Dr.s Are Frustrating Me...

[num1habsfan]

Since Friday night my stomach pains were unbearable -- I am still not even sure what set it off, because for once I actually had a very relaxed, fun weekend -- it felt like someone stabbed me and left the weapon in my side -- it was draining ALL my energy. Yesterday it was still no better, so I thought I'd go see a doc

.

I called the docs office and said i'd like to see one and need a prescription refilled, and I have to wait almost 2 weeks!! I asked if anyone will be available at the hospital and she got all huffy and said "you can only go there if its a real emergancy"

I called the hospital and asked if someone will be at ER, she said yes but didnt know what time so I'd be waiting. So I went, took a hockey magazine to keep myself busy -- I waited about 20 minutes to get just the usuals done -- then it was waiting in the room -- the nurse called the doc to say there was a couple people here who needed to see her -- she got me to do bloodwork (dont know why, it was a waste of time), and then gave me a shot of Buscopan (making me half-blind and leaving me with a sore arm!)...

The doc finally shows up -- she says "oh bloodwork will probably show nothing" (which it didnt) -- felt my stomach, accused me of not following my diet -- said "you just have to wait for the colonoscopy, nothing can be done til then" -- then gave me a prescription for Buscopan for "when it flares up"

So i wait there for 2 hours to be talked to for 5 minutes and leave without getting any help!!

Thankfully at home, I had 2 Prednisone that I got last time I went to ER in case I couldnt find the pharmacist that nite, I took one last nite when I went to bed, and the pains are nowhere NEAR as bad as they were yesterday!

Thats my rant

Oh by the way: My colonoscopy is August 14th, and my barium follow-up August 17th

~lisa~

[eKatherine]

...she got me to do bloodwork (dont know why, it was a waste of time)...

...The doc finally shows up -- she says "oh bloodwork will probably show nothing" (which it didnt)

They give you unnecessary tests when you go to the ER to make it look like they're doing something, while running your bill up high enough to give you a financial incentive to think twice before going to the ER next time.

[zip2play]

I don't know your history, is it possibly Gall Bladder?

Monica

[num1habsfan]

They give you unnecessary tests when you go to the ER to make it look like they're doing something, while running your bill up high enough to give you a financial incentive to think twice before going to the ER next time.

Yeah thank god theres no costs for doctors up here

~lisa~

[TinkerbellSwt]

Sorry to hear you were in so much pain. Lousy docs are everywhere. In my case, it was the ER doc that knew something was really wrong with me, as my GI kept discharging me out of the hospital. Finally one time I went in again, the ER doc said, this has to be celiacs and ran blood tests for it. Sure enough... voila..

I hope you find relief soon.. they didnt prescribe me anything to take home with, but while I was there for 8 days.. I was on some heavy duty pain killers. Morphine and dilaudid. wowwie

[num1habsfan]

I don't know your history, is it possibly Gall Bladder?

Monica

Nah this is like my 8th trip to ER in the last 6 months lol .. everyones like 99% certain that its Crohns, and when I have that scope next month it'll prove it. (plus everything else is ruled out)

~lisa~

[andrew1234]

Maybe the tests seem unecessary for you because you don't understand why they're ordered. Maybe it was to rule out acute pancreatitis, appendicitis, acute episode of Chron's disease which can all cause severe abdominal pain/death. Perhaps your docotor wasn't so stupid/useless after all. Maybe she can better evaluate your disease then you give her credit for.

Sometimes it amazes me how many people are on this board blaming doctors for all their problems. These are the people who also claim they get sick from touching or inhaling gluten and say they have allergies to 50 different types of foods and have 5 different very rare diseases. then when the gluten free diet is not working they think that they're ingesting microscopic quantities of gluten from "cross contamination".

[penguin]

Sometimes it amazes me how many people are on this board blaming doctors for all their problems. These are the people who also claim they get sick from touching or inhaling gluten and say they have allergies to 50 different types of foods and have 5 different very rare diseases. then when the gluten free diet is not working they think that they're ingesting microscopic quantities of gluten from "cross contamination".

