Celiac Center At Chop

[Deana Huneke]

Has anyone been to the Celiac Center at CHOP?

We live in Cincinnati and our daughter is cared for by the Center of Eosinophialic Disorders even though my daughter is not diagnosed with eosinophilia, she just seems to have all the same symptoms ie..failure to thrive, only about 10 total foods she eats, gi tube fed, nissen fundoplication, amino acid based formula. My daughter is anaphalaytic to dairy and latex and severely intolerant to wheat, soy, beef, cherries, barium, adhesives, and bee venom. Our Gi is great, but I do not think I am getting everything I can out of them from the celiac standpoint.

My parents live about an hour from CHOP and I am really wanting to have her evaluated in Philly. I am almost certain we can get a flight through AngelCare and would have no other out of pocket expense since I would stay with my parents.

I am just wondering, should I pursue this to see what CHOP evaluation and care plan would be, options available etc. or should I just continue to see our local GI and research on my own?

[ryebaby0]

I think if you are really curious about what CHOP would say, you should go. That being said, you may have to wait months to be seen, spend a lot of time having records copied (and you should send them to CHOP yourself)etc....it's not as simple as it seems in articles They are also likely to want to know, specifically, why you want a second opinion. Are you looking for better treatment? Different? A different diagnosis? Would you be willing to keep seeing doctors there, instead of Cinci? Will your insurance cover a second opinion? Does your current doctor need to sign off on it? (And will they take you BACK if you go there?)

Just some stuff to think about. We got a second from Johns Hopkins, but Pgh wasn't very happy about it at the time. Even so, I think it's worth the work and money and all that if you need/want the assurance that she's getting the best care, especially if her case is complicated. You never know what other doctors might think. CHOP is an outstanding facility.