Dr. Douglas Brewer
Surgery - Colorectal
Macon, GA
35 years experience male
Locations
Colorectal Surgery Associates
Macon, GA
My office hours
Wednesday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Show morePhone
Practice website
Insurances accepted
Aetna
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia
Medicare
WellCare Health Plans
UnitedHealthcare
About
Bio
Board certified Colorectal surgeon with over 20 years of experience in private practice with clinical teaching responsibilities
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Surgery - Colorectal
Colon and Rectal Surgery
General Surgery
Languages spoken
English
Doctor Q&A
71 Answers
0 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 57-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Hemorrhoids no pain: Great question as this is one of the biggest misunderstandings. Hemorrhoid all bleeding usually comes from INTERNAL hemorrhoids and there is no pain ... Read More
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 17-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Need examination: Incontinence to gas is not uncommon, just private so we do not mention it. The feeling you describe could be due to MANY things and really requires a... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Can observe: I think it is reasonable to observe. If it continues for more then 24 hours or is accompanied by blood mixed in, fever, worsening abdominal cramping ... Read More
1.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Absolutely!: It primarily depends on the stage, or whether the cancer is only in the rectum or has spread to lymph nodes or other organs. Every patient diagnosed ... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Very complicated: Monoclonal theory says that just like we are a living thing, we are born, we have jobs to do and then we die, each cell has a similar cycle of birth, ... Read More
1.8k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
A 31-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Up to patient: True rectal prolapse which means the rectum literally falls out of the body is rarely dangerous but causes significant symptoms. If the rectum gets c... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Not simple answer: Cancer is when a cell won't die but can still divide and grow and hide from immune system. This is caused by many gene defects most of which happen a... Read More
1.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Great question: It is RARE for it to heal without surgery but also it is rare for a fistula to threaten one's health. Very rarely we see the infection get into blood... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
No: We are born with hemorrhoid tissue so anal sex does not cause them, just can flare them up. However, anal pain usually is not hemorrhoids but a tear ... Read More
4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Can be difficult: GREAT question although if we are talking about you it would be very unusual for a 19 yo to have colorectal cancer. The point is it really is almost ... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
No problem: We are actually born with hemorrhoid tissue so they are completely normal.
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Fiber supplement: Hemorrhoids mostly flare because of abnormal bowel habits and best way to solve this is daily fiber supplement
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Probably mucus: First it is important to know that we are actually born with hemorrhoid tissue so they are actually a normal part of our anatomy. The inner lining of... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Probably: No way to know what may flare IBS in general. Would start with just a little and see
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 59-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Be careful!!!: Diarrhea usually IS NOT part of the symptom complex of diverticulitis. How was your case diagnosed? Did you have a CT scan. And even if you did col... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
No: Unexplained change in bowel habits are more of a concern. It is OK to take laxatives daily when on constipation meds
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Pruritus ani?: With these symptoms an exam is mandatory because so many things can cause anal irritation to include hemorrhoids, anal warts, etc. If exam is otherwi... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 23-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Could be: As a physician I do not like to describe things as "normal" or not but use ideas like expected or understandable. We are born with hemorrhoidal tissu... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 51-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Magnesium citrate: You have correctly tried transrectal route for relief of your constipation. It is also helpful to treat from above with oral laxatives. One bottle o... Read More
3.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
I am so sorry: I am sorry for your situation. Perforated colon due to diverticulitis causing sepsis and kidney failure is very serious. Has she had surgery? or are... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Ignore: Most people do not know that hemorrhoids are actually a normal part of our body.
