Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Medical History and Physical Examination for Diverticulitis - Exam Overview
About this test
A doctor usually will take a medical history and perform a physical exam if you have symptoms of diverticulitis.
If your medical problem affects your abdomen, your doctor will ask questions (medical history) about:
- Your bowel function, including the number of times a day or week you pass a stool, changes in how often you feel the need to go to the bathroom, the size and shape of your stool, any blood or mucus in your stool, and whether you have diarrhea or constipation.
- Abdominal pain, including when the pain first began, where it is located, how severe it is, how long it lasts, how often it occurs, whether it gets worse when you move, whether anything makes it better or worse, and whether you have had similar pain in the past.
- Whether you have had a fever or chills.
- Urinary problems, including whether you have frequent urination, you have burning when you urinate, your urine has a strong odor, or you pass air or stool from your urethra (a sign that you may have an opening, or fistula, between your colon and urinary tract).
- Any family history of similar symptoms.
- Your use of laxatives or antacids.
- Abdominal tenderness and when it began.
- If you are a woman, whether you have had any changes in your period, any vaginal discharge, or any infections or inflammations of the pelvic area.
- Any previous abdominal surgery.
- Any weight loss or gain.
A dietary history includes questions about the amount of fiber, fat, and salt in your diet. If your symptoms are mild and occur only sometimes, your doctor may recommend that you try a high-fiber, low-fat diet.
During the physical exam to learn the cause of an abdominal problem, your doctor will:
- Check your temperature to see if you have a fever.
- Listen to your heart and lungs.
- Look for swelling in your abdomen.
- Feel or press on (palpate) your abdomen and your back over your kidneys. While doing this, the doctor may check for enlargement of your liver or spleen. The doctor also may look for any hard or painful spots.
- Examine your rectum, and check your stool for blood.
- Do a pelvic exam (in women) to learn whether a problem with your reproductive organs could be causing your symptoms.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: July 26, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Arvydas D. Vanagunas, MD - Gastroenterology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network