Dr. Jonathan Ricker

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Belly button pain: First question is what is your body type? If you are thin, the abdominal aorta can be easily felt and is pulsatile, but should not necessarily cause p... Read More

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4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

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A 35-year-old female asked:

Is this correct that lipitor (atorvastatin) can lower vascular inflammation? is lipitor (atorvastatin) also safe for people with liver inflammation?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Yes: As long as his physician is monitoring labs regularly and stops the medication once his liver labs go above 3x uln.

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Frank Kuitems agrees1 doctor agrees

A 39-year-old member asked:

How long can lactulose work for a person with end-stage liver cirrhosis?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Depends: Every patient follows the same path in end stage liver disease, the issue is the timing. Eventually, the lactulose might not be enough to treat hepati... Read More

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

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A 27-year-old female asked:

Can i drink alcohol again after acute pancreatitis? due to gallstones and ercp. it's been one month. healthy

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Yes.....and no: While your pancreatitis was due to gallstones and/or the ERCP used to clear your bile duct ......alcohol is a common cause of pancreatitis......but us... Read More

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Ivelisse Rivera-Godreau agrees1 doctor agrees

A member asked:

Cause of stomach and abdomen bloating? tests: ct, blood, urine, upper gi, gastric emptying, colonoscopy, sbft, var. drugs taken various drugs. had another ct of stomach/abdomen with no answer. constant bloating is 24/7 - no relief for 5-6 months. hav

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Irritable bowel: Could be a form if ibs. Could also be celiac disease or small bowel bacterial overgrowth. Could also be your diet......High gas formers such as brocco... Read More

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4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

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A 27-year-old member asked:

What are some possible complications of ercp?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

See below: 1.) post ERCP pancreatitis (7%) 2.) bleeding 3.) cholangitis 4.) perforation 5.) death (rare).

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A 39-year-old member asked:

Why do patients with liver disorders have clotting problems?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Clotting factors: The liver is very important for making clotting factors and if it is damaged, it's synthetic function is damaged as well, allowing the blood to not cl... Read More

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A 29-year-old member asked:

How long can a person live after being diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Depends: Depends on the cause and if there is a continued insult to the liver (etoh, etc). Noone can predict with certainty.

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

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A 20-year-old female asked:

Can the antibiotic amoxicillin cause liver damage ?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Yes: It can cause cholestatic jaundice.

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A 41-year-old member asked:

What is nodular mucosa?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Nodular mucosa: Generally speaking, mucosa, or the lining of the GI tract is relatively smooth appearing, with the exception of the small intestine, which appears lik... Read More

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4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Alan Ali agrees1 doctor agrees

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A 43-year-old member asked:

Any tips when i'm prepping for my colonoscopy surgery?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

What to expect: The type of prep you use will give you very little variation in the end result.......Diarrhea. You should however make every attempt to follow the dir... Read More

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4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A 18-year-old female asked:

Is it normal for your lower stomach to be sore after you urine- if you held your urine because you were sleeping?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Holding your pee: After your bladder is large due to lots of urine....With rapid emptying, the bladder tends to spasm.

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

4.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago

A 31-year-old member asked:

I just had a colonoscopy and they found multiple mucosa targt lesions. what could causes this?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Target lesions?: I am assuming that you are referring to a pale central area surrounded by a red ring. This is generally bowel prep artifact, however if there was any ... Read More

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4.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Alan Ali agrees1 doctor agrees

A 19-year-old female asked:

Can costochondritis cause abdominal pain ?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Generally no: But if you are taking nsaids for the treatment of costochondritis, they can lead to ulcerations in the GI tract which can cause pain.

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Robert Waskowitz agrees1 doctor agrees

A 40-year-old member asked:

What preparation is required for ercp?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

None: Ercp requires the patient to not eat usually after midnight the evening before.

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Frank Kuitems agrees1 doctor agrees

A 35-year-old male asked:

I had blood mixed inside my stool 1 time then went back to normal.the night before i was constipated and strained .recent colonoscopy.diverticulosis?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Bleeding: Most likely hemorrhoids. Diverticular bleeding is painless and rather large in volume. It would scare you if you never saw it before. Glad to know you... Read More

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4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. James Lin agrees1 doctor agrees

A 23-year-old male asked:

I have anal fissure gastroenterologist said it will take 12 weeks to heal i have a colonoscopy next week friday can this usually be fixed during it?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Anal fissure: They cannot be fixed by a colonoscopy. What they are likely looking for is to rule out inflammatory bowel disease as a cause of your fissure. They are... Read More

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4.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Troy Reyna and 2 doctors agree3 doctors agree

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A 18-year-old male asked:

She is almost a week late and she has pain and nausea in her lower abdomen, she also has tender and sore breasts?

Internal Medicine - Gastroenterology 19 years experience

Bun in the oven: What you are describing sounds like pregnancy. She should obtain a pregnancy test and be seen by an OB physician as soon as possible if the test is po... Read More

Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

4.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago