Hi - I am still trying to recover from 2 meetings with a GI doc who said he knows about MC as he wrote a thesis on it.
I got blood work and scratch testing. I only show grade 1 allergy to milk & egg white and no other foods but to cats (we have 2), dust mites and mold. 5 labs: CRP; CBC w/Diff and Platelet count, sedimentation rate, basic metabolic profile; hepatic function; IgG; IgA. He said based on that I DO NOT HAVE MC and no IBD but only IBS.
He says that it will take 3-4 years to recover and to add foods slowly - he suggested to start with pears and white bread!! So I thought I'd get some good data for him and ate 2 quarter size servings of the middle of French bread & had D within 20 minutes & again after next meal. I must admit that there was HFCS and soybean oil in it too. I knew I would not be able to tolerate it. I only do not have D as I follow a very strict diet.
I have trouble believing that I do not have MC and only IBS. He thinks I had it but it has resolved. The endoscopy & colonoscopy 6-15 confirmed lymphocytic MC diagnosis.
He is not suggesting any other type of testing. He is not thinking my lower leg numbness and episcleritis has anything to do with IBS / IBD.
He suggests aerobic exercising 20 min daily. He also suggests that I look at how my inner and outer selves do not match as that strain is adding to IBS symptoms (I am an introvert who has to be more extroverted at work).
He was not interested in any testing that I got from my naturopath who has done well for me over the past year - says they are from non accredited labs.
I am just wondering if other people have had this type of reaction from GI docs. I am not sure I plan to go see him again.
Is there any reason to go back & anything else I should ask him for that may be helpful for me.
Thanks in advance for any input.
GI Doc visits
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
GI Doc visits
LC, strong reaction to cola, squash and D & C Orange #4; moderate reaction to sugar cane, sulfite, sardine, flaxseed, coriander, black-eyed peas and FD & C Blue #1. Enterolab Anti-gliadin IgA 6 units.
Hi,
You'll have to make your own decision as to whether or not to go back, but based on what he has told you (the test results on which he based his claim that you do not have MC), he can write all the theses he wants, but he still doesn't know one-tenth as much about the disease as most of the members of this discussion forum. Skin scratch test results are pretty much irrelevant as far as MC symptoms (and diagnosis) are concerned, and the blood tests you mentioned have nothing to do with the diagnostic markers of MC. If your LC/MC was biopsy-confirmed at 6-15, then his claim that "based on that I DO NOT HAVE MC and no IBD but only IBS" is not only hogwash, but absolutely pathetic for someone pretending to be a GI specialist.
He is billing you for advice that's not just worthless, but counterproductive. That's the general definition of quackery. Ever since CC was first described in the medical literature back in 1976, followed by the description of LC/MC a few years later, gastroenterologists who don't understand the disease and who don't know how to successfully treat it have almost always chosen to blame the patient when their treatment methods were unsuccessful (the old "it's all in your head") BS.
But that's just my opinion, and as you know, I'm not a medical professional. Of course not being a medical professional means that I'm not bound by professional "courtesy" to defend the incompetence of any medical colleagues.
Tex
You'll have to make your own decision as to whether or not to go back, but based on what he has told you (the test results on which he based his claim that you do not have MC), he can write all the theses he wants, but he still doesn't know one-tenth as much about the disease as most of the members of this discussion forum. Skin scratch test results are pretty much irrelevant as far as MC symptoms (and diagnosis) are concerned, and the blood tests you mentioned have nothing to do with the diagnostic markers of MC. If your LC/MC was biopsy-confirmed at 6-15, then his claim that "based on that I DO NOT HAVE MC and no IBD but only IBS" is not only hogwash, but absolutely pathetic for someone pretending to be a GI specialist.
He is billing you for advice that's not just worthless, but counterproductive. That's the general definition of quackery. Ever since CC was first described in the medical literature back in 1976, followed by the description of LC/MC a few years later, gastroenterologists who don't understand the disease and who don't know how to successfully treat it have almost always chosen to blame the patient when their treatment methods were unsuccessful (the old "it's all in your head") BS.
But that's just my opinion, and as you know, I'm not a medical professional. Of course not being a medical professional means that I'm not bound by professional "courtesy" to defend the incompetence of any medical colleagues.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Gabes-Apg
- Emperor Penguin
- Posts: 8332
- Joined: Mon Dec 21, 2009 3:12 pm
- Location: Hunter Valley NSW Australia
Sadly this is the attitude of alot of specialists /doctors towards 'functional medicine' testing and treatments.
Keep in mind that for majority of the medical fraternity, ongoing education is provided by Big Pharma. Medication to treat the symptom.
they are not getting quality information/education in the importance of nutritional balancing and its role in wellness.
Whether he calls it IBS, IBD or MC doesnt matter - you know your body, you know what works best for you.. You have learnt what your triggers are and how to minimise inflammation flares.
over the years i have learnt to twist the truth a bit /discernment as to what I share with mainstream doctors, kinda tell them what they want to hear.
Yes I am taking Vit D3 (But I dont tell them how much as it is quite opposite to what they believe)
I dont share the insights I have gained from functional therapies etc
its my body, not theirs.
Keep in mind that for majority of the medical fraternity, ongoing education is provided by Big Pharma. Medication to treat the symptom.
they are not getting quality information/education in the importance of nutritional balancing and its role in wellness.
Whether he calls it IBS, IBD or MC doesnt matter - you know your body, you know what works best for you.. You have learnt what your triggers are and how to minimise inflammation flares.
over the years i have learnt to twist the truth a bit /discernment as to what I share with mainstream doctors, kinda tell them what they want to hear.
Yes I am taking Vit D3 (But I dont tell them how much as it is quite opposite to what they believe)
I dont share the insights I have gained from functional therapies etc
its my body, not theirs.
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
GI Doc visits
Thanks Tex and Gabes for your support. I do not plan to go back to him as I can feel that I am progressing with what I am doing. Thanks again - I am so grateful to all of you sharing your personal experiences and wisdom! I would not be where I am today (with much improved health) without your guidance 
LC, strong reaction to cola, squash and D & C Orange #4; moderate reaction to sugar cane, sulfite, sardine, flaxseed, coriander, black-eyed peas and FD & C Blue #1. Enterolab Anti-gliadin IgA 6 units.