HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Gastro Doctor Told Me To Eat Ketchup???

Support