General Practitioners

• Warts
• Arthritis
• Cryotherapy
  Other treatments include cryotherapy, BICAP coagulation and direct current. Cryotherapy, popular 20 years ago, consists of freezing hemorrhoidal tissue. It is not recommended for hemorrhoids because it is very painful. BICAP and direct current are methods that shrink the hemorrhoid. None of these t reatments have gained widespread acceptance.
• Medical Weight Loss
  Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the lining of the large bowel (colon). Symptoms include rectal bleeding, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, weight loss, and fevers. In addition, patients who have had extensive ulcerative colitis for many years are at an increased risk to develop large bowel cancer. The cause of ulcerative colitis remains unknown.
• Colonoscopy
  Patients often want to know if their colonoscopy will be billed under a "screening" code, because screening colonoscopies are covered more completely by their insurance.
• Constipation
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that may affect up to 30 percent of all Americans at some time during their lives. The disorder has many names, including nervous colon, spastic colon, spastic bowel, mucous colitis and spastic colitis. However, it should not be confused with diseases like ulcerative or Crohn's colitis.
• Urinary Incontinence
  A rectocele may be present without any other abnormalities. In some cases, a rectocele may be part of a more generalized weakness of pelvic support and may exist along with a cystocele, urethrocele, and enterocele, or with uterine or vaginal prolapse, rectal prolapse, and fecal or urinary incontinence.
• Diarrhea
  Incontinence is the impaired ability to control gas or stool. Its severity ranges from mild difficulty with gas control to severe loss of control over liquid and formed stools. Incontinence to stool is a common problem, but often it is not discussed due to embarassment. Both bladder and bowel incontinence are problems that tend to increase with age.

Gynecologists

• Pregnancy
• Labor and Delivery
  Several factors may contribute to the development of rectal prolapse. It may come from a lifelong habit of straining to have bowel movements or as a delayed result of stresses involved in childbirth. In rare cases, there may be a genetic predisposition in some families. It seems to be a part of the aging process in many patients who experience weakening of the ligaments that support the rectum inside the pelvis as well as loss of tightness of the anal sphincter muscle. In some cases, neurological problems, such as spinal cord transection or spinal cord disease, can lead to prolapse. In most cases, however, no single cause can be identified.

Internists

• Cervical Cancer
  Pelvic radiation - People who have had pelvic radiation therapy for rectal, prostate, bladder or cervical cancer are at an increased risk.
• Colon Cancer
  Another good reason for postoperative follow up is to look for new colon or rectal polyps. Approximately one in five patients who has had colon cancer will develop a new polyp at a later time in life. It is important to detect and remove these polyps before they become cancerous.
• Endoscopy
  Most polyps produce no symptoms and often are found incidentally during endoscopy or x-ray of the bowel. Some polyps, however, can produce bleeding, mucous discharge, alteration in bowel function, or in rare cases, abdominal pain.

Neurologists

• Multiple Sclerosis
  More serious causes of constipation include growths or areas of narrowing in the colon, so it is wise to seek the advice of a colon and rectal surgeon when constipation persists. Constipation may rarely be a symptom of scieroderma, lupus, or disorders of the nervous or endocrine systems, including thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and spinal cord injuries.

Psychiatrists

• Depression
• Mental Health
  Simply understanding that IBS is not a serious or life-threatening condition may relieve anxiety and stress, which often contribute to the problem. Mental health counseling and stress reduction (relaxation training) can help relieve the symptoms of IBS in some individuals.
• Anxiety

Endocrinologist

• Thyroid

Radiologist

• Ultrasound
  Frequently, additional studies are required to define the anal area more completely. In a test called manometry, a small catheter is placed into the anus to record pressure as patients relax and tighten the anal muscles. This test can demonstrate how weak or strong the muscle really is. A separate test may also be conducted to determine if the nerves that go to the anal muscles are functioning properly. In addition, an ultrasound probe can be used within the anal area to provide a picture of the muscles and show areas in which the anal muscles have been injured.
• X-Rays
• Computed Tomography
  Your doctor will examine you approximately every two or three months for the first two years, and discuss your progress. A CEA blood test can be done, as a method of trying to detect recurrence of cancer. Because this test is not totally reliable, other follow up examinations may be advised. These examinations may include flexible sigmoidoscopy (an examination of the rectum and lower colon with a flexible, lighted instrument), colonoscopy (examination of the entire colon with a long flexible instrument), chest x-rays, and sometimes CT scans or ultrasound tests.
• Chemotherapy
  Surgery is the most effective treatment for colorectal cancer. Even when all visible cancer has been removed, it is possible for cancer cells to be present in other areas of the body. These cancer deposits, when very small, are undetectable at the time of surgery, but they can begin to grow at a later time. The chance of recurrence depends on the characteristics of the original cancer and the effectiveness of chemotherapy, if needed, or other follow up treatment. Patients with recurrent cancers - if diagnosed early - may benefit, or be cured, by further surgery or other treatment.
• Radiation Therapy
  Combination therapy including radiation therapy and chemotherapy is now considered the standard treatment for most anal cancers. Occasionally a very small or early tumor may be removed surgically (local excision), with minimal damage to the anal sphincter muscles.

Surgeons

• General Surgery
  Dr. Julie Leverton has practiced in both Colon and Rectal Surgery and General Surgery since 2000. She joined the practice in January, 2004. She is a graduate of Yale University and Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri. She completed her fellowship in Colon and Rectal Surgery at Baylor Medical Center of Dallas. She lives in Plano with her husband, Thomas, and their two children.
• Robotic Surgery
• Hysterectomy
  The underlying cause of a rectocele is a weakening of the pelvic support structures and thinning of the rectovaginal septum. Certain factors may increase the risk of a woman developing a rectocele. These include birth trauma such as multiple, difficult or prolonged deliveries, the use of forceps or other assisted methods of delivery, perineal tears, or an episiotomy into the rectum or anal sphincter muscles. In addition, a history of constipation and straining with bowel movements, or hysterectomy may contribute to the development of a rectocele. Commonly, these problems develop with age but they may occasionally occur in younger women or in those that have not delivered children.

Dermatologists

• Eczema
• Lesions
  Because Crohn's disease can affect any part of the intestine, symptoms may vary greatly from patient to patient. Common symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, weight loss, and bloating. Not all patients experience all of these symptoms, and some may experience none of them. Other symptoms may include anal pain or drainage, skin lesions, rectal abscess, fissure, and joint pain (arthritis).
• Psoriasis
  In addition, drinking certain beverages, including some alcoholic beverages - especially beer - milk, citrus fruit juices and drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea and cola, may be aggravating for some people. Similarly, some foods that may be a problem include chocolate, fruits, tomatoes, nuts and popcorn. Other rare causes of pruritus ani may include pinworms, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, anal infections and allergies.

Allergists

• Allergies