General Surgery

Abdominal pain

Over time, everyone gets some form of abdominal pain. It is also called a bellyache or stomachache. The pain can be there all the time or come and go, and can be mild or severe. It can also be short-lived (acute), lasting for a few hours to days, or can last for weeks or months (chronic). The causes of abdominal pain vary from simple things, such as indigestion, to life-threatening conditions.

Constipation

Constipation in general refers to the infrequent opening of the bowels beyond once every three days or the difficulty in opening the bowels with hard motions. When it is ongoing, it is called chronic constipation. Constipation can be associated with bloating, passing flatus, and abdominal pain. There are different classifications of chronic constipation: functional constipation and secondary constipation.

Diverticulosis

Diverticulosis is a very common condition of the large bowel, especially in the West. It can affect one in ten people over the age of 40 and up to half of people over the age of 65. The cause is thought to be diet-related to the lack of fiber in the diet, leading to harder motions and higher pressures within the bowel lumen. This leads to the formation of diverticulae, which are small abnormal pouches that form in the lining of the bowel. Obesity and lack of exercise are additional risk factors.

Inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a generic term used to describe conditions causing chronic inflammation of the bowel. These include Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Ulcerative colitis involves the formation of ulcers in the inner lining of the rectum and large bowel, while CD involves deep ulcers and inflammation at any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the back passage. Both conditions cause symptoms such as weight loss, malaise, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea with or without bleeding.

Stoma (ostomy)

An ostomy is formed when the bowel cannot be joined back together or when the stool needs to be diverted away from the end part of the bowel. It involves creating an opening into the abdominal wall through which a part of the bowel is opened and attached so that bowel waste can be emptied into a bag securely attached around the opening. In some cases, the stoma may be temporary to protect a joint or allow for treatment such as radiotherapy to take place at the lower end of the bowel, or it may be permanent if the remaining bowel has been removed. Many people live with a stoma and go about their lives with no significant impact on their quality of life.