Everyday GP care · Digestive symptoms
Talk to an online GP about digestive symptoms
Discuss reflux, nausea, abdominal discomfort, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation or another bowel change. The timing, location and related symptoms help the GP work out what assessment should happen next.
Can an online GP help with digestive symptoms?
Yes. You can speak with a HerDoc GP about reflux, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation or another change in bowel habits. The GP can ask about the pattern, food and medicine links, hydration and related symptoms, then discuss whether you need treatment, testing, monitoring or a physical examination.
Digestive symptoms you can talk through
You can start with the symptom rather than deciding whether it comes from the stomach, bowel or another organ. Useful examples include:
Chest, urinary and reproductive symptoms can sometimes feel like digestive symptoms. Tell the GP where you feel the problem and what else happens with it so they can consider those possibilities.
- heartburn, reflux or indigestion-type discomfort
- nausea or vomiting
- abdominal pain, cramping or discomfort
- bloating or feeling unusually full
- diarrhoea, constipation or a change in stool pattern
- a change in appetite or symptoms linked with eating
Describe timing, location and change
The GP may ask where the symptom is, when it began, whether it is constant or comes and goes, and whether it is changing. They may also ask about:
You do not need to follow a restrictive diet or complete a food diary before asking for care. If you have noticed a repeatable food pattern, describe it without removing major food groups unless a health professional has advised you to.
You can upload a relevant food diary, medicine list or previous result during intake for the GP to review.
- meals, travel, illness and other people with similar symptoms
- bowel frequency, stool appearance, blood or mucus
- vomiting and whether you can keep fluids down
- fever, weight change, appetite and abdominal swelling
- urinary symptoms, periods and pregnancy possibility
- medicines, supplements, alcohol and previous digestive problems
What the GP may discuss next
The next step depends on the symptom pattern and health history. It may include advice, a treatment or prescription discussion, hydration guidance, monitoring, pathology, imaging, referral, another appointment or direct examination.
Booking does not promise a diagnosis, medicine, test, scan or referral. The GP may need to examine your abdomen or arrange local assessment when touch, vital signs or testing would change the decision.
When digestive symptoms need faster care
Call Triple Zero (000) for crushing or unexplained chest pain, collapse, trouble breathing or another emergency. Chest pain can sometimes be mistaken for indigestion, so do not wait for an online appointment if you are unsure whether the discomfort could be heart-related.
Go immediately to an emergency department or call 000 for intense abdominal pain; blood or coffee-ground material in vomit; green vomit; vomit that smells or looks like faeces; or vomiting with chest pain. Seek prompt medical assessment for worsening or persistent abdominal pain, black or bloody stools, repeated vomiting with inability to keep fluids down, marked dehydration, a swollen abdomen, fever with significant illness, or inability to pass urine, stool or gas. Older people, pregnant people and people with major health conditions may need earlier assessment.
When telehealth may not be suitable
- Repeated vomiting with inability to keep fluids down
- Black or bloody stools
- Worsening pain or marked dehydration
- Symptoms needing abdominal examination or urgent investigation
When to seek urgent care
Call Triple Zero (000) for crushing or unexplained chest pain, collapse, trouble breathing or another emergency. Go immediately to an emergency department or call 000 for intense abdominal pain, blood or coffee-ground material in vomit, green or faecal vomit, or vomiting with chest pain.
- Crushing or unexplained chest pain
- Collapse or trouble breathing
- Intense abdominal pain
- Blood, coffee-ground material, green or faecal material in vomit
Want to discuss digestive symptoms when HerDoc launches?
Join the waiting list for updates about access to HerDoc's phone GP service. Joining does not book an appointment and is not a way to seek emergency care.
Related pages
FAQs
Can an online GP help with reflux or heartburn?
Yes. Explain when the burning or discomfort happens, its relationship to meals or lying down, how often it occurs and whether swallowing is difficult. Call 000 for chest pain that could be heart-related, especially with breathlessness, sweating, nausea, collapse or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back.
Can I discuss nausea or vomiting through telehealth?
Yes, if you are not experiencing an emergency. Tell the GP how often you vomit, what it looks like, whether you can keep fluids down and whether there is pain, fever, diarrhoea, pregnancy possibility or another related symptom.
Can an online GP assess abdominal or stomach pain?
An online conversation can begin the assessment by clarifying location, timing, related symptoms and health history. The GP may recommend direct examination or prompt local care when touch, vital signs or testing could change the next step.
Can I discuss bloating, diarrhoea, constipation or a change in bowel habits?
Yes. Describe the change from your usual pattern, how long it has lasted and whether there is blood, black stool, fever, pain, vomiting, weight change or recent travel. The GP may discuss hydration, treatment, testing or examination depending on the history.
What if I am not sure whether the symptoms are digestive, urinary or related to my period?
You do not need to decide before booking. Describe the exact location, timing and all related digestive, urinary, period or pregnancy symptoms so the GP can consider more than one possible source.
What details about the location and pattern of symptoms should I have ready?
Note where you feel the symptom, when it began, whether it is constant or comes and goes, and whether it moves or changes after food or bowel motions. Mention fever, vomiting, bowel or urinary changes, pregnancy possibility and whether you can eat and drink.
What if I am pregnant or could be pregnant?
Mention it early because pregnancy can change the possible causes, medicine choices and timing of assessment. Seek prompt local care for significant pain, bleeding, faintness, shoulder-tip pain, repeated vomiting or another symptom that concerns you during pregnancy.
Could a medicine be contributing to digestive symptoms?
Yes. Tell the GP about prescription medicines, non-prescription products and supplements, including anything recently started or changed. The GP can discuss whether a medicine review or another assessment is needed.
Will I need blood, urine or stool tests?
Not everyone needs testing. A HerDoc GP can request pathology when the assessment supports it, but no particular test follows from booking and direct examination may be needed first.
Can the GP discuss prescription or non-prescription treatment options?
Yes. The GP can discuss treatment options after considering the symptom pattern, health history, pregnancy possibility and current medicines. A prescription or particular product is not promised, and the next step may instead be monitoring, examination or testing.
What if I am vomiting repeatedly or cannot keep fluids down?
Seek prompt local medical care rather than waiting for a routine online appointment. Repeated vomiting and inability to keep fluids down can lead to dehydration and may require direct assessment and treatment.
What if I see blood in vomit or bowel motions, or my bowel motions look black?
Go immediately to an emergency department or call 000 for blood or coffee-ground material in vomit. Black stools or significant blood in the stool also needs prompt medical assessment; call 000 if bleeding is heavy or comes with collapse, faintness or breathing difficulty.
How can I tell heartburn from chest pain that needs urgent help?
It is not always possible to tell from the feeling alone. Call 000 for unexplained chest pain, especially with breathlessness, sweating, nausea, collapse or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back, rather than assuming it is heartburn.
When might I need an abdominal examination, scan, endoscopy or specialist review?
Direct assessment or investigation may be needed when physical findings, bleeding, persistent symptoms or the history raises concern. The GP can discuss what local examination, imaging, procedure or specialist assessment may be warranted without implying that HerDoc provides the scan, endoscopy or specialist care.
Which digestive symptoms need urgent care or 000?
Call 000 for crushing or unexplained chest pain, collapse, trouble breathing or another emergency. Go immediately to an emergency department or call 000 for intense abdominal pain, blood or coffee-ground material in vomit, green or faecal vomit, or vomiting with chest pain; seek prompt local assessment for worsening pain, black or bloody stools, repeated vomiting, marked dehydration, abdominal swelling, significant illness or inability to pass urine, stool or gas.