Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Need A Better Doctor In Memphis Tn

hillaryohillary

By hillaryohillary
in Doctors

Recommended Posts

hillaryohillary Newbie
hillaryohillary
Posted

ok so, the general practioner im seeing now is a total moron. she won't listen to me, in fact she tried to send me on my merry way with acid reflux medication rather than refer me to the g.i. anyways fast forward a few months and i find out im allergic to many things, gluten, soy and a variety of veggies. but i dont know what to do now because its been about five months and im so drained and worn out all the time but im feeling better than i was. when i went in for a follow up with my allergist he said he was pleased i was feeling better even though it wasnt 100% and he wouldnt need to see me again even though i expressed my concern about my new life style. last week i went back to this idiot gp and she would only test me for vitamin D and iron. both came back low and she wrote me a prescription for vitamin d and told me to pick up a multi vitamin for the iron... i asked the nurse if it was soy free vitamin D and of course it wasnt. after i told her it has to be soy free, the nurse said she would get with the dr and make sure to get me something soy free... i have yet to hear from them and when i call im sent to voice mail. clearly they are not concerned for my well being and honestly i wonder if just taking a supplement will help me much. shouldnt i have been set up with a nutritionist somewhere along the line? could there be something more serious causing me to have such low iron and vitamin D? i feel like no one is looking and just feels im a hypochondriac. im 25 years old and im going straight to bed when i get home from my full time job, and i wake up so tired and drained. so does anyone know a dr in memphis that will listen to me and help me?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kimy Rookie
kimy
Posted

I just moved from Memphis and if you are willing to go to Collierville there is a nurse practioner that is great named Robert Fortune, FNP. I know he is in Collierville, but don't know his number. If you do not want a nurse practioner and want a doctor try Monika Natarajan in Germantown. She only works, I think, 3 days a week, but she will take time with you and listen. There may be a wait to see her, but that is because she does listen to her patients whole heartdely. Try those two and see what you think. If you need a GYN that would listen try Donald Hamby in Germantown. He is wonderful!! He helped me with my low vitamin D levels.

  • 3 weeks later...
Celtic Queen Explorer
Celtic Queen
Posted

Dr. Mary Margaret Hurley in Germantown is awesome. She really takes the time to listen. She will also order just about any test I request without giving me a hard time. She'll also test you for a lot more than just iron and Vitamin D. You do have to wait for her a bit sometimes because she does take the time with you. The other doctor in her group, Dr. Dempsey, is also pretty good. I really like her nurse practitioner also.

As for the G.I., I can't give you a recommendation but I can tell you who to stay away from. Dr. Wooten at Gastro One was horrible. At our first appointment I mentioned that I was eating gluten-free. He still ordered an endo, biopsy, and colonoscopy. At the time I didn't realize not eating gluten would skew my results. When they came back negative, he refused twice to do a follow up appointment with me. By his actions he made it very clear that he just wanted to see me for the money he could bill my insurance and take from my pocket. When I told Dr. Hurley (her office did the referral) she was furious.

hexon Rookie
hexon
Posted

Dr. Mary Margaret Hurley in Germantown is awesome. She really takes the time to listen. She will also order just about any test I request without giving me a hard time. She'll also test you for a lot more than just iron and Vitamin D. You do have to wait for her a bit sometimes because she does take the time with you. The other doctor in her group, Dr. Dempsey, is also pretty good. I really like her nurse practitioner also.

As for the G.I., I can't give you a recommendation but I can tell you who to stay away from. Dr. Wooten at Gastro One was horrible. At our first appointment I mentioned that I was eating gluten-free. He still ordered an endo, biopsy, and colonoscopy. At the time I didn't realize not eating gluten would skew my results. When they came back negative, he refused twice to do a follow up appointment with me. By his actions he made it very clear that he just wanted to see me for the money he could bill my insurance and take from my pocket. When I told Dr. Hurley (her office did the referral) she was furious.

I went to Dr. Wooten too and I agree!! Terrible! He was very short with me and I walked away with an IBS diagnosis and pamphlets explaining it.

Celtic Queen Explorer
Celtic Queen
Posted

hexon - sorry you had to deal with him too. I'm searching for a good gi with Celiac experience to "have in my back pocket", so to speak. If you know of any good ones, please let me know. Didn't mean to hijack the thread :)

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

Dr Ann Brown, who also has Celiac.

Open Original Shared Link

hexon Rookie
hexon
Posted

I wish I would have checked this forum prior. I ended up going gluten-free on the advice of a cousin who is also gluten intolerant, after getting my IBS dx. Good luck with whichever doctor you choose!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Celtic Queen Explorer
Celtic Queen
Posted

Thanks Lisa. I appreciate the help.

