Reply #26: Sometimes Doctors really seem clueless when it comes to diagnosing an illness.

[Altoid_Cyclist]

I was unlucky enough to suffer from almost constant GI problems for nearly 20 years. There were times when I would lose 20 pounds in a matter of weeks. Nausea (severe) would strike on a nearly daily basis. Several ER visits, numerous GI series (upper & lower) as well as going to several PCP's resulted in being diagnosed as either depressed, anxious or flat out being called a fake.

Even when I pointed out that bloody vomit and bloody stools were pretty hard to fake, they still insisted that it HAD to be stress. I was ordered to take large quantities of muscle relaxants, tranquilizers, antacids, pain killers,...etc. I seem to be missing a lot from my memories during that time period due to the drugs.

Finally, after almost 20 years of this garbage, a surgeon who had repaired a hernia for me (which kicked the symptoms into overdrive) asked why I had never been to a Gastroenterologist. I said that all of the Dr's. said that I was just stressed out and that was the end of it. Well DUH....they'd be stressed out if they had to endure what I had endured too!!! He sent me to a Gastro. and after they initially tried a PPI treatment which didn't help at all, I went to see them again. This time I was lucky enough to have them find blood where there shouln't be blood if you know what I mean.

FINALLY.......I had a Dr. who believed that I was sick and ordered an endosopy which revealed a bleeding pyloric ulcer. He confirmed that my symptoms were textbook symptoms for this type of ulcer and should have been caught a very long time before this. He put me on an antibiotic regimen and was able to cure my ulcer. It was fortunate for me that I finally saw a Dr. who kept up on new developments in his field.

The scary part was that this diagnosis came shortly after Dr. Barry Marshall had introduced his Nobel Prize winning theory and research about ulcers being caused by the H. Pylori bacteria and not by "stress". That was about 16 years ago and I've met Dr's. since then who still believe that it's stress and know nothing about the H. pylori bacteria.

Anyway, sometimes patients have a good reason to be a little angry and feel as though their Dr's. just aren't paying attention or just don't care. Still no excuse for violence, but let's hope that I never come face to face with the so-called Cardiologist who came very close to killing my wife through his malpractice. I will probably want very much to kick his butt into the next state.