[angry]

I am male and have been totally frustrated with IBS(D)for more than 4 years.1) Loss of job/security/put on disability2) MD's just throw up their hands and conclude it's all in your head.3) Even UNC GI unit gave me the run around.First diagnosing it as IBS then rejecting me for a study because it "wasn't" IBS.Then later dumping me all together.The one MD who had some interest concluded that codeine would be of some help. It reduced frequency from over 10 times/day to about 4. However, this MD left the practice.No other doctor in the area wants to continue. I am back to ground zero.The full list of medications on the BBS were tried (except those which apply only to constipation and those unavailable in US).Warning. Antidepressants can be particularly devistating. The can eliminate your ability to have sex, your ability to sleep and "side effect" you to death. To some MD's, this is an acceptable "treatment". I think they are crazy to think so. How do we get MD's to:1) Pay attention and really try to help 2) Realize that it is "life threatening" when it turns us into recluses who can't support themselves.They seem to expect us to just disappear into the wallpaper and/or kill ourselves. Anything to get us out of their offices.What to do?

 

[Debbie Benning]

I hear you. I've been throught it all. I've had IBS for almost 25 years. One comment though about antidepressants. I am currently taking 25 mgs of Elavil and found that it has helped. It is not Lotronex but the only side effects I experienced were grogginess and dry mouth which are waning now since I've been using it for 4 weeks. Also, it has helped me to sleep better. Sex drive, no change as of yet. I don't have any other side effects to speak of.

 

[Debbie Benning]

I hear you. I've been throught it all. I've had IBS for almost 25 years. One comment though about antidepressants. I am currently taking 25 mgs of Elavil and found that it has helped. It is not Lotronex but the only side effects I experienced were grogginess and dry mouth which are waning now since I've been using it for 4 weeks. Also, it has helped me to sleep better. Sex drive, no change as of yet. I don't have any other side effects to speak of.

 

[LNAPE]

I think they don't care because there failure rate of helping is too high. No one want not to be able to help if that is there job and they have no real drugs anymore that really can help. Linda

 

[LNAPE]

I think they don't care because there failure rate of helping is too high. No one want not to be able to help if that is there job and they have no real drugs anymore that really can help. Linda

 

[norbert46]

Angry, the only thing I can offer is for you to join the Lotronex group and work as hard as you can to get it returned. It does work for males. Norb

 

[norbert46]

Angry, the only thing I can offer is for you to join the Lotronex group and work as hard as you can to get it returned. It does work for males. Norb

 

[Guest]

HiI think the reason MD's don't care is because they hate to admit they don't know how to treat us. Everyone's system is different, what works for me may not work for you. It is ashame that we can't find a doctor who will stick by us until we find what works for us. That is why this bulletin board is so helpful to me. Since I have connected, I have tried things I didn't even know about. Keep posting.

 

[Guest]

HiI think the reason MD's don't care is because they hate to admit they don't know how to treat us. Everyone's system is different, what works for me may not work for you. It is ashame that we can't find a doctor who will stick by us until we find what works for us. That is why this bulletin board is so helpful to me. Since I have connected, I have tried things I didn't even know about. Keep posting.

 

[Guest]

I am not here to defend the DR's but just having came off a regemin of Combo Chemo I feel it is important to remember Your Doctor has many patients and you have only one doctor. I would go to the my GI every 2 weeks while on the therapy. He always asked how I was the same old same ole. I found if I kept a journal of my side effects and what I sometime perceived as side effects it really helped him. It also made me not be frustrated taht we did not discuss something with him. I could remind him how long a particular side effect had been going on and if it got worse or better with various drugs.He would blow off some things and be concerned about others. Over the year and a half he began to rely on me for the input. My point is try to be a partner in your treatment. Some of the symptoms may or may not be related. That is how I got to a diagnoses of IBS. I thought my pain was a side effect of the liver disease that had riddled my body. My GI, which I felt was blowing off or discounting the pain, was in fact just trying to get me through the therapy and then address the IBS. Some IBS problems do not have a great cure all to deal with them. He gave me Paxil for the pain and it seemed to work but I did not like the feeling it gave me so I chose to quit. He keeps me in painers but gripes at me about them. Bottom line it is a syndromeso we are all a little different and lumped into a group. Some DR's are more familiar with this than others. When I found my liver wrecked I had been to our family GP many many times with the same complaint. I finally stepped out and happened to hit a Doctor familiar with my symptoms, tested the right thing and boom my world changed. I may not be cured but at least I know what the devil inside me is.Give it a try. Become the lead horse in your health and a partner to your doctor. It can only help.Mike

 

[Guest]

I am not here to defend the DR's but just having came off a regemin of Combo Chemo I feel it is important to remember Your Doctor has many patients and you have only one doctor. I would go to the my GI every 2 weeks while on the therapy. He always asked how I was the same old same ole. I found if I kept a journal of my side effects and what I sometime perceived as side effects it really helped him. It also made me not be frustrated taht we did not discuss something with him. I could remind him how long a particular side effect had been going on and if it got worse or better with various drugs.He would blow off some things and be concerned about others. Over the year and a half he began to rely on me for the input. My point is try to be a partner in your treatment. Some of the symptoms may or may not be related. That is how I got to a diagnoses of IBS. I thought my pain was a side effect of the liver disease that had riddled my body. My GI, which I felt was blowing off or discounting the pain, was in fact just trying to get me through the therapy and then address the IBS. Some IBS problems do not have a great cure all to deal with them. He gave me Paxil for the pain and it seemed to work but I did not like the feeling it gave me so I chose to quit. He keeps me in painers but gripes at me about them. Bottom line it is a syndromeso we are all a little different and lumped into a group. Some DR's are more familiar with this than others. When I found my liver wrecked I had been to our family GP many many times with the same complaint. I finally stepped out and happened to hit a Doctor familiar with my symptoms, tested the right thing and boom my world changed. I may not be cured but at least I know what the devil inside me is.Give it a try. Become the lead horse in your health and a partner to your doctor. It can only help.Mike