  • 2 weeks later...
hillaryohillary Newbie
hillaryohillary
Posted
  • Author

I just moved from Memphis and if you are willing to go to Collierville there is a nurse practioner that is great named Robert Fortune, FNP. I know he is in Collierville, but don't know his number. If you do not want a nurse practioner and want a doctor try Monika Natarajan in Germantown. She only works, I think, 3 days a week, but she will take time with you and listen. There may be a wait to see her, but that is because she does listen to her patients whole heartdely. Try those two and see what you think. If you need a GYN that would listen try Donald Hamby in Germantown. He is wonderful!! He helped me with my low vitamin D levels.

sorry i completely forgot i posted this!, i actually work in collierville so im out here nearly everyday, i will look into dr. natarajan because im a talker and i ask a ton of questions, im dying to find a dr that wants to listen to me!

  • 1 year later...
kjenn81 Newbie
kjenn81
Posted

hexon - sorry you had to deal with him too. I'm searching for a good gi with Celiac experience to "have in my back pocket", so to speak. If you know of any good ones, please let me know. Didn't mean to hijack the thread smile.gif

I just saw Dr. Alex Baum at the Gastroenterology Group in Germantown, and he was AWESOME! He has family members with celiac disease, so he really understands and listens. For the first time, I heard a doctor say "Don't get me wrong, I think modern medicine is wonderful, but if there could be a dietary cause lets find that before we just give you a pill." I wanted to cry right there in the office!

frieze Community Regular
frieze
Posted

oy, can we put him up for sainthood?

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to Mark Conway's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Have I got coeliac disease

      And I agree with Wheatwacked. When a physician tells you that you can't have celiac disease because you're not losing weight, you can be certain that doctor is operating on a dated understanding of celiac disease. I assume you are in the UK by the way you spelled "coeliac". So, I'm not sure what your options are when it comes to healthcare, but I might suggest...
    2. trents
      - trents replied to Mark Conway's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Have I got coeliac disease

      @Mark Conway, here is an article outlining the various tests that can be used to diagnose celiac disease. By far, the most popular one ordered by physicians is the tTG-IGA. But almost all of these tests are known by different names so the terminology will vary from place to place and lab to lab. The article gives common variant names for each test. In...
    3. JudyLou
      - JudyLou replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty! My feet aren’t dry or ashy and I don’t have a rash that gets scaly. It’s like very itchy/burning vesicles that are symmetrical - on both arms, both legs, etc. They actually feel better in direct sunlight as long as it isn’t really hot or I’m not exercising outside, but gets worse if I sweat (especially if the area is covere...
    4. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      7

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      Welcome, @JudyLou, Your rash sounds very similar to the one I experienced. Mine was due to a deficiency in Niacin B3, although I had deficiencies in other nutrients as well. Celiac disease causes malabsorption of all the essential nutrients, but eating a poor diet, taking certain medications, or drinking alcohol can result in deficiency diseases outside...
    5. Wheatwacked
      - Wheatwacked replied to Mark Conway's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      Have I got coeliac disease

      This doctor is obviously under educated about Celiac Disease. Deficiencies that can cause oral thrush (Candidiasis) mouth ulcers: Thiamine B1 B12 Folate Zinc Vitamin C B2 B6 Iron Malabsorption Syndrome is often co-morbid with Celiac Disease causing multiple deficiencies of the essential vitamins...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,152
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    SinnamonToasty
    Newest Member
    SinnamonToasty
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Have I got coeliac disease

      By trents · Posted

      And I agree with Wheatwacked. When a physician tells you that you can't have celiac disease because you're not losing weight, you can be certain that doctor is operating on a dated understanding of celiac disease. I assume you are in the UK by the way you spelled "coeliac". So, I'm not sure what your options are when it comes to healthcare, but I might suggest you look for another physician who is more up to date in this area and is willing to work with you to get an accurate diagnosis. If, in fact, you do not have celiac disease but you know that gluten causes you problems, you might have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity). There is no test available yet for NCGS. Celiac must first be ruled out. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small bowel. NCGS we is not autoimmune and we know less about it's true nature. But we do know it is considerably more common than celiac disease.
    • trents
      Have I got coeliac disease

      By trents · Posted

      @Mark Conway, here is an article outlining the various tests that can be used to diagnose celiac disease. By far, the most popular one ordered by physicians is the tTG-IGA. But almost all of these tests are known by different names so the terminology will vary from place to place and lab to lab. The article gives common variant names for each test.  In addition to IGA tests there are IGG tests which are particularly useful in the case of IGA deficiency.  
    • JudyLou
      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      By JudyLou · Posted