Sorry, but why are you here?

Celiacs do get sick from touching gluten, because you touch your food, mouth, whatever with your hands. Some people also have a skin reaction. Celiacs get sick from inhaling gluten because your sinuses drain into your digestive tract, causing a reaction. It takes 1/38 of a slice of bread to cause damage in a celiac.

Celiac, by the way, is not "very rare", it occurs in 1 in 133 people. It's still in the reasonably uncommon category, but not rare. Celiac is an autoimmune disease, and autoimmune diseases tend to come in packs because of a hyperactive immune system. Therefore, it's completely possible to have celiac, hashimoto's, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes all at once. Allergies also tend to come in packs for the same reason. Intolerances are a bit more wishy washy, but if your body doesn't agree with something, it's not tolerated well then, is it?

Cross contamination is a very real problem, and until you experience it, lay off the judgement.

Most people don't blame their doctors for their problems, they blame them for not diagnosing them for years on end. It takes an average of 11 years to diagnose celiac. That's a lot of damage and a long time of suffering.

[jerseyangel]

Ditto what Chelsea said. We support each other here, not ridicule. Celiac Disease also causes the gut to be "leaky"--that is to say it allows particles of undigested food through that the immune system treats as an invader. That's the reason a lot of us have additional food intolerance/delayed food allergies.

[num1habsfan]

Thank you Chelsea and Patti for backing me up!! I wasnt blaming the doctors for causing my stomach pains, I am just frustrated that I went to EMERGANCY and left without being helped...

I am one of those who cant touch or smell gluten, and you not believing that reminds me of my family

Thats all I'm going to say for now haha..

~lisa~

[jerseyangel]

No problem, Lisa! We've been following your story and know how frustrated you are and how long you have gone trying to find out what's wrong. Feel better

[Green12]

hmmm, even the celiac board has a troll. Imagine that...

Habsfan, I hope you get to the bottom of it soon so you can feel better

[wozzy]

I'm sorry that you didn't get much help at the ER, but you have to consider a few things. Unless they bring in a specialist, the ER docs won't know everything. They'll run blood tests to rule out anything life-threatening, but if you don't have something that's really serious, they have patients in critical condition who are higher priority. I hate to say that, but it happened to my grandpa when he was in the hospital.

I'm not saying that your problem isn't important and that you shouldn't seek more help for it, but if you are stable, they'll probably just let you go and tell you to see your regular doctor.

Also, Celiac disease is hard to diagnose. I know a lot of doctors don't know about it, but there are also so many other issues that could be causing the same symptoms. Similarly, there are a lot of other issues that could have caused your pains. ER docs can't know anything, so it's hard for them to diagnose something that's less...common and obvious.

[2Boys4Me]

It takes 1/38 of a slice of bread to cause damage in a celiac.

I'm sure Ty's GI doc or the literature or something said 1/49th of a slice of bread...which is even less than your estimate. I can't count the number of times have I been tempted to get a slice of bread and cut it into 49 pieces, just so I could have an image of how small that is.

[rinne]

Celiacs do get sick from touching gluten, because you touch your food, mouth, whatever with your hands. Some people also have a skin reaction. Celiacs get sick from inhaling gluten because your sinuses drain into your digestive tract, causing a reaction. It takes 1/38 of a slice of bread to cause damage in a celiac.

Celiac, by the way, is not "very rare", it occurs in 1 in 133 people. It's still in the reasonably uncommon category, but not rare. Celiac is an autoimmune disease, and autoimmune diseases tend to come in packs because of a hyperactive immune system. Therefore, it's completely possible to have celiac, hashimoto's, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes all at once. Allergies also tend to come in packs for the same reason. Intolerances are a bit more wishy washy, but if your body doesn't agree with something, it's not tolerated well then, is it?

