Good Doctors In Oahu

[calyptogena]

Hello!

I was hoping someone could recommend a good doctor in Oahu. While I'm grateful to my current gastroenterologist for finding the Celiac Disease so quickly, I'm having trouble getting any sort of solid information from her. I feel like I have to pry information from her with a crowbar. I still don't have a hard-copy of most of my test results, and it took three calls to her to find out exactly which antibody tests had been done. (She just kept telling me she ordered the "Celiac panel"). When my biopsies came back negative, she seemed to think that the positive antibody test was sufficient for a full diagnosis. I wanted to shake her and say "Would you be content with just one positive result if it meant giving up pizza, pasta and pastries for the rest of YOUR life?!" When I asked for the HLA test, she told me that the results were unreliable because "there's a weak correlation between the DQ2 and DQ8 genes and Celiac Disease, but there are lots of people who don't have the gene with the disease and vice versa." She said that she'd order it for me if I really wanted it, but that there wasn't really any point. Her assistant had never heard of the HLA test at all, I had to describe it to her. Honestly, I didn't think her diagnosis was wrong. I went gluten free while waiting for the biopsy test results to come back (but not before the biopsies) and I felt much better. I just wanted a second positive test for confirmation. I did test positive for DQ2, so I think that's the best I'm going to get. Oh, and it takes 1.5-2 months just to get an appointment with her.

As you can tell, I'm a little frustrated with my current doctor. If you know any good doctors on Oahu (preferably Honolulu) let me know.

Thanks!

[kenlove]

A few years I went though a similar thing on the BIg Island with Kaiser. They sent me to their Oahu clinic for a few inconclusive tests. It wasn't until I could find out about other tests they never heard of at the Kona Clinic, but ordered for me, that they could confirm diagnoses. Finally they decided to send me to get the endoscopic. The process took 6 months and 3 trips to the ER before they figured out it was celiac. Dr Kwiat at Kaiser here in Kona sure knows about it now. Wanda Adams the food editor at the Advertiser has a another celiac friend and if you can reach her you might be able to track down another doctor that way. If you find a good one, let me know!

Good luck

ken

  calyptogena said:

Hello!

I was hoping someone could recommend a good doctor in Oahu. While I'm grateful to my current gastroenterologist for finding the Celiac Disease so quickly, I'm having trouble getting any sort of solid information from her. I feel like I have to pry information from her with a crowbar. I still don't have a hard-copy of most of my test results, and it took three calls to her to find out exactly which antibody tests had been done. (She just kept telling me she ordered the "Celiac panel"). When my biopsies came back negative, she seemed to think that the positive antibody test was sufficient for a full diagnosis. I wanted to shake her and say "Would you be content with just one positive result if it meant giving up pizza, pasta and pastries for the rest of YOUR life?!" When I asked for the HLA test, she told me that the results were unreliable because "there's a weak correlation between the DQ2 and DQ8 genes and Celiac Disease, but there are lots of people who don't have the gene with the disease and vice versa." She said that she'd order it for me if I really wanted it, but that there wasn't really any point. Her assistant had never heard of the HLA test at all, I had to describe it to her. Honestly, I didn't think her diagnosis was wrong. I went gluten free while waiting for the biopsy test results to come back (but not before the biopsies) and I felt much better. I just wanted a second positive test for confirmation. I did test positive for DQ2, so I think that's the best I'm going to get. Oh, and it takes 1.5-2 months just to get an appointment with her.

As you can tell, I'm a little frustrated with my current doctor. If you know any good doctors on Oahu (preferably Honolulu) let me know.

Thanks!

[calyptogena]

Thanks for your help!

  kenlove said:

A few years I went though a similar thing on the BIg Island with Kaiser. They sent me to their Oahu clinic for a few inconclusive tests. It wasn't until I could find out about other tests they never heard of at the Kona Clinic, but ordered for me, that they could confirm diagnoses. Finally they decided to send me to get the endoscopic. The process took 6 months and 3 trips to the ER before they figured out it was celiac. Dr Kwiat at Kaiser here in Kona sure knows about it now. Wanda Adams the food editor at the Advertiser has a another celiac friend and if you can reach her you might be able to track down another doctor that way. If you find a good one, let me know!

Good luck

ken