      Thank you so much @knitty kitty! My feet aren’t dry or ashy and I don’t have a rash that gets scaly. It’s like very itchy/burning vesicles that are symmetrical - on both arms, both legs, etc. They actually feel better in direct sunlight as long as it isn’t really hot or I’m not exercising outside, but gets worse if I sweat (especially if the area is covered up). It’s not usually on the outside of my elbows and knees which seems more typical of dermatitis herpetiformis (unless it spreads there). It tends to first hit the inside of those areas. Interestingly, twice the rash broke out soon after eating an unhealthy meal and having an alcoholic drink (I only drink a few times a year, no more alcohol content than a glass of wine).  So I wonder if there is a connection. I’m halfway considering doing a gluten challenge for a few months to see what happens, knowing I can stop if I have any symptoms, and asking for a full celiac disease panel at the end. I really appreciate your thoughts! 
    • knitty kitty
      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Welcome, @JudyLou, Your rash sounds very similar to the one I experienced.  Mine was due to a deficiency in Niacin B3, although I had deficiencies in other nutrients as well.  Celiac disease causes malabsorption of all the essential nutrients, but eating a poor diet, taking certain medications, or drinking alcohol can result in deficiency diseases outside of Celiac, too.  Symptoms can wax and wane depending on dietary intake.  I knew an alcoholic who had the "boots" of Pellagra, which would get worse when he was drinking more heavily, and improve when he was drinking less.   Niacin deficiency is called Pellagra.  Symptoms consist of dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death (the four D's).  A scaly rash on the feet and hands and arms are called the "boots" and "gloves" of Pellagra.  Darkened skin around the neck exposed to the sun is Casal's necklace.  Poor farmers with niacin deficient diets were called "red necks" because of this.    Does your rash get worse if you're in the sun?  Mine did.  Any skin exposed to the sun got blistered and scaly.  Arms, legs, neck, head.  Do you have dry, ashy skin on your feet?  The itchiness was not only from the rash, but neuropathy.   My doctors were clueless.  They didn't put all my symptoms together into the three D's.  But I did.  I'd learned about Pellagra at university.  But there weren't supposed to be deficiency diseases anymore in the developed world.  Doubtful it could be that simple, I started supplementing with Niacin and other essential nutrients.  I got better.   One of Niacinamide functions is to help stop mast cells from releasing histamine.  Your allergist gave you doxepin, an antihistamine which stops mast cells from releasing histamine.   Since you do have a Celiac gene, staying on the gluten free diet can prevent Celiac disease from being triggered again.   Interesting Reading: These case studies have pictures... Pellgra revisited.  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4228662/ Steroid-Resistant Rash With Neuropsychiatric Deterioration and Weight Loss: A Modern-Day Case of Pellagra https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12532421/#:~:text=Figure 2.,(right panel) upper limbs.&text=The distribution of the rash,patient's substantial response to treatment.   Cutaneous signs of nutritional disorders https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8721081/#:~:text=Additional causes of yellow skin,the clinical features of Kwashiorkor.   Hello, @Staticgypsy, I would not recommend cutting so many nutritious foods out of ones diet.  Oxalates can cause problems like kidney stones, but our bodies can process oxalates out of our systems with certain vitamins like Vitamins A and D and Pyridoxine B 6.   People with Celiac disease are often low in fat soluble vitamins A and D, as well as the water soluble B vitamins like Pyridoxine B 6.  Focus on serving your granddaughter nutrient dense meals to ensure she gets essential vitamins and minerals that will help her grow. Micronutrient inadequacy and urinary stone disease: an analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2018 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36976348/ Multivitamins co-intake can reduce the prevalence of kidney stones: a large-scale cross-sectional study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38564076/
    • Wheatwacked
      Have I got coeliac disease

      By Wheatwacked · Posted

      This doctor is obviously under educated about Celiac Disease. Deficiencies that can cause oral thrush (Candidiasis) mouth ulcers: Thiamine B1 B12 Folate Zinc Vitamin C B2 B6 Iron Malabsorption Syndrome is often co-morbid with Celiac Disease causing multiple deficiencies of the essential vitamins and minerals.  Low or deficient  Vitamin D is almost always found in undiagnosed Celiac Disease. "Over 900 genes have been reported as regulated by vitamin D"  Possible Role of Vitamin D in Celiac Disease Onset  "The overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency was 41.6%, with the highest rate seen in blacks (82.1%), followed by Hispanics (69.2%)."    Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in US adults
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.