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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Stomach Inflation, Loss Of Appetite, Dark Stools. What Could Be The Cause?

I m 76 yr old my stomach started betting bigger,loss of appetite ,dark stools ,can t keep my pants fastened at all have to wear with elastic pants, had ultra sound on the 6th of July,had not heard from my doctor, so i called to see if the results were in, I m told they are closed and will not be back until the 24th of July.
Sat, 21 Jul 2012
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Gastroenterologist 's  Response
Dear guevarajosi,
I am not sure how long this problem has been going on. Regardless , the
problem seems to be serious enough that you need to follow through about
this as soon as possible. When you say that your stomach is getting bigger,
this could mean you may be developing fluid build up in your abdomen. The
condition is called "Ascitis". This could be a result of liver problems related
to excess alcohol intake and damaged liver or it could be from inflammation
caused by virus infection-Type -B or Type-C hepatitis virus. Dark stools
indicate bleeding either from the lower part of the esophagus (Food tube) or
from the stomach lining due to small ulcers. If this has been going on for
sometime, you could be anemic (Low blood count) and hence loss of appetite
and weakness.
I strongly recommend you seeing the doctor soon and get all the necessary
testing done which will include blood tests, X-ray (CT-Scan) etc.
Wish you all the best
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Stomach Inflation, Loss Of Appetite, Dark Stools. What Could Be The Cause?

Dear guevarajosi, I am not sure how long this problem has been going on. Regardless , the problem seems to be serious enough that you need to follow through about this as soon as possible. When you say that your stomach is getting bigger, this could mean you may be developing fluid build up in your abdomen. The condition is called Ascitis . This could be a result of liver problems related to excess alcohol intake and damaged liver or it could be from inflammation caused by virus infection-Type -B or Type-C hepatitis virus. Dark stools indicate bleeding either from the lower part of the esophagus (Food tube) or from the stomach lining due to small ulcers. If this has been going on for sometime, you could be anemic (Low blood count) and hence loss of appetite and weakness. I strongly recommend you seeing the doctor soon and get all the necessary testing done which will include blood tests, X-ray (CT-Scan) etc. Wish you all the best