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I Am So Mad!

mommyto3

By mommyto3
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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mommyto3 Contributor
mommyto3
Posted

I can't believe how uneducated some doctors are! It's scary....

Lately my husband has been breaking out in really bad rashes around his armpits that are super itchy (he hasn't switched soaps or deoderants or anything like that). The skin eventually breaks in places as he scratches and then the rash kind of scabs over in places but is still really angry looking and inflamed. He used to get this behind his knees periodically and we always felt it was related to food because it would flare up a couple of hours after eating. The armpit rash is the same but just in a different place....

Last year both me and my son were diagnosed with Celiac and my husband's father also has the disease. Yesterday my husband went to our gp and showed her the rash and asked to be tested for Celiac. Her answer was an absolute NO because he doesn't have gut symptoms. She said there's no way he could have celiac without gut symptoms and when he tried to explain that many people with Celiac do not have gut symptoms (our son included) she got irritated and told him the test would be a waste of money and she wasn't ordering it. She gave him steroid cream and sent him on his way without even making an attempt to try to figure out the cause.....

I am so upset by this. Our doctor is often closed-minded to suggestions from patients (she hates it when you try to give any insight into your condition) and she's a pharmaceutical pusher. But to go so far as to refuse to order a simple blood test when two direct relatives have the disease? That is just ridiculous. We have considered switching doctors before but it's hard to find GPs where we are (Canada).

I just can't believe a doctor could be so misinformed and petty.....just had to vent!

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Monklady123 Collaborator
Monklady123
Posted

Yeah, some doctors don't seem very responsive. -- Maybe in your dh's case he should just go gluten free with you and your ds. He doesn't need the blood test to try it, see if his rash goes away. Then if it doesn't you'll know to look at something else.

cdog7 Contributor
cdog7
Posted

Arrgh, I feel your pain! It really is maddening, and scary. I encountered a lot of this kind of ignorance from doctors when I was trying to get diagnosed, and honestly it still enrages me.

If it is possible to switch doctors, I think it might be worthwhile. It's of course worth trying to get a diagnosis, but you and I know how difficult that is made for us, meanwhile we're in pain or sometimes losing time at work, etc. He could always try the gluten-free diet for a trial run to see how he feels after at least a couple weeks (maybe up to a month). But even if this works, having a doctor that will actually listen to your symptoms, at least believe him if/when he says 'gluten intolerant', it could be important down the line when they prescribe him anything for instance.

Good luck!

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Maybe he should take the rash to a dermatologist to get a biopsy next to the outbreak.

My GYN nurse practitioner know more about celiac disease than the GI that did my endo. She suggested that we see younger GPs or internists. They are more likely to have been taught something about celiac disease.

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

...and in canada, isnt there a legal/monetary advantage to having the "official" dx??

mommyto3 Contributor
mommyto3
Posted
  • Author

...and in canada, isnt there a legal/monetary advantage to having the "official" dx??

I think you can claim the Celiac on your income tax so you get a deduction for the extra cost of food but from what I've read, they make it so difficult to calculate/corroborate that the effort isn't worth it for most.

I really am considering switching doctors. The only trouble is that there are 5 of us including me and my husband and finding a doctor to take on that many patients (let alone 1) is hard.

Thanks for the suggestion to ask a dermatologist but I doubt she'd even give the required referral. We're hoping that the naturopathic MD we see for allergies will test him. He's very open to most things and doesn't have the usual "god complex" that most MDs have.......

Cypressmyst Explorer
Cypressmyst
Posted

My husband has the same rash. It seemed to get worse on the underarms with certain deodorants but we have noticed since going gluten-free and working to fix his adrenals he no longer has this problem.

Going gluten-free is the best test you can do, hands down. The ignorance and attitude of most Docs is appalling!

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cassP Contributor
cassP
Posted

it's a combination of being trained by schools run by pharmaceutical companies.. but also not being trained in every specialty. she's a GP- so, she's not gonna know every detail of every area... my GP is the same way. just the other week my Gyno told me that it was completely okay for me to go on Orthocyclen even tho im on Synthroid... and this week i asked my Endocrinologist- and she said no, and explained the hormones in great detail. so... whats my point???? ummm

ya, i understand... i often have to really really speak up for myself.. maybe your husband should just lie and say he has "D" all the time. sometimes you have to speak in "their" language

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