Iowa Radiology Blog

If you’re feeling anxious about an upcoming colonoscopy, you’re far from alone. Studies indicate that up to 1 in 5 people undergoing colonoscopy report severe anxiety, often because they anticipate pain and discomfort. Not only is this unpleasant, but it can also lead to increased use of medication and make it more difficult to complete the procedure. Fortunately, there are proven ways to reduce this anxiety and feel more relaxed during the procedure. Here are six tips that can help you get through your next colonoscopy:

Many different types of illness and injury can cause joint pain. The underlying condition that causes it can be mild or severe, acute or chronic. If joint pain is mild, isn’t accompanied by other symptoms, and persists for less than three days, then home treatment may be all you need. Commonly recommended home treatments for joint pain include

Doctors have several types of tests at their disposal to diagnose gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. These include lab tests, MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-ray, colonoscopy, and more. Often, doctors order a type of moving X-ray called fluoroscopy to assess patients’ GI health. Because it creates a moving image, fluoroscopy allows radiologists to watch the digestive tract in action.

Gastrointestinal problems are extremely common.

Gastrointestinal disorders affect millions of Americans each year. People can experience a wide range of digestive issues, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcers, blockages, infections, and cancers. Most everyone experiences symptoms like nausea, constipation, diarrhea, and digestive pain from time to time. Often, minor gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms come and go without an obvious cause. However, when symptoms are persistent, severe, or unusual, it’s important to investigate what’s behind them.

If you have a uterus, there is a good chance that at some point in your life, you’ll have uterine fibroids. Also known as leiomyomas, fibroids are typically benign smooth muscle tumors that commonly grow in and around the uterus during a woman’s childbearing years. Fibroids don’t usually require treatment, but treatment may be advised if they cause severe discomfort or fertility issues. Here are seven things you should know if you have (or think you might have) uterine fibroids.

Continuing a Tradition of Exceptional Service

Iowa Radiology has always been committed to providing exceptional service to our patients and our community. In keeping with that commitment, we are proud to announce our voluntary three-year accreditation with the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). Iowa Radiology achieved this accreditation in partnership with the John Stoddard Cancer Center and UnityPoint Health. To attain accreditation, a breast center must demonstrate compliance with NAPBC’s high standards, determined by an assessment of the center’s clinical services, leadership, research, professional education, community outreach, and quality improvement.

It’s hard to find what you’re not looking for.

If you were asked to picture a cancer patient, a young adult is probably not the first person who comes to mind. That’s only natural, considering more than 90% of cancers are diagnosed in people over age 45. Likewise, young adults tend not to think much about the possibility of getting cancer. Most tend to be fairly healthy, and it’s common for young people to see doctors only when they have a pressing need. Even when they do visit a doctor with symptoms that could indicate cancer, their symptoms are more likely to be attributed to other, more likely, causes.

Quitting smoking is hard. Nicotine is highly addictive, so even occasional smokers can become dependent on it. Maybe you started by sharing a cigarette with friends and then found yourself reaching for one when you felt stressed, tired, or bored. In time, it can become difficult to imagine life without smoking. How does this happen?

Radiation comes in many forms, and we’re exposed to it every day. At low levels, radiation exposure is not a cause for concern; it’s simply a fact of life. Exposure to high levels of radiation, on the other hand, can cause severe health effects and even death. When you’re considering a medical procedure that involves radiation, it makes sense to weigh the potential risk to your health against the benefit it can provide. Let’s look at what you should know about radiation in mammograms.