Dr visits

emptynester - I don't have kids but I know it is hard to break that bond and stop caring for them. My mom worries about me all the time and while I do take care of my own stuff I see where you are coming from. No lecture from me! I have not had to see my gastro for an emergency type visit. But, the office has always been available by phone. Once I was diagnosed with them and started treatment if something was getting worse or not working I could call and have a phone consult by 5:30 that evening. Either the doctor or his pa called me back. If they thought they needed to prescribe me something they just called it in. For me this is great because less copays I have to pay seeing the dr every time I have a mini flare. I know with specialists it is harder to get in immediately. I can call my prmary care office and have an appt sometimes that day if it is serious enough but I doubt if that would happen with my GI. It is just the nature of specialists. I also think it is a trade off. They do not overbook which means that when i go to see them I am literally in and out. I kid you not when I tell you I had an appt one day with the dr at 3:00. i was in the room exactly at 3:00 and settled in with a magazine waiting for the dr. He was there like 3 minutes later. I was walking out the door at 3:10! By contrast my brother was admitted to the hosp with severe abdominal pains(diagnosed with diverticullitis) and he had to follow up with the gastro he saw at the hosp. His appt was at 3:30. he was there until 6:00! But the trade off was my initial appt with this office was two weeks after my PCP referred me and that was not even with the specialist. I saw the PA, who I also love BTW. Never refuse to see a nurse practitioner or PA. They can be just as good as seeing the dr.

I see my Dr every 4-6 weeks and I feel like I am welcome to call with a question at any time. They call me back (sometimes it takes a day, which does annoy me, but often that same day) and answer me and never make me feel like I shouldn't have called, no matter how simple the question. If they are concerned, they will have me come in and squeeze me in that very day or within 2 days or so so less urgent matters. In a real emergency (I often have obstructions) they tell me to go to the ER and I know when to do that by now. I would not be happy if my Dr did not make me feel like I was important to them, as seems to be the case with your son. I don't know if it makes a difference but I Dr it located at John's Hopkins, just fyi.

Hi, I am so not impressed with GI doc's at this point. Don' know if they are so busy with too many patients, not overly personable or insensitive to the needs of the patient. I called my GI on Wednesday and talked to the GI's nurse (was amazed at her answering the phone vs me leaving a message which is the norm). They have yet to call me back even though she promised a return call that afternoon so I am kinda in your boat - guess it will have to be an ER visit if something significant happens. Am thinking I have symptoms consistent with a partial obstruction which seems like a reasonable doc's office would take seriously. My primary care doc is all about information management- if I call she is effective and efficient and get answers to issues. My experience with GI docs seems to be opposite of this approach. Have mulled it over and feel like their brains are impaired from sniffing too many fumes. Am no so very impressed so hope you all can find a GI like some of the others have discussed on these message boards.

All depends on the protocol of the GI I would think and where a patient is in their IBD. Cannot tell you how many times my Daughter has felt great at a regularly scheduled follow up appointment only to feel miserable days later. Her Ped GI was out of town a lot so it was usually Urgent Care time when he couldn't be contacted. But for the most part he was wonderful and treated her all the way through College (coordinated with Campus Health Services) and a little thereafter and even via email when she was on Study Abroad for 5 months in South America where she of course promptly flared!! He gave my daughter his private office number, his pager number and his personal email to use when needed. Sometimes response was quick and sometimes no response if he was on vacation or out of town at a Conference.

Now that she has been living in New York City for the past 4 years she has a GI who only has Office hours 2 half days a week so much of her contact with him is via phone when health is not going well. He is very, very prompt in getting back to her in trying to resolve the problem. He has even gone to bat to her when her insurance refused to pay for an MRI that he prescribed. It has all worked pretty well considering they don't see each other very often face to face in office.

From experience using Urgent Cares or ERs I can't say much gets accomplished, at least in my Daughter's case. They take notes, they do some blood work, they press here and there. They usually just say followup with GI. It's like they have no clue what to do with an IBDer
and don't want to prescribe much except for some IV fluids while there for 3 hours. In some cases it has been a major waste of time but at least an ease of mind that it could wait until GI could be seen and sometimes she'd be fine again before she even seen her GI.

emptynester - I wanted to let you know that I also am my daughter's advocate for her Crohn's and I don't make any apologies for it. No one knows our particular situation and should not question it. My daughter would never get on a forum and talk about her problems. That's just the way she is. She deals with her health problems privately. She says it depresses her to discuss it. Researching what could help her has been my way of coping and has helped me when I feel helpless. Just because your child grows up doesn't mean you can or should automatically disconnect. So I hope everyone takes this into consideration before critiquing others.

As far as GI doctors go, I have plenty of stories myself but basically most of them apparently have too many patients to handle and seem to stay distant and give vague answers to everything. Our other doctors confirm my opinion of GI's. I am convinced they don't really know the answers to most of my questions. My daughter thinks they are mostly weird because she says, "What normal person would be interested in bowels?" I guess she has a point.

My GI doc (after he had screwed up and this is my 7th GI doc) will see me without an appointment (meaning I can just show up and he will see me). Returns my phone calls within 24 hours, and has given me his cell phone number (I have never used it but it is nice to have).

I see him about every two months, but I have never been completely out of a flare.

I find it's the secretaries who make me feel like it's unreasonable to get in quick, when in fact, they should always make room when people are desperately ill.

But if the doc can't see him, then your son needs a back up plan. He should have an extra supply of prednisone, a diet plan, pain killers, etc. He needs to know when he should go to emerg. too. (usually if there's blood in the stool or an obstruction or he is unable to eat and is feeling very weak).

I see my doc anywhere from every 4-6 weeks when really sick, or 6 months when a little or mod. sick. I usually call and get phone advice and pick up a prescription when I'm desperate. If my doc can't see me, I go to a walk in and tell the on call doc what I need (prednisone or mouth steroid for oral crohns etc.) or I go to my family doc.

I can usually get some kind of immediate relief by eating a natural diet and taking probiotics and digestive enzymes, and drinking chamomile or decaf green tea with honey. Cutting out all process food, sugar, wheat and dairy are often very helpful for lots of crohnies who are flaring badly.

Post Edited (Roni) : 7/24/2010 11:36:07 AM (GMT-6)

 

Haven't really put son's consultant to the 'test' regarding this yet  (he sees him every other month currently) however he has given us the names and numbers of all the gastroenterologists at the hospital (in case he is away) also have the number for the IBD nurse specialist should the need arise.

He has said that no-one should be in pain and that they would fit him in if he was.