Doctor acted like a jerk... time to find a new one.

I was shocked by how my GI doc acted today. I told him about how much better i felt after doing the triple antibiotic therapy, and he had NOTHING good to say.

He told me that it didn't mean anything since I was still on steroids (only 1 steroid enema every third night!), and that antibiotics don't help U.C. under any circumstances, and that I probably have Crohns disease since they sometimes help Crohns.

When I tried to tell him about the study out of Japan that shows benefits from the triple ABX therapy for up to half of U.C. sufferers, he just cut me off and wouldn't let me speak.

He just seemed really p'ed off. He asked me who prescribed the antibiotics, and seemed shocked when I told him he did. I guess he must have forgot.

I am fed up with closed minded doctors... time to move on. As much as I like the mayo clinic overall, I'll have to find a doc somewhere else. That was just ridiculous.

I believe there are websites to help you to find a new doctor. I've used one that's called 'Rate My Doctor'.

I hate those jerky Dr's. It is such a shame as I'm sure there are good ones out there. I think sometimes they are intimdated when you are a very knowldegeable patient. The ones who are really good do not feel threatened. I am on my 3rd GI and happy w/ him so far. First one was great but you could never see him only his "fellows" so moved on...second one, total jerk who only wanted colonoscopy $ and was very arrogant and didn't seem too experienced w/ UC specifically. Now I go to one who considers my opinions and works with me. He also doesn't constantly force a colonoscopy. I hope you can find a good one...but more importantly you found a good method that works for you. Keep us posted!
B

That really stinks. When I was first diagnosed, my GI started me on either Flagyl or Cipro (I can't remember which now) because he said it helps a small percentage of UCers. So I disagree completely with what your doc said about it only helping CDers. I ended up stopping it, after a couple of days, though, because I was having problems with nausea anyway and it just made it a lot worse.

Anyway, I hope you find a new, better GI soon.

Sorry to hear about your jerky doc. But I did get a chuckle when you wrote that he forgot he was the one to write the scripts for the triple antibiotic therapy he so vehemently is opposed to. I mean, honestly, what a fool. He was probably ready to tear another doc a new one and then finds out he was the one who wrote the rx in the first place, so he should just be yelling at himself. I hope you find a good doc soon.

i don't like my doctor either. when i saw him about 2 weeks after i was discharged from the hospital, he said "you are not where i want you to be. you are behind all of my other patients and i don't like this." and i'm like "no, crap, buddy. why else do you think i was in the hospital. i know i'm sick and you don't have to act like it's my fault."

some doctors just have the worst bedside manner and it's truly sad. we see these doctors so they can give us hope and try to sound concerned for us.

Mine has strong opinions but so do I. I let him talk then I show him my research. Last summer he agreed to change my meds at my request and my flare subsided and I did not enter the hospital which we both agreed was inevitable.

I had a GI dr. once that actually yelled at my husband because he was asking too many questions and that I was the patient and I should be the one asking questions. What a jerk he was. He's a very good doctor in NYC but unfortunately he had a God complex and thought he was the be all to end all of GI doctors. Needless to say I dropped him like a hot potato. Good docs are really hard to find.

My first GI doc was a major jerk as well. He wanted to do surgery 2 weeks after he diagnosed me.
He dismissed all alternative or diet related information and sneered at anything I had to say.
I fired him and went looking for a new doc.
It took awhile, but I found an amazing individual who, when I was hospitalized visited me every day, fought for my choice to NOT have surgery and helped me get my life back.
There are many. many doctors in any given city, when you start looking, basically interview each one and choose someone you can work with.
having your doc on your side is crucial!

good for you! I laughed when you told him that he prescribed it.

We have to stand up for ourselves!!

Doctors PRACTICE medicine on us, that's why they call them "Practices".

mudua said...
Hi C_G_K

"I also told my GI that the triple antibiotic therapy put me in full remission and he replied something like "Don't get too excited. Your UC will return with a vengeance"

Most doctors see their patients and customers and not as human beings"

Wow...how insensitive! I'm lucky in that I found a great GI doctor the third time around. Only problem is he is in Wisconsin and I moved to Indiana a couple years ago. I like him so much I don't want to find a new one. I've been seeing him once a year when I go back to visit.

The Journal of Gastro article was very interesting. Thanks for the link; great stuff on this site. On the whole the report is encouraging too. I am going to print it out and discuss it with my GI. At a minimum, I wonder if I can get one of these titers for the bacteria antibodies they tested. If I got the antibodies, I might want to push for the therapy. BUT, as I read, it is a very unpleasant two weeks, with a lot of discomfort, sickness, and flare-like symptoms - so I would want to choose the time carefully.

@C_G_K: what drugs/dosages/durations did you get exactly? Was it the same amounts/durations reported in the article, or some variation? Just curious. Also, I don't mean to pry, but can you say something more about how you got the concurrent prescriptions for 3 specific antibiotics? I can see the doc forgetting a prescription for one - especially if there was some other reason for an antibiotic. But my mind just shuts down at the thought of having someone prescribe 3 concurrently - which is very unusual/memorable, and them having them forget it. Something is missing here. Don't want to pry, but since so many folks seem ready to lynch your doc, or condemn prescription medicines (seemingly forgetting that antibiotics are also prescription meds), or to make broad generalizations/assertions that docs are cretins that don't give a damm about patients - well given the responses of some posted here, I just really wonder about the circumstances of the antibiotic prescriptions. No insult intended. Just trying to make sense of things.

@everyone: The article is encouraging, but lets not lose sight of the fact that the study has not been replicated yet, that over 50% of the people treated with antibiotics got absolutely no benefit, that over half of the people treated had unpleasant side effects, and two had some sort of pronounced "adverse event". Prior studies with single antibiotics (some of them) had shown short-term improvement, but no long term improvement or remission about a year later. Likely why some docs may have voiced the opinion that UC would come back. This study did find long term benefit -EXCITING NEWS - but as I read it, 19 treated patients versus 16 placebo patients had remission at 12 months. While statistically significant in this dataset, this was only a difference of 3 people. We may not want to demand that established medical protocols be immediately reworked without further research. ... and lets not forget that OVER HALF of the people given the 3 antibiotics showed no clinical improvement.

So,
... always glad to read of anybody's remission
... definitely encourage folks to find/change GI docs if open discussion and patient involvement in choices is not happening
... not so happy to see folks piling on against meds and docs generally, but I empathize with the pain and frustrations that accompany both UC and/or just having to navigate todays' medical care system
... interested in knowing more about the triple therapy - but clearly see that is is not a cure-all or game-changer. At least not yet a game-changer. One can hope.