Are most GI doctors in the dark about MC?

[Kristtene]

My gastro sent me this message:

"Joint pain associated with MC. is extremely unusual. I suspect that the diarrhea and joint pain are not directly connected. The most recent diarrhea you describe may not be microscopic colitis, but rather IBS." He then says "which may explain your pelvic cramps as well."

I had already told him (by e-mail) that I had the JP with my first episode of MC...

Maybe it really IS true that some of the hardest material known to man is found inside the skulls of GI specialists.

[tex]

Yes, most of them simply never learned enough about the disease to speak intelligently about it. From page 4 of my book:

Early research showed that CC was frequently associated with connective tissue diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and several other autoimmune diseases, such as myasthenia gravis, thyroid disease, iritis, and pernicious anemia.2

Here is reference 2 associated with that sentence. Note that this is an old article, from 1987, from the Mayo Clinic, so GI docs have no excuse for being ignorant of such facts.

2. Wang, K. K., Perrault, J., Carpenter, H. A., Schroeder, K. W., & Tremaine, W. J. (1987). Collagenous colitis: A clinicopathologic correlation. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 62(8), 665–671. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3600036

Even the abstract to that article mentions incapacitating arthralgias (which of course refers to severe joint pain). It would be necessary to read the full article of course, in order to get all the details about all the autoimmune issues found to be associated with MC even way back then.

Tex

[kayare]

I have gone to two GI specialists - one is the lead of a large, respected GI practice. Neither recognized the link between my MC and my significant joint pain.

Both referred me to a rheumatologist who acknowledged that diet played a role in inflammation and pain, but that believed I needed immunosuppressant drugs to control my pain. She really listened to me. In the end - after several appointments and many tests, she gave me a prescription for prednisone (which I've had to use on occasion for pain) in case my "little food experiment" didn't work.

My final appointment with my GI was interesting. He had a notepad and asked me questions about my diet and MC. He told me he had only three MC patients. I answered all of his questions. Then he asked what he could do for me. I asked if he would give me a prescription for Budesonide if I called in. He said he would.

Everything I have learned about MC, joint pain, and how to feel better has been here.

It's still a journey, but at least I've made significant progress!

Kathy

[wmonique2]

YEAP. They learn from us.

Monique