Cross contamination is a very real problem, and until you experience it, lay off the judgement.

Most people don't blame their doctors for their problems, they blame them for not diagnosing them for years on end. It takes an average of 11 years to diagnose celiac. That's a lot of damage and a long time of suffering.

--------------------

Chelsea

Chelsea, you are awesome.

When I reflect on my medical history and my work history I can see that the migraines I suffered for years started when I worked in a bakery. I was twenty three and I would finish work, go home and fall into a stupor, sort of sleep for a couple of hours and wake with my mouth dry, puffy eyes and the feeling I had a hangover. This happened even though I didn't eat the pastry. I know now I was being poisoned.

[ravenwoodglass]

Sorry, but why are you here?

Celiacs do get sick from touching gluten, because you touch your food, mouth, whatever with your hands. Some people also have a skin reaction. Celiacs get sick from inhaling gluten because your sinuses drain into your digestive tract, causing a reaction. It takes 1/38 of a slice of bread to cause damage in a celiac.

Celiac, by the way, is not "very rare", it occurs in 1 in 133 people. It's still in the reasonably uncommon category, but not rare. Celiac is an autoimmune disease, and autoimmune diseases tend to come in packs because of a hyperactive immune system. Therefore, it's completely possible to have celiac, hashimoto's, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes all at once. Allergies also tend to come in packs for the same reason. Intolerances are a bit more wishy washy, but if your body doesn't agree with something, it's not tolerated well then, is it?

Cross contamination is a very real problem, and until you experience it, lay off the judgement.

Most people don't blame their doctors for their problems, they blame them for not diagnosing them for years on end. It takes an average of 11 years to diagnose celiac. That's a lot of damage and a long time of suffering.

Lots of great points here. One thing I do want to mention in addition is that gluten crosses the mucosal membranes. It can be absorbed into the blood stream through the nose, mouth, vagina, and rectum. In some countries they use suppositories and biopsy the rectal mucosa for diagnosis. Much less traumatic on the system as no challenge is needed because the effects of gluten on the membranes is obvious under microscopic examination within hours.

[Mayflowers]

I think the people here on the board are very nice, considerate and helpful. Thank you for answering my questions. I'm not confirmed gluten intolerant yet but I'll find out soon from Enterolab. I suspect I am. My stomach feels better, much less indigestion since I stopped eating wheat.

Diana

[chgomom]

Maybe the tests seem unecessary for you because you don't understand why they're ordered. Maybe it was to rule out acute pancreatitis, appendicitis, acute episode of Chron's disease which can all cause severe abdominal pain/death. Perhaps your docotor wasn't so stupid/useless after all. Maybe she can better evaluate your disease then you give her credit for.

Sometimes it amazes me how many people are on this board blaming doctors for all their problems. These are the people who also claim they get sick from touching or inhaling gluten and say they have allergies to 50 different types of foods and have 5 different very rare diseases. then when the gluten free diet is not working they think that they're ingesting microscopic quantities of gluten from "cross contamination".

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I'm going to be blunt here. Andrew is an ill informed idiot.

Enough said.

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I'm going to be blunt here. Andrew is an ill informed idiot.

Enough said.

----------

Or maybe Andrew is an angry doctor.

[kalanfan]

I think the problem with going to the emergency room is that doctors do get a bit jaded there....im a nursing student and alot if the time the doctors end up with stab wounds in one room and a child with a head cold in another...they start to treat the latter as an annoyance.....i do think people should be using the er less for non emergencies and the doctors might treat the people that do have a geniune problem (that may not be gushing blood) better and more effectively.....the only thing i can suggest is maybe going to a medicentre next time....you dont have to wait for a week cause there are no appointments and they have less trauma to deal with....their main purpose is to treat more urgent non emergencies..Im not exaclty pro doctor either...i usually ask my pharmacist all my questions....lol

[2kids4me]

Sometimes it amazes me how many people are on this board blaming doctors for all their problems. These are the people who also claim they get sick from touching or inhaling gluten and say they have allergies to 50 different types of foods and have 5 different very rare diseases. then when the gluten free diet is not working they think that they're ingesting microscopic quantities of gluten from "cross contamination".

