That was WEIRD!

A few weeks ago, I had terrible digestive issues. So bad I almost took myself to the hospital. I did the next best thing and called a gastroenterologist. Now, the one I had seen in 2021 has left for greener pastures, so I went to a new one..or so I thought.

Let’s go back. In 2000, I started having abdominal problems. Pain, headaches, insomnia, constipation… I saw a GP who sent me to a surgeon. The exploratory surgery didn’t find anything specific to the pain but the surgeon said my colon was full of stool. And they took my appendix out because it looked wrong, and it turned out it had TB. So it was actually a good call.

But no diagnosis.

We moved to Britain and I cycled in and out of hospital emergency units, trying to figure it out. It was debilitating. And I was frustrated. They kept sending me to the Gynae department, where they kept testing me for STD and being surprised that I had none. I wonder if they do that for all females presenting with abdominal pain.

That got me nowhere. And so the next few years I kept trying to find an answer. Eventually, I was told I had IBS -irritable bowel syndrome. But the treatments were not working. They told me to increase all veggies and eat more wheat. BAD, BAD advice! Most of us are gluten intolerant! But I knew no better back then.

One gastroenterologist I saw did a colonoscopy and found three ulcers. My parents say I had one when I was 7 years old and they were told I had Crohn’s disease. I’m not sure about that. How come I’ve never had a flare up ever? What if he saw gastritis inflammation and thought it was Crohn’s? Can children have gastritis?

Fast forward to this appointment I had for yesterday. Our medical aid plan is not very patient friendly. We did briefly move to the more expensive one (Readers of my other blog will recall me lamenting the lack of choices for doctors with the older plan we had and how I was looking forward to this year and freedom to choose any doctor) but it was too expensive.

My city is huge. But I only have a choice of five gastroenterologists on this med aid plan I’m on. Also, after a clash I had with a surgeon, after which one of my non-Black friends insisted he was racist, I am very wary of Afrikaans doctors. I once saw an ortho who barely wanted to examine me so that didn’t help. It was like touching me would give him Ebola virus. (My country is so sadly complicated!)

So, I chose an English doctor. Turned out I’d seen him in 2011! His face was vaguely familiar but I don’t even recall why I went! According to him, I was trying to fix my IBS and also the tests he took showed high inflammation and low iron. (I’ve had iron deficiency anemia since I was a little child.)

He told me that chronic gastritis does not exist! I almost got off my chair but he’d already made me wait 56 minutes and I’d driven for too long. To have to wait and try find a safe specialist again… I couldn’t. So yes, he told me that chronic gastritis is a made up term by doctors who want to mollify a patient who insists there’s something wrong with them when there isn’t.

This, I couldn’t understand. It’s like saying appendicitis or measles don’t exist. He dismissed all those fears, including how NSAID would be bad for me.

But also told me that the meds I’m on for AS are generally useless to his other patients that have AS. So he confirmed THAT! He also told me to find rheumatologists who are conducting trials as then the medication would be very affordable. Sadly, they don’t announce that they are conducting trials! And the one set that do say it on their website have had mixed reviews.

The appointment was weird. I went there worried about gastritis and reflux and left with a lab form to have my iron and ferritin and inflammation levels tested. As well as a script for the reflux I mentioned, and NSAIDS! not sure why HE is giving NSAID for my AS when he knows I’m seeing a rheumy next week. Why work on reducing a pain I’m not there for that you’re not even dealing with?

I feel like an abused partner. One minute hurt, the other, confronted by a smile. I don’t want to go back. But sulfasalazine is known to cause anemia and given I’m already surviving on iron infusions, it would be remiss of me not to check that my levels are still adequate, so I had my blood tested this morning.

But I wish I’d gone elsewhere. I wish I’d had the option to.

Oh well! At least I was able to see SOMEONE. It could have been worse.