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Not possible: Hemorrhoid tissue is a normal part of our anatomy found at the very end of the rectum/anus. It would be impossible for them to be related to abdomina... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Rash not hemorrhoids: A rash on the buttocks is usually not hemorrhoids but something else. No soap or wipes directly on it and if persists need to have it looked at
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 59-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Unusual: I am a proctologist and have not heard of this. But hemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels and cold makes then shrink so makes sense. Just be careful... Read More
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Excision or drainage: The only surgical procedure for thrombosed external hemorrhoid is to open the skin and drain it usually under local anesthesia in an office setting or... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Is diagnosis correct: I have taken care of patients with diverticulitis in their 30's but is uncommon. Was diagnosis made with CT scan? The usual protocol is to confirm d... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Maybe: How long has it been since you had a BM? Could just be constipation with a bleeding hemorrhoid. Take a a laxative like Milk of Magnesia (magnesium h... Read More
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
We are born with the: Hemorrhoids are normal part of our anatomy. They are made of mostly blood vessels but include soft tissue with an external and internal components. ... Read More
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Possibly: A not uncommon complication of diverticulitis is something called a colon to bladder fistula. The specific segment of infected colon just happens to ... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 64-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Not that I know: Diverticulitis is rupture of a pocket located on outside surface of usually the left side of the colon. It would be very unusual for this to be direc... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Possibly: We believe most colon cancers progress through a polyp stage. Polyp simply means growth and can be any size or configuration but can be small. Early... Read More
1.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 53-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
It is your call: Research has shown that the horrible case of freely perforated diverticulitis requiring emergency surgery usually occurs with the first episode. Also... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Several options: First, not always best to assume blood is coming from hemorrhoid. Should get checked. If is a hemorrhoid bleeding can often times be stopped with me... Read More
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Would be unusual: Yes the prostate gland literally sits next to the front of the rectum but there is a layer of tissue between the two such that it would be rare for pr... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Anal fistula: Sounds like an anal fistula. An anal gland becomes blocked and then infected creating an abscess that tunnels to the skin. Very rarely heals with me... Read More
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Maybe hemorrhoids: External hemorrhoids can itch and burn. They can flare up due to constipation.
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
No: We are born with hemorrhoid tissue and there are 3 that each have an internal and external component. They are soft and really should not affect the ... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Probably OK: Stress does not cause rectal bleeding directly. What usually happens is that stress alters our oral intake and/or our bowels and then that can cause ... Read More
3.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Yes: Diarrhea lasting more than a couple of weeks should be evaluated by medical provider
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 18-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Need to see provider: At your age it would be very rare for this to be serious such as a cancer but most anorectal complaints require a trained practitioner to perform at l... Read More
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Not really: A hemorrhoid blood clot, also known as a thrombosis, is usually treated with making incision to remove clot or hemorrhoid under local anesthesia in of... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Maybe: First question is do you have any symptoms to suggest colon disease. Change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, unexplained weight loss most commonly. ... Read More
1.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Yes but unlikely: In order to give a complete answer I would need much more information such as how was it treated. A major cancer operation including removal of lymph... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Soak hot tub bath: Soak in hot water in bathtub several times a day
4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 56-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Possibly: Hemorrhoid bleeding classically is bright red, painless, occurs only with and after bowel movement and is seen mostly on tissue and in toilet. Unfort... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Needs colonoscopy: Even if he had no problems we are supposed to start routine colorectal cancer screening at age 50. The best care practice to do so remains colonoscop... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old male asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Great question, no: Piles, or hemorrhoids, are a normal part of our anatomy. They do not turn into cancer. But what we see too often is patients assuming that rectal bl... Read More
2.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
May be neither: How were you diagnosed with either. Even though you are young I assume you had a colonoscopy to rule out colitis and a CT scan to confirm diagnosis o... Read More
3.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Get tested: There are many tests that have been developed to test either a patient with concerning symptoms or just as a routine screening exam in an a symptomati... Read More
1.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:

Dr. Douglas Breweranswered
Surgery - Colorectal 35 years experience
Need surgeon not GI: Hernias can be dangerous and an emergency if they get caught and can cause intestinal blockage or gangrene but if you have had symptoms for that long ... Read More
2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
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TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
2
Recommendations
64
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Brewer is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Brewer is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! Thank you so much. That helps me feel a little better
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! I appreciate your help so much
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! Thank you very much
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine, GA
Graduated 1987MD
Residency
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE HOSPITAL
Awards
Most Influential, Third Place, Macon Region - Spring
2015
Thought Leader, First Place, Macon Region - Spring
2015
Top Colorectal Surgeon, First Place, National - Spring
2015
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