Gastro Vs Internal Medicine Doc

[little d]

My question to everybody here is:

Is it better to go to Gastro or Internal medicine Doctor? Today when I went to my Orthopedic doc for my foot I told him about my possible celiac disease or intolerance, he knew what I was talking about and said that a Internal medcine doctor is good to go too. I am curious to know what everybody thinks about this idea. To get a second opinion because ya'll know that I am looking for an offical diagnoses because it will be easier for me in the long run, should I inquire with an internal medicne doc or just leave it be which I need to learn just to leave it alone but it is hard and just eat what I'm supposed to and take my vitimins.

Donna

[Piccolo]

Donna,

You might need to go to both an internest and a gastro. I just recently saw my internest and he noted all of my GI problems and sent me to a GI doctor. I have that appointment on Friday. I am lucky to have an interenst who listens. I went in with a list of tests to be done (gotten from this site) and he is running them all.

To help with the diet you may need to talk to a nutritionist.

Susan

[debmidge]

My husband's internist showed professional jealously when we told him that the gastro diagnosed celiac disease from blood test (but biopsy was negative as it was a year after going gluten-free). Internist poo-poo'd (sorry for the pun) the celiac diagnosis.

[happygirl]

If you want a biopsy done (regardless of blood test results), you will have to end up at a gastro anyways.

A gastro or internal med can run the bloodwork---but make sure that they are running the correct and full celiac panel.

I don't think there's an easy answer on this one....I think some can say their GI was better informed than their IM, some their IM better than their GI....and some who say both didn't know a thing about Celiac. I would contact a support group in your area and ask who their members see, so that you are going to someone who knows about it. That is more important, to me, than the "type" of dr they are.

[barbara123]

My husband's internist showed professional jealously when we told him that the gastro diagnosed celiac disease from blood test (but biopsy was negative as it was a year after going gluten-free). Internist poo-poo'd (sorry for the pun) the celiac diagnosis.

I have been gluten free for only 9 days, been feeling much better, at least not vomiting all the time. Today though, I feel so tired and disconnected, all I want to do is sleep and lay around. Is this normal? I have been sick for 5 years, started with a rash on my upper thigh, they dx. it as shingles as i usually get sick and have pain when this happens and the dr. says its neropathy on my siatic nerve caused from shingles. I was breaking out about 10 times a month, completely abnormal for shingles. when I got so sick with stomach (lost 70 lbs without trying) started trying omitting things from diet, it was easy cause i hardly ate at all. The last thing i vomited was a piece of wheat toast, I thought i was going to die. I am hopeful, this is the longest i have gone without getting sick for a long time. I cant get into a gastro until October 4th i am seeing a internal med. dr. he had me in the hospital because i was so dehydrated 4 days running tests, checking for brain tumors and cancer, had me scared to death. all tests neg. they have me on anti vomit drugs for people on chemo still did not help. I go back to see him on Thursday i plan on seeing what he thinks about celiac disease.

[barbara123]

Donna,

You might need to go to both an internest and a gastro. I just recently saw my internest and he noted all of my GI problems and sent me to a GI doctor. I have that appointment on Friday. I am lucky to have an interenst who listens. I went in with a list of tests to be done (gotten from this site) and he is running them all.

To help with the diet you may need to talk to a nutritionist.

Susan

where did you find the celiac disease panel, i need to get it by the 20 th when i see my dr. again.

[happygirl]

"Serologic panel

Of the commercially available serologic tests that aid in the diagnosis of celiac disease, no one test is ideal. Using multiple serologies increases the diagnostic yield. Therefore, in the United States, screening in patients with possible celiac disease should consist of a panel of the following serologic tests:

Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA) both IgA and IgG

Anti-endomysial antibodies (EMA) - IgA

Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) - IgA

Total IgA level.

The reason for the use of the panel to detect celiac disease is several fold. They include selective IgA deficiency (SIgA deficiency), lack of concordance of endomysial antibody and tTG, and the occurrence of seronegative celiac disease."

The above is taken from: Open Original Shared Link (a leading Celiac center)

[little d]

If you want a biopsy done (regardless of blood test results), you will have to end up at a gastro anyways.

A gastro or internal med can run the bloodwork---but make sure that they are running the correct and full celiac panel.

I don't think there's an easy answer on this one....I think some can say their GI was better informed than their IM, some their IM better than their GI....and some who say both didn't know a thing about Celiac. I would contact a support group in your area and ask who their members see, so that you are going to someone who knows about it. That is more important, to me, than the "type" of dr they are.

happygirl

I already had a biopsy done last year and it was negative along with the blood test but I had been gluten free for about 3 months at that time and all symptoms were gone d, c, nau, heartburn, stomach burn everything was gone. After the GI told me that everything was negative I started to eat regulat food again and sometime eating gluten free and all syptoms came back, not too bad but eventually they got worse as time went by but I would watch what I eat so I can know what my reaction time would be, usually two days depending on what I ate. Now I think within a couple of hours to 1 day. Last week I got Vann's waffles I did not pick up the Gluten free ones and now I think that I have a patch of DH (this has happened before usually on both) on my wrist that really itches and blisters showed up and D for the last 3 days at least 3-5 times. So anyway I did go to my family doc and he just said it looks like ezcama and I said I had D didn't tell him how many times and he said sound like a connection there (well you think) I was kinda hopeing that he would want to biopy it but blisters were gone until this morning I had some more, and I know that it is out of his spectrum of practice so I did pursue any other test. Except for the general blood work for getting a physical, I wonder if anything will be out of ordianary since at the time of the bloodwork that I have this possible DH and D.

Donna

[Karen B.]

My internist referred me to a gastro doc. The internist missed the possibility of Celiac (she didn't know Celiacs can be overweight) but the gastro doc was from Pakistan and she condidered it right off. The internist thought I might have colon cancer because I was so anemic, the gastro doc said it could be several things and did the EGD and biopsy that confirmed Celiac.

I've been an educational experience for my internist, but she is willing to learn so I continue seeing her. She's about as good as the other docs I've known but at least she will listen.

[little d]

My internist referred me to a gastro doc. The internist missed the possibility of Celiac (she didn't know Celiacs can be overweight) but the gastro doc was from Pakistan and she condidered it right off. The internist thought I might have colon cancer because I was so anemic, the gastro doc said it could be several things and did the EGD and biopsy that confirmed Celiac.

I've been an educational experience for my internist, but she is willing to learn so I continue seeing her. She's about as good as the other docs I've known but at least she will listen.

good thing that your gastro knew what to look for

Donna