Moved and having a hard time finding a doctor in this small town

9 Months ago we moved to a small town in Northern New Mexico. I am having a difficult time finding a doctor that knows anything at all about ulcerative colitis. I am now on my second family doctor, I have to drive an hour and 1/2 next week to see a specialist in a larger town. I have waited a long time to see him. There are no GI docs in this area.

A couple of nights ago, in the middle of a bad flare..the worst I have every experienced, I called my family doctor group and was called back by the "on call" doc. He first yelled at me for calling him at 10pm(even though he was on call) and refused to help in anyway. He suggested I go to the ER, but the problem with that was that I was bleeding profusely and I had a combo of blood and diahhrea pouring out of me. He suggested I take an ambulance, but currently I only have medicare and I am not sure if it would have been paid for. He then blew me off, and I ended up hanging up on him.

There is a drug I could get assistance with Lilada..but the family practice doc refuses to write a prescription for it. I can't take sulfa drugs. I was on asacol and then the program for that ended in January. Since January I have been in a flare with no medication. I would like to change doctors, as this one doesn't seem to understand that UC cannot go untreated. I don't think there is another group of doctors here. So I have been in an 8month flare with constant bleeding, and mucous. I am so weak, I can barely get out of bed. My husband is older and has diabetes and most of the time I am taking care of him. I feel as if I truly have no help. I am 64 and on medicare.

I am beginning to feel discouraged and desperate for help. I have been on the SCD diet but I don't think it's helping that much. Just to be able to come here, and write this to other people who understand has been a great help.

If anyone has any suggestions I would love to hear them.

I am currently on no meds at all for UC. I am concerned that this doctor may have done me more damage, by her refusal to okay Lilada.

Thanks for your reply fruitgirl! I appreciate all the advice and will see about calling the doc today. Thanks again!

Hi InSoFla

Thanks for the welcome. There are no GIs in this town. The closest in an hour and a half drive. This town has a population of 5,000 people. The family practice doctor I have is not educated well about IBD, and very hard to get along with. I am trying the SCD diet. I started it on Monday, and today..Friday.. I am doing much better. My appointment with the GI doctor is next Thursday. I am going to give him a chance and hopefully he will know what he is doing!

Hi Luv2Jump, thanks for the reply.

I was livid, and so was my husband. It gets worse..the Medical group is owned by this punks father. They won't fire him. The dad is the nicest guy in the world. My daughter works for the office of medical investigations, if she has to call to get information on one of the dads patients who died, the dad will call her back immediately..even from Africa. The son is being protected by the dad. I went into one of those rating places, and this man has several bad reviews. I added my own. The dad is taking no new patients or I would have picked him as a primary care physician.

My doctor works for that same group. The day after I had a problem with him, she refused to change one of my heart meds to another that is the same but cost 44 dollars less. I feel as if I am living in a horror movie. If we weren't stuck in a long term lease we would leave and move to a larger town.

I am a 64 yo woman. The emotional abuse from those folks on top of the illness are too much to handle.