Chances are, at some point in your life, you’ve experienced an upset stomach and blamed it on what you ate. A little bloating after a heavy dinner. Some heartburn from eating too late. An off day in the bathroom. These things happen. They occur more often than not, and most people brush them off without real intervention. But there are digestive symptoms that should be paid closer attention to, and knowing the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major concern could truly make a difference in health outcomes.
The digestive system is one of the most overworked and least appreciated systems of the body. It breaks down what goes into the body, absorbs nutrients, manages waste, and even has a close relationship with the brain and immune system for support. When something goes wrong, the system isn’t shy about signaling with symptoms. The only question is whether those signals are heard.
Bloating That Just Will Not Quit
Every now and again, everyone feels bloated. After a particularly large meal or a lot of carbonation in a beverage, everyone will feel some sense of fullness or increased pressure. In these cases, it’s relatively normal to feel bloated, and it tends to resolve itself in a day or so with no real cause for concern.
However, when persistent bloating occurs regardless of what is eaten, or when bloating is excessive and accompanied by pain or visible distension, it warrants investigation into a variety of causes. Irritable bowel syndrome, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and various conditions affecting the stomach or colon could be behind chronic bloating. While bloating is often written off as a common occurrence, it’s crucial to pay attention before it’s too late. More often than not, the gut is trying to tell us something.
Heartburn and Reflux Going Beyond Occasional Discomfort
Heartburn is one of the most common side effects of eating for people in the world. Sure, it can be annoying. Spicy food makes our mouths burn as we eat only to have acid burn through our esophagus hours later. Alcohol irritates the stomach lining and causes discomfort. Eating before bed but falling asleep right away keeps extra acid in play rather than working out with gravity.
But when reflux occurs frequently, as in more than twice a week, or interferes with your health or lifestyle in general, it may have crossed the line into gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In the long term, chronic acid reflux can irritate the esophagus lining and cause Barrett’s esophagus in select patients who need to be monitored via endoscopy after years of exposure. A gastroenterologist can evaluate this clinically and create a multi-step plan for relief beyond over-the-counter antacids.
For those wanting to understand what specialist GI care actually involves, this further reading gives a solid overview of what patients can expect from that kind of appointment.
Changes in Bowel Habits That Stick Around
A day or two of having an odd bowel moment isn’t out of the ordinary when traveling or adjusting to illness, stressors or dietary changes. These things happen, and as long as they resolve without treatment (and preferably medication), they’re not something to be concerned about.
However, when changes occur consistently without an obvious cause for three weeks or more, it’s time to pay attention. This includes blood in the stool—even if hemorrhoids are obvious—or changes in frequency from regularity to loose stools or frequency to constipation. It’s also worth investigating constipation that’s been going on for weeks and does not respond to dietary changes like increased water or fiber. Chronic constipation could indicate issues with motility or pelvic floor presence that need to be assessed by someone other than primary care.
Abdominal Pain That Feels Different
Any abdominal pain that is persistent (wakes you up at night), severe or getting worse instead of better should also be investigated. Pain that’s consistent with an area of the abdomen (lower right for appendicitis; upper right for gallbladder) or nausea/vomiting/frequent fever/unexpected weight loss warrants urgent medical attention. Conditions like Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, gallbladder issues or other GI distress can easily be managed when caught early enough.
Pain doesn’t have to be debilitating to warrant an early mention; many people feel they’re being a nuisance by going to their doctor about something they think might not be serious enough, but GI specialists want to hear about these early because early evaluation almost always leads to better outcomes across the board.
Unexplained Fatigue and Nutritional Deficiencies
This one might surprise patients. Sometimes digestive symptoms are not digestive at all. Sometimes they present as unexplained fatigue; stubborn anemia; iron/B12/vitamin D deficiencies despite good eating habits.
Coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease or absorption issues in the small intestine could cause systemic concerns without clear GI complaints early on. If blood work continues to show low levels despite a clear role for them in society—that’s iron for energy; B12 is for energy, nerve function; vitamin D for bone density—and no clear explanation from a dietary perspective, then something is going on with the gut that needs evaluation.
Listening to What the Body Is Saying
The theme among these symptoms is persistence. A single occurrence of most things isn’t worrisome. It’s when they come back or don’t go away or get worse instead of better when they cross over into other territories worthy of discussion with a specialist.
Most daily problems have wonderful care plans that result from evaluation; it’s never better to go in expecting the worst; it almost always clears up without problems. It’s just better to go in prepared and knowledgeable with what the body is trying to say already.