 

[Mannie]

I hate to say it, but to find a good doctor, you might have to see dozens. I had many doctors not only tell me that IBS was in my head, but dismiss other symptoms as "learn to live with it." When I went in complaining about acid reflux symptoms, I was given a brochure on GERD. No tests, nothing. Just a brochure.The problem I have is that I have an HMO. Doctors are financially penalized for spending more than 10 minutes with a patient, and they are financially rewarded for not ordering tests. It's a sad state of our society, at least here in the US anyway.I ended up with a Physician's Assistant as my primary caregiver. She really is a partner in my healthcare. I can bring in info off the Internet and she'll go through it with me and not be offended. She'll order pretty much any test I ask for. I really like her. I think sometimes PAs and RNPs have less restrictions on them, making them better caregivers.

 

[Mannie]

I hate to say it, but to find a good doctor, you might have to see dozens. I had many doctors not only tell me that IBS was in my head, but dismiss other symptoms as "learn to live with it." When I went in complaining about acid reflux symptoms, I was given a brochure on GERD. No tests, nothing. Just a brochure.The problem I have is that I have an HMO. Doctors are financially penalized for spending more than 10 minutes with a patient, and they are financially rewarded for not ordering tests. It's a sad state of our society, at least here in the US anyway.I ended up with a Physician's Assistant as my primary caregiver. She really is a partner in my healthcare. I can bring in info off the Internet and she'll go through it with me and not be offended. She'll order pretty much any test I ask for. I really like her. I think sometimes PAs and RNPs have less restrictions on them, making them better caregivers.

 

[jenjen]

like others have said, i think there are good doctors out there but they are hard to find. i have a good gastro, but i've been through 3 primary care physicians and felt they were very incompetent.-jj[This message has been edited by jenjen (edited 07-25-2001).]

 

[jenjen]

like others have said, i think there are good doctors out there but they are hard to find. i have a good gastro, but i've been through 3 primary care physicians and felt they were very incompetent.-jj[This message has been edited by jenjen (edited 07-25-2001).]

 

[eric]

Angry, I am curious by what you mean here that they dumped you."Even UNC GI unit gave me the run around.First diagnosing it as IBS then rejecting me for a study because it "wasn't" IBS.Then later dumping me all together."What did they say it was you had, an why did they dump you as a patient?------------------Moderator of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Anxiety and Hypnotherapy forumI work with Mike and the IBS Audio Program. www.ibshealth.com www.ibsaudioprogram.com

 

[eric]

Angry, I am curious by what you mean here that they dumped you."Even UNC GI unit gave me the run around.First diagnosing it as IBS then rejecting me for a study because it "wasn't" IBS.Then later dumping me all together."What did they say it was you had, an why did they dump you as a patient?------------------Moderator of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Anxiety and Hypnotherapy forumI work with Mike and the IBS Audio Program. www.ibshealth.com www.ibsaudioprogram.com

 

[Guest]

Hi All,Angry, interesting!As you know I work with the medical prof, and believe that the vast majority do care, however they either do not understand the importance of the condition or run out of options. Not understanding in not not-caringThere are time constraints on appointment times, some GI get penalised for over extending the consultation. Frankly the system does not work for developing a close practitioner / patient relationship.I often get into altercations with the med prof who try to pass it off as being all in the head, or 'it none life threatening'. Well I believe that in my time I have saved a few patinets from going over the top with despair.It is serious, it does ruin lives of sufferers and close family, it impacts work and recreation, has a massive cost on NHS budgets / Health Insurance Companies etc.I'm just sounding off here

(we're all allowed once in a while )Although I am not a sufferer, I have spent much of my time working with sufferers, enough to see the impact it has on life.Finally never give up. The time will come when it is beaten. Remain strong

Best RegardsMike

 

[Guest]

Hi All,Angry, interesting!As you know I work with the medical prof, and believe that the vast majority do care, however they either do not understand the importance of the condition or run out of options. Not understanding in not not-caringThere are time constraints on appointment times, some GI get penalised for over extending the consultation. Frankly the system does not work for developing a close practitioner / patient relationship.I often get into altercations with the med prof who try to pass it off as being all in the head, or 'it none life threatening'. Well I believe that in my time I have saved a few patinets from going over the top with despair.It is serious, it does ruin lives of sufferers and close family, it impacts work and recreation, has a massive cost on NHS budgets / Health Insurance Companies etc.I'm just sounding off here

(we're all allowed once in a while )Although I am not a sufferer, I have spent much of my time working with sufferers, enough to see the impact it has on life.Finally never give up. The time will come when it is beaten. Remain strong

Best RegardsMike

 

[flux]

quote:3) Even UNC GI unit gave me the run around. First diagnosing it as IBS then rejecting me for a study because it "wasn't" IBS. Then later dumping me all together.

I have the same question Eric raised. This does not sound like them.------------------I am not a doctor, nor do I work for profit in the medical/pharmacological field, but I have read scientific and medical texts, and have access to numerous sources of medical information that are not readily available to others. One should always consult a medical professional regarding advice received.