Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis Support Group

I have a wondeful GI doc, so I can't say anything bad about him. I do have an example of how things can go horribly wrong with another health issue I had. In 2007, I'd been feeling really tired and my chest was bother me and felt pressure on my upper back. My heart rate was really high too. Went to my doc's office. The nurse practioner saw me; she said I was suffering from anxiety. She did no exam of me, just made that assertion. I wasn't feeling anxious, so I didn't really believe her. This went on for a month or so, all the while feeling like I couldn't catch a full breath, eventually running out of breath when I talked. Then, my calf swelled up and it was horribley painful. Went to a doctor other than mine because I couldn't get in to see her. This doc said it was phlebitis and I just needed to elevate it. He commented that my heartrate was awfully high and I told him I hadn't been feeling good. Instead of exploring that, he just told me to follow up with my doc in a couple of weeks.

The swelling started increasing and I saw my doc a couple of weeks later. She said to just keep an eye on it and if the swelling moved above my knee, to come in a see her. Two weeks later, the pain in so intense and the swelling is above my knee and up my thigh. My doc is not available so I see another doc in her office. I tell him this has been going on for weeks and now the swelling is going above my knee. He said I should soak it in a warm tub and "go to the gym and work through the pain." I am not kidding. That was his medical advice. The next morning, EMTs are working on me in my living room because I cannot breath. I had blood clots in my calf and massive pulmonary emboli in both lungs. I cannot believe I lived. So many people just drop dead from that.

While all three of these doctors misdiagnosed me, I feel only the last one had that weird arrogant doctor attitude. The other two were just playing a wait and see game. My regular doc at the time apologized over and over again. But I had to fire her because I didn't trust her anymore. I still run into hwe at a neighborhood coffee shop and she still feels like shit overover not catching it. I hope the experience made her a better doctor.

Then there is the flip side. When I was rushed to the hospital, the ER doctor probably had a God complex, for which I'm glad! The dude saved my life. Then I had the most compassionate attending doctor while I was in the ICU. He sat at the edge of my bed, held my hand and told me how lucky I was, that someone was watching over me. Then he said, "life changes in an instant." Two months later, he was in a horrible care accident and died. I think about him all the time, the compassion he showed, the words he spoke. The irony.

I guess my point is that there are great doctors and there are crappy doctors. I suspect it is this way in all professions. I work with attorneys. There are several competent, wonderful attorneys and then there are some where I think, who did you pay the pass the bar.

yea well said rmb. i feel i have never really had a run in with a wonderful doctor yet but i hope my new GI will be wonderfull.. im always hopefull i havent had n e storys like you two which i cant even belive you guys had to go through... but i belive that its crazy that docotors just get so high headed so "God complex" ive seen that many times and it makes me soo sad..

Well i guess i kinda do have a story.. My family has had the same family doctor since I was little or at least since i can remember. Anyways this lady moved here from poland as did my whole family. I remember her from when i was little she was amazing so caring, i wouldnt go to her office without making her some kind of craft as a present no mattter how sick i was, i had really bad allergies when i was little and she would even randomly call the house and tell us things like "make sure you look into this new vacum it will help with nats allergies" and just random things like that well anyways as years went on i noticed my family pretty much didnt go to her anymore and ididnt realy know why. i didnt have a docotor so when i got a cold or whatever i would still go to her, she wasnt really nice any more but she did the trick then when my colitis came on i was going to the bathroom 20 times a day i was in highschool it was painfull and i went to her. like 5 times in the span of 2 weeks first she said i might just be sick then she said i should go on the brat diet and only eat bread rice somthing somthing and ginger ale. then she deasided to put me on anti boitics (which in my opinion is the reason my colitis is so bad) then by the time i got so effing fed up with her she wouldnt send me for any tests or anything i got my dad to call some guy he knew from fixing computers and this guy was by coincidence a GI well he got me in for a colonscopy the next week beacuse he was so worried about me (in canada you wait months for a colonscopy) and right away told me that 3/4 of my intenstine is affected by colitis. But you would think YAY i got a docotor to help but nope thats were that doctor ended pretty much after that he did nothing he put me on pentesa and somthing eles (which no docotors use anymore) and i took it till it made me feel even worse and then i went to him he didnt really help i read about him on "Rate my docotor" or whatever that website is and everyone had negitive experiences with him UGH. then i got a great family docotor that my grandma found and was going to he was sooo amazing i went to him in july and he seriously made me feel better and refered me to a Really amazing GI but then gguess what... MY DOCTOR COMMITED SUISIDE ... in June... :( so here i am.. pretty much doctor les....


Wow sorry for the book i guess i just got rambaling, it was nice to let that all out though. Thank you

I think people will but more thought into buying a car than they will when picking a doc or hospital. We must be informed and do our homework. It would be reassuring to believe that you could walk into any hospital or MD office and get the exact care you need but sadly, you can not just assume that a healthcare professional or institution knows what they are doing.
I worked in a hospital for 12 years doing pt care and boy is that ever an eye opener. One, if I'm ever admitted there; there are floors that I would refuse to be a pt on. Two, I would not trust any surgeon there to cut me for a GI related surgery if I ever need one.

