GI Disorder: Signs and Symptoms to look for

• Bleeding from the rectum or blood in stools (seek immediate medical attention)
• Diarrhea, constipation or bloating
• Chronic stomach pain, especially in the lower abdomen
• Feeling of constantly needing to pass stools or incomplete defecation (Tenesmus)
• Change in bowel habits, such as alternating between diarrhea and constipation
• Changes in appearance of stools (separate hard lumps, like nuts)
• Feeling weak, fatigued, pallid
• Unexplained weight loss

These symptoms are potential warning signs of colon cancer. If you’ve experienced these symptoms for over two weeks, our GI specialists recommend finding the root cause, immediately.

The inside of the rectum and entire colon are examined, using a long lighted tube called a colonoscope. Patients sleep during the procedure, under sedation. If pre-cancerous polyps are found, the doctor can remove them during the colonoscopy. This procedure is the most accurate of all diagnostic methods and offers the following benefits: no pain, no incision and a much shorter time for both preparation and procedure.

Samitivej has adopted Narrow-Band Imaging (NBI) International Colorectal Endoscopic classification (NICE) with ultra high magnification. Blue and green light wavelengths are used to optimize the visibility of tissue structures, so that lesions are detected earlier (even before polyps have developed), meaning an appropriate treatment plan can begin sooner.

• More than 2,600 colonoscopies per year are performed at Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital.
• 0% complications experienced, during and after the colonoscopies.
• 4% Adenoma Detection Rate (ADR) vs. 25% industry average (as laid out by The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy).

The above information was gathered by Samitivej in 2016.