I guess I could have just left this one alone - but how dare you imply that we - in essence - only "claim" to have disease.

Every disease listed for myself and my children were diagnosed conclusively by doctors. Celiac is one of the immune mediated diseases and can/often does co-exist with other immune medated disease and due to the damage in the intestine can cause mutliple food allergies/intolerances. That information can be found in medical texts - see polyendocrinopathy.

When you have one disease it is often doctors who will try and attribute symptoms to the one disease rather than look for another cause or at least give pain control until a cause IS found.

I took my daughter to ER on the advice of a pediatrician - at the time she was being investigated for abdominal pain. The ER doc asked her to jump up and down - if it didnt hurt then it wasnt serious - at least that is what I was told. Not long after she was confirmed celiac with villous atrophy. The ped was upset because she had wanted an ultrasound and bloodwork done - apparently the ER doc over ruled.

Before you post an attack and basically imply we all hate doctors and are hypochondriacs, why dont you really read the posts - this is place for people with comon concerns, fears, and experiences to share the good AND the bad, to help each other, provide a place to vent and learn how better to navigate "the system", to offer ideas or an encouraging word.

[ravenwoodglass]

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I'm going to be blunt here. Andrew is an ill informed idiot.

Enough said.

----------

Or maybe Andrew is an angry doctor.

My thoughts also.

[andrew1234]

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I'm going to be blunt here. Andrew is an ill informed idiot.

Enough said.

----------

Or maybe Andrew is an angry doctor.

No actually I am a medical student doing my residency who also has Celiac Disease. So I think I am quite well informed thank you very much.

As for 2kids4me, I never said anything about you, but just out interest, as a vetenarian, do you think it's possible to get sick from inhaling gluten particles the size of microns?

[jerseyangel]

Something tells me this is going to be a long night.

[Mayflowers]

With an attitude like that, you're not winning patients over Andrew. Better learn now to be more compassionate before you graduate, or it will come back to bite you in the ....

[tarnalberry]

andrew, one thing to consider is that the celiac reaction in the intestines is a chemical one, right? what happens when you're in a kitchen with flour, and you breath in, and happen to have your mouth open? and you're doing this for, say, 10 minutes, because you're in a kitchen where a friend is cooking? you get a bit of flour on your tongue and you swallow, and you've now got gliandin peptides heading for your digestive system, where your immune system will react badly. for someone who reacts particularly badly, and gets very painful symptoms, they may well notice this little amount of contamination. you know from your chemistry lab days that it's not about quantity of reagents, it's about presence of reagents.

the other thing to consider is that you hadn't read the OP's history. there have been a number of posts over many months (years?) where this has been an ongoing, painful, problem, and there has been no help, other than "oh, it hurts, here are three pain pills, go see a regular doctor" followed by "oh, you want to see the doctor? that'll be a five month wait".

yes, sometimes there can be some... overzealousness... on the board. but a lot of that is brought on by doctors who are dismissive of symptoms, or who halfheartedly listen, or who don't want to spend the time to really find out what's wrong. many people here have been given a bunch of pills and told they just had IBS, only to be tested for celiac years later. they had tried to ask their doctor "ok, I have pain, I know that, what is *causing* it", and all they got was 'take these pills', rather than an attempt to find the root cause. (heck, I had the same issue for a while with orthopaedists and my knees. took three orthopaedists, two phyiscal therapists, and a reluctant podiatrist to correct a minor pronation that turned out to have a larger than expected impact on the tracking of my patella.) I got the impression they are worried about the money we'll spend trying to track down the root cause - well, a lot of us are more worried about the worsening symptoms, the side effects, and the cost of the meds, and would rather find out what is actually wrong than keep putting bandaids over the open wound that's not getting treated.