I've had my share of gems and duds; only a few were arrogant, mostly incompetent. It took some doing but thank goodness I have a great team of docs right now.

Its really awful how on top of things we have to be, but no one else will. I wish my doctors would communicate more with one another I feel I am constantly updating them all on what tests i've had done by which one & blah blah. I should just carry around a tape recorder.

I have dealt with a lot of arrogant drs but the worse thing I was ever told was by my GI when I was without health insurance. He said something along the lines of I should find a guy with good health insurance & marry him...no fn lie.
Needless to say my dad called & reamed him/& his boss a new one.

The thing that kills me is the practice I go to is one of the best around for GI issues. Theres about 8 drs in the practice. I remember calling shortly after this incident wanting to switch to another Dr. in the practice. They told me the office doesn't allow this...Has anyone else ever heard of such a thing?

I've got a great team now too, thank goodness, but I totally agree with caffy - if they'd just COMMUNICATE with one another.

I have less and less faith in docs (especially male docs) these days.

I spent a good 5 years (before being dx'd with UC) going from doc to doc (all of them male) about my joint and back pain and having not one of those damn docs ever test me for any auto-immune disease. All I got from them was that I had "new mom back pain" and was prescribed muscle relaxers or pain meds.

More recently, 2 days after my hysterectomy, I started having absolutely horrific stomach pain. I kept telling the on-call doc how much pain I was in and he kept brushing me off. Finally that night, after hours of pain and suffering (about 8 hours after the pain had started) he got me in for a CT scan which showed I was bleeding internally. I ended up needing a transfusion.

I really think that a lot of male docs do not take us women seriously. They think we are "oversensitive" or bored or needing attention. Which is why I go to women docs whenever I can (although my GI is male - he's been pretty good). The thing that really gets me is that it's my body. I KNOW when something isn't right and you damn well better listen to me because I don't make shit up when it comes to my health. Ugh!

I had a high risk pregnancy and had to have a c-section from the most arrogant man I've ever met. He didn't believe in postpartum depression and he barely paid attention to my concerns. After the c-section, I felt like I was healing and then all of a sudden I knew I was sick. I went in two weeks later and he said the fact that my cut was oozing green pus was no big deal. He jabbed at it and said I was fine. A week later I couldn't walk, my lips were white, my fever raging and I went to my family doctor (who was a woman) and she made me go to the hospital. I had a uterine infection so bad that I almost lost my uterus and my life. And the thing that bothers me the most is that I was too weak to take care of my own newborn son because of that prick. I had to leave his care to others and it broke my heart.

I have not had a lot of good luck with doctors either. In fact one surgeon I went to, and liked a lot, told me there was a note with my file that warned I did not like doctors. I really liked him but he said I did not need surgury and referred me to a new gastro doctor. His wife had u.c. and this was her doctor. She was a lady in all senses of the word. I really loved this gastro doctor but then I moved away.

Haven't seen one since because I have had such bad experiences I just can't bear going down that road again. One said it was ulcers and gave me meds that had diarrhea as a side effect. Another sent me to mental health because he just knew it was all in my head.

aaaaarg. Too many arrogant know-it-alls out there and it's so hard to sort through them all. Here most general practice doctors are now screening new patients and if you have a chronic illness refuse to see you as a new patient. My sig. other, Dennis, has hep. C and is bi-polar. He called six doctors before he found the clinic we now use. He has blue-cross/blue shield and medicare so this is not a money issue. It is a time issue. If you are truly sick they don't want to have to "waste" time on you. They only want new patients that just need a yearly physical or minor colds.

I have to use the same private medical clinic and see whoever is available. They are open six days a week and have 15 doctors. They also just love referring for tests over anything. They recently tried to get Dennis to go for a 6hr. glucose test because his sugar was at 120. The first time it had ever been over 100. He refused but did have it checked again in the regular way (morning fast) and it was 105. Not high enough to even need an advanced test.

I have Tri-care insurance. I sure would hate to have none at all. I remember what that was like. I sat and cried in one office and threatened to die right there in the middle of the waiting room before I could be seen. (years ago by the way.) Back in the spring allegies and a cold stopped me up completly. I could not breathe so I went to see them. Before I got out of there they were diagnosing me with copd. I haven't went back as the breathing problems cleared up with the allegy meds. I am not sure I trust them with my crohn's/colitis. They'll decide I have some strange thing that needs a million dollars worth of tests which my insurance won't pay and I can't afford.

I hate doctors. at least most of them.

I am on my 3rd GI and I love this one. My other two where very uncaring and the worst bed side manners. My GI now is caring and understanding and listens to me and never rushes me out of his office. He also doesn't believe in surgery unless it's the only option. He is also a 2 1/2 hour drive from my house, but I don't care, I wont give him up just for a shorter drive to another uncaring Doctor. My hugs and prayers are with you.