found nothing, then gave me something for my bowels, which made me sick to my stomach.
A gastroenterologist gave me something else for my bowels, which also made me sick.
Another gastroenterologist gave me a flexible sigmoidoscopy and found nothing.
I think that my trouble is coming from my stomach. What doctor will take X-rays of my stomach?
Dear Reader: Your diagnosis is elusive. I believe that your doctors have to cover all the bases; your colon has been examined and found to be normal; now it’s time for your upper gastrointestinal tract to get some well-deserved attention.
Ask your doctor to consider ordering an upper GI series. This X-ray study will check you for peptic ulcer, acid reflux and so forth. Or he or she may recommend endoscopy, a test during which a gastroenterologist examines your esophagus and stomach with a lighted fiber-optic tube.
If, as I suspect, your tests are all normal, you will have to consider irritable bowel syndrome as the culprit. In this case, your physicians might consider treating you with Zelnorm.
But first you need to complete the testing.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my health report “Irritable Bowel Syndrome.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
Dear Dr. Gott: You’re a man who wouldn’t know about this, so I’ll tell you. Maybe you can mention it in the paper so women realize what they’re doing.
In women’s bathroom stalls, one can see under the divider panels.
Women sit their purses on the dirty floors, and they lay their coats and packages on the floor. These same purses go on tables and kitchen counters. I even seen fur coats on the floor.
These ladies wash their hands and think they are germ free. Ha ha. Please spread the word.
Dear Reader: Certainly, the floors in public restrooms are contaminated. The scenario you describe is worrisome, but I do not believe that it is a major health hazard, except for women who are unduly obsessed about bacterial contamination.
The solution? Ladies, don’t plunk your purses on the kitchen countertops.
Dear Dr. Gott: Is it necessary for a 75-year-old woman who is not sexually active to have a Pabst smear every year? I’ve never had children or any kind of problems in that area.
Dear Reader: Many gynecologists agree that post-menopausal women who have had three negative Pap tests in succession can forgo annual Pap tests. This is different from your spelling of Pabst, which would refer more probably to beer consumption.