Doctors

[jenniaddams]

Hi, another new face here.

I think i have a sensitivity to gluten and possibly lactose as well, but in the past have just had doctors say its ibs and have me out their room again before i can fight my corner. Literally all i got to say was, i have stomach problems which seem to get worse when i get stressed. He said that it would be ibs and had me out his office with something like 3 mins....he was running late, but that shouldn't have meant i just got rushed through.

I've got an appointment with my old doctor from before i went to university, although i'm only registered as a temporary patient. Can i demand to be tested for intolerances, or can he turn me away, same as everyone else?

I feel it could be a turning point for me, because just now I'm in such a state, and my jobs at risk if i don't get myself sorted out. I want to get control so that i can do simple things, like taking a few days off to go on holiday in the highlands with my lad...something which i've been putting off because i can't manage it.

My problem is that i'm a wuss and will tend to shrink back and do as i'm told. I'm seriously considering taking my mum for back up!

[jenniaddams]

forgot to say, that i've posted it in here because i have reduced / replaced the lactose in my diet, so i'm down to the gluten thing now, but have read that its important to get tested. Just worried they'll turn me away and refuse. I'm only 20 and i feel like i'm too much of a push over.

[eddiejohnson]

hi jenniaddams

The first point I would make is that we would like to help .
BUT to do this we need you to simplify your report to us

Always be totally specific when stating your symptoms please.
When you use phrases like "I have stomach problems" this does not tell us anything.
What sort of problems?
Bloating?,diarrhoea?,flatulence?,stabbing pains?,constipation? etc......
What had you eaten and drunk before getting the symptoms?
when do the symptoms occur? after a meal, if so, how long after.....
perhaps you even get the symptoms because you haven't eaten for quite a time...

and that's just for starters

Like they used to say in 'Dragnet'......... "We just want the facts,ma'am"

Sorry to be a little harsh but we really do want to help.
cheers
Eddie Johnson

[jenniaddams]

Will try to explain it simply.

I'm fine in the morning till i eat. When i eat i get cramps and diarrhoea. I also get bloated, even if it doesnt get bad enough to start cramping. I can end up looking pregnant.

My eyes get a sort of gritty feeling in the evening, i don't know if that has anything to do with it.
I get really tired. I struggle to pull myself up in the morning even after plenty sleep.
I also have sore joints and muscles. I get chest pains and a fluttering heart, but i think thats just me panicking. And if i get bad, i lose all concentration....i particularily notice this at work. If i'm having a sore day, then i can make the same error over and over again.

Finally, this is probably nothing to do with it, but i had a wart for about 4 years or something. When i treated it, it died off and was gone for a month or so, then it returned and another 9 appeared. These wont go...they just seem to continue speading. Probably nothing to do with it but i just thought i'd drop it in aswell.

[eddiejohnson]

OK j

That's a good start.
When you say "until I eat" what have you eaten?
Do you have the same food every time?
Or do the symptoms arise whatever you have?

Also, what exactly do you mean with "cramps" (there are diffferent types which we can experience)?

Slowly slowly, catchee monkey
cheers
Eddie Johnson

[jenniaddams]

Here's an example of one day earlier in the week.

I had porridge with lactofree milk. That brought cramping and diarrhoea. The cramping is like a tight band round my stomach....or sometimes like someone taking a handfull and twisting. It seems to depend what i've eaten.
It also tends to come with a swift rise in temperature...like a hot flush.

I'd usually have crisps for a snack...just walkers normal ones. Thats usually fine.

Then for an early tea before work i made crispy garlic chicken. This is a chicken breast coated in crushed cream crackers, butter, lemon zest and garlic. I had this with new potatoes. This caused the same affects as the porridge in the morning.


It's really frustrating because i take the time to cook good food from scratch...i don't live of ready meals or anything like that. Yet i still get hell despite knowing exactly what i;m eating. I'm known for having a bee in my bonnet about the loss of homecooking.

-jen

[eddiejohnson]

Thanks for your reply with your clarification of what you ate to bring on the described symptoms.
The fact that you use lactofree milk [i]should[/i] rule out LI.

On rare occasions, oats [i]can[/i] bring on the symptoms of gluten intolerance but only if the oats were produced in the proximity of wheat,rye or barley at the manufacturers.
I would be surprised if this was the culprit,but we can never rule out anything.

I would think that you should be referred to a Consultant by your doctor. Such traumatic symptoms as you decribe should not be ignored.
Go back to your doctor and FULLY describe what you have written here, is my personal opinion.
Eddie Johnson

[jenniaddams]

Thanks for you help. Hopefully i can bring back some good news soon.

[Caroline1972]

Jenni

what you have sounds very much like Coeliac diseae to me. I have the disease and recognise many of the symptoms you describe.

One problem you may find is in the diagnosis. My doctor made me feel stupid when I suggested I might have the disease but I stuck to my guns. I bought a home testing kit which showed a positive result (although very feint) and all the doctors blood tests were negative. However, I insisted that I be referred to the hospital where my diagnosis was confirmed.

Apparently, I have since learnt that GPs know very little about the disease as it was traditionally viewed as being very rare. The reality is is that it is estimated that at least half a million people in the UK have it but do not know it and on average, it takes 15 years to diagnose.

You have to be persistent with doctors as if you do have the disease and continue to eat gluten you will suffer from long term malnourishment leading to much more serious health complications.

Good luck - let me know how you get on.