Doctor In Upstate Ny

[JaneWhoLovesRain]

Does anyone know of a good doctor in upstate NY (Saratoga-Troy-Schenectady-Albany area) who is knowledgable in non-intestinal celiac? And by that I mean gluten ataxia and/or DH.

[Meggielynn13]

Irish Heart recommended Dr. Gusten to me. He works for Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology in all of their offices. I'm going to see him next week. He is great from what I've heard. DO NOT go to Dr. Boyar. He was my doctor and he was of no help to me. Having a positive Celiac test meant nothing to him. Good Luck!!

[IrishHeart]

Meggielynn beat me to it!!

Dr. William Gusten at Saratoga-Schenectagy Gastro. He has an office in Burnt Hills as well. He is very celiac-savvy, thorough, compassionate and patient-friendly. Great at follow-through.

He did not intend to be a "celiac expert", I do not think, but he is one as far as I am concerned.

I love this guy. I never say that about doctors and I do not trust them anymore. Except him.

I highly recommend him -- just as he was recommended to me by another member when I asked the same question as you did!

PM me if you need more info.

[JaneWhoLovesRain]

Thank you for the referral Meggie and Irish. It's much appreciated. I know right where the BH office is.

IF I have celiac disease (nothing has been determined yet) it is showing in the form of dermatitis herpetiformis as well as vertigo issues. My intestines seem to be okay. Do you think he could still help me or should I be seeing some other kind of doctor?

[IrishHeart]

Thank you for the referral Meggie and Irish. It's much appreciated. I know right where the BH office is.

IF I have celiac disease (nothing has been determined yet) it is showing in the form of dermatitis herpetiformis as well as vertigo issues. My intestines seem to be okay. Do you think he could still help me or should I be seeing some other kind of doctor?

Jane, DH IS celiac disease and if you have THAT, he is going to say you have the skin manifestation of celiac disease and he may want to biopsy you and make a DX. Yes, vertigo is a symptom of celiac disease. (I had it )

Are you still consuming gluten?

And YES, you need a good GI doctor to treat celiac disease. It is a disease of the GI tract--whom else would you see?

He is a VERY good GI doctor, believe me.

You say your intestines "seem to be okay"...meaning what? you have no overt gastro symptoms or you've been scoped and biopsied already and it was NEG? Because the absence of gastro symptoms does not mean you do not have celiac disease, as you may know.

"About one in 100 people in America has celiac disease, while about one in four of those will develop dermatitis herpetiformis Duhring, which occurs when celiac disease manifests cutaneously, in the skin. Dermatitis herpetiformis Duhring is uncommon in children, with only 5% of cases appearing in children younger than 7 years. Most often, it presents in people over forty."

You can get in for an appt. in the BH office faster. Call now. Why wait on this??

[squirmingitch]

Jane, most celiacs with dh do not experience the gastro symptoms like those w/o dh. But that does not diminish the fact that we still have GI damage.

[pricklypear1971]

Jane, most celiacs with dh do not experience the gastro symptoms like those w/o dh. But that does not diminish the fact that we still have GI damage.

Yeah, Betsy on that one.

As I'm finding out, later.....

[IrishHeart]

From the Univ. of Maryland Center for Celiac Research:

Is it necessary to have an intestinal biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH)?

A skin biopsy is sufficient to confirm the diagnosis of DH.

DH is the skin manifestation of celiac disease.

[JaneWhoLovesRain]

You say your intestines "seem to be okay"...meaning what? you have no overt gastro symptoms or you've been scoped and biopsied already and it was NEG? Because the absence of gastro symptoms does not mean you do not have celiac disease, as you may know.

I mean I have no MAJOR gastro symptoms, but lots of minor ones which may or may not mean anything. I haven't yet been scoped and biopsied (except for colonoscopy, but I don't think that counts).

I'm not knowingly consuming gluten, I am probably getting cross contamination or maybe from soap/shampoo/mouthwash etc.

Good ideas and thoughts from everyone. Thank you very much! I'm learning a lot here.

I will give the doctor's office a call. At the least they hopefully can give me the name of a good dermo.

Great

[IrishHeart]

I mean I have no MAJOR gastro symptoms, but lots of minor ones which may or may not mean anything. I haven't yet been scoped and biopsied (except for colonoscopy, but I don't think that counts).

I'm not knowingly consuming gluten, I am probably getting cross contamination or maybe from soap/shampoo/mouthwash etc.

Good ideas and thoughts from everyone. Thank you very much! I'm learning a lot here.

I will give the doctor's office a call. At the least they hopefully can give me the name of a good dermo.

Great

celiac disease is NOT Dxed via colonoscopy.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/5/1/How-is-celiac-disease-diagnosed/Page1.html

You may not find a dermo who knows a darn thing about DH. A KNOWLEDGABLE GI doctor is your best bet.

But, it's your choice.