# doctors



## 17838 (Feb 2, 2007)

hi! im new, its great to finally find people who know what im going through!anyway, sorry if its been discussed before but what have your doctors said?like ive been confirmed with IBS, had it for three years now. i was referred to a paediatrician (sp?) and then a gasteroentrelogist (sp?)the paediatrician was nice enough, took me seriously, gave me tips etc. the other doctor was EVIL! he told me off for being referred to him, said i was wasting time and there was nothing he could do. his advice was rubbish, i said id tried it all and it made it worse. anyway, what have ur experiences been like?


----------



## 19391 (Jan 11, 2007)

hey, my experiences with doctors have not been good. My gp sent me to a gastroenterologist who diagnosed me with ibs but still ran a nuclear blood scan and some other tests. Basically he told me that there wasn't anything that I could do other than trying not to eat high fat foods. I went back to my gp because it wasn't getting better and she told me I just had to live with it. Then the gastroenterologist said the same thing when I went to talk to him again. It was definitely a waste of my time. I did some internet research and found a diet that is working pretty well for me. I also went to see a different doctor in a different city and she gave me a prescription of Iberogast, which seems to help as well. She was a lot better than the other doctors, but I am still angry that doctors don't take it seriously. I don't know how they thought I was just going to live with it when some days I couldn't leave the house. Although I wouldn't wish IBS on anyone, sometimes I wish they knew what it was like.


----------



## 17838 (Feb 2, 2007)

i know what you mean! the paediatrician gave me an antibiotic called flagel. it targets anaerobic bacteria i think...anyway it was meana balance out bacteria in the gut in the hope that it wud stop all the bloatedness etc. sadly it didnt work, but at least he was trying.people just dont get how bad IBS is. they have to either have it or have someone close to them have it.3 of my cousins and 1 aunt have/had IBS, so my family are pretty understanding! my dad is a GP and it kills him that even as a doctor, he cant do anything but he really understands how mentally and physically painful IBS is.


----------



## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

My experience with doctors... they think IBS is a very minor condition people make a fuss about. Maybe its just doctors in the UK, but they all seem to think it's just something that has to be put up with.I was told there are 'no other drugs for IBS' once I'd tried Mebeverine and Spasmonal. I did my own research and have since tried lots of different IBS and anxiety meds, though there are many more my GP says she can't prescribe because she's 'not licensed' or her insurance company won't cover it. Yet because it's 'only IBS' I can't get a referral to a GI who would be able to prescribe them. I've resorted to self-medicating with codeine, which I know is bad but I'm too tired to keep battling with my GP.I have nearly constant pain, D, severe anxiety and often bleed with the D, yet I've not been tested for Crohn's (which my grandmother had)or ulceritive colitis. I guess it's because the NHS is underfunded.


----------



## 19391 (Jan 11, 2007)

Hey, that is terrible that they won't even send you to a GI. My doctors never even mentioned any medication to me at all so I have never been on anything except now with Iberogast (which I'm not even sure you really need a prescription to get). Before I was diagnosed I had to go for several blood tests and a nuclear blood scan (they take your blood and separate the white blood cells and tag them with radioactive markers, then reinject the blood back in and scan you, it was pretty crappy). You should really try to get tested for IBD or Crohn's especially if you are bleeding. Sometimes I bleed but not lots, but now the doctor wants to send me for a colonoscopy, which I really don't want to have. I am procrastinating about that one.


----------



## 16963 (Dec 5, 2006)

My doctor is nice, but not really very helpful. My GP referred me to a gastro. He's really nice, and ran a whole gamut of tests on me before diagnosing me - if I didn't have insurance, I'm sure that would've been awful! But since I do, I was thankful that he was checking me all out before giving up and diagnosing me. I had a colonoscopy, CT scan, huge array of blood and stool tests, Ova &Parasite test, small bowel follow-through, and an endoscopy. I felt like I lived at the hospital labs for a month or two, but it was worth it. He tried me on a lot of different medications, too - like antibiotics, thinking that maybe I had an infection even though he couldn't see one. He tried out a couple other medications just to see if they would help, even though he didn't see anything in the tests. It was exhausting, but I am still very grateful that he did all of that and didn't just declare me with IBS right off the bat.Still, even after all of that, he will only prescribe anti-spasmodics. They help with my cramps, and they do have a small effect on my D (mainly, I still have to go to the bathroom just as often if I only take my antispasmodics, but I have more time to get there!). I called a few times to say that the meds he gave me weren't really helping, and all he'll do is prescribe me another antispasmodic, which works just as well as the old one. I kind of gave up on him and now I take the meds he prescribed me plus Immodium every day. There's not much else I can do.I also saw a psychiatrist for my IBS related anxiety, and he was a godsend. He changed my life after just two sessions!


----------



## 20663 (Jul 8, 2005)

my gp didnt do anything for me either, so i've become content to look into alternative solutions like peppermint and various probiotics. im thinking about yoga, or some kind of deep realaxation kindof thing. something is working , b/c my ibs has been better than it usually is.anyway, Lynnie, i was thinking about seeing a psychiatrist, did you stop after the two sessions or do you still go? was he nice about it..like understanding about your condition?


----------



## 14448 (Jun 14, 2006)

Well...I saw a new GP today... and she was really nice! She took me seriously, asked loads of questions, did a thorough examination (including a rectal exam which was slightly embarassing) and has booked me in for more blood tests.She also prescribed me 56 codeine tablets







and an antispasmodic called Dicycloverine.She said if the blood tests are negative it's just severe IBS but if they are positive she'll refer me to the GI for a colonoscopy. At last, I am getting somewhere!


----------



## 17838 (Feb 2, 2007)

> quote:Originally posted by lucythedog:my gp didnt do anything for me either, so i've become content to look into alternative solutions like peppermint and various probiotics. im thinking about yoga, or some kind of deep realaxation kindof thing. something is working , b/c my ibs has been better than it usually is.anyway, Lynnie, i was thinking about seeing a psychiatrist, did you stop after the two sessions or do you still go? was he nice about it..like understanding about your condition?


i was thinking about doing yoga or meditation or something to relax me, cos i know my IBS is stress related. im under such prolonged stress atm so its really bad.weird thing happened last september though, the second week in i had NO SYMPTOMS what so ever. no pain and gas in the morning, no bloating, regular normal bowel movements. it was quite amazing. i was under no stress at the time and life was good...then i got a bit stressed and it all came back.ive just gotta get my mindset back to that week. obv, eating the wrong stuff triggers the symptoms but they wud be very much reduced if i could control the stress.[sorry if that made no sense, im too tired to reread it]


----------



## 16963 (Dec 5, 2006)

> quote:Originally posted by lucythedog:Lynnie, i was thinking about seeing a psychiatrist, did you stop after the two sessions or do you still go? was he nice about it..like understanding about your condition?


I actually only saw him twice. I wish I could see him more, but the reason I went was because my mom works at a hospital, and every year we have a certain number of psychiatrist visits for free for her immediate family. I would've gone even if it cost me more - but the reason I stopped after two visits was because that was all I could squeeze in while I was home for Christmas. If I had a psychiatrist who was located where I live and go to school at, I'm sure I would've gone a few more times, but nothing permanent. I mean, obviously it all depends on you in particular, your issues, and the specific person that you go to. But he really helped me so much faster than I had anticipated.He was very understanding. I mean, he's heard it all before, right? He has patients who are afraid of being stuffed into envelopes and stuff. So really, I'm sure my problem was pretty tame. Especially because it was logical







He was very understanding of me and my problem. He didn't try to tell me that my anxiety was unwarranted - that would've been a big red flag to me. He was open and frank about the fact that I do have a concern that is genuinely rational, but since we both accepted that fact, we worked on how to not obsess over it despite its legitimacy. He wasn't trying to erase all of my anxiety, but rather keep it controlled, I guess. I don't really know how to explain it without typing out a transcript of our whole sessions...but it all boils down to me being extremely grateful I went to him. I can actually go to class and parties now, whereas two or three months ago I only went out when absolutely necessary. Sometimes I didn't even make it to the grocery store without having a problem. So he changed my life.


----------

