COLORECTAL SURGERY BLOG

Most people become aware of an anal fissure when they have severe pain while using the bathroom, and see bright red blood on the passed stool, in the toilet bowl or on the toilet paper. These cracks or tears in the anal canal are common in both sexes, and can occur in all age groups.

Pilonidal cysts can be painful. Unfortunately, they also are often a chronic problem. When one of these pockets of hair, skin and other debris becomes infected, the result is often a hot, throbbing area near the tailbone between the buttocks. They are easily treated through draining the infection or surgical removal, but — for those

Many people avoid talking about their hemorrhoid symptoms, even with their doctor. Hemorrhoids can be extremely uncomfortable, but they can also be embarrassing. This prevents many sufferers from mentioning their concerns with their health care provider, despite the fact that hemorrhoids are actually very common. In fact, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and

When painful hemorrhoids do not respond to less-invasive treatments, surgery may be necessary to allow healing and help you return to your previous quality of life. This procedure, called a hemorrhoidectomy, typically involves a colon and rectal surgeon removing the affected tissue with a scalpel or other specialized tools. This procedure can be extremely painful,

Can eating a cup of yogurt a day keep you from developing diarrhea after taking antibiotics? There is a good chance the answer may be “yes.” We prescribe antibiotics to kill harmful bacteria that make you sick. However, what about the good bacteria and other microbes that live in your gastrointestinal system and keep everything

You’ve probably seen dozens of options for probiotic-enriched foods, other probiotic sources and probiotic supplements in your local supermarket. But do you know what probiotics can and cannot do? While probiotics are not a one-size-fits all solution or even a stand-alone treatment for gastrointestinal ailments, they do aid digestion and can help prevent some colon

 Get the PDF version of this article Only our microbiome knows for sure. Priobiotics: what are they and where do they reside? Probiotics have been enjoying a surge in popularity due to studies that looked at the gut-brain axis and the gut’s influence on the immune system. Probiotics are touted to provide health benefits through

With the proper care and a little luck, the healing time after a pilonidal cyst excision can be minimized. If there is an infection or other complications, however, it could take as long as six months to heal completely. This means that making every effort to prevent these complications is vital to a quick recovery.

While most people think of hemorrhoids as something you “get,” in reality everyone has hemorrhoidal tissue. This tissue is a normal part of the anatomy, and lies around the anus. In some people, though, this tissue becomes inflamed. This leads to the symptoms we think of as being caused by hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoid symptoms are common,

Lipomas are one of the most common benign lesions that occur in the colon and are found during colonoscopies. Only polyps are discovered more often. Once a diagnosis of lipoma is confirmed, only observation is required. In some cases, however, endoscopic, laparoscopic or surgical removal is necessary. What is a Lipoma? Lipomas are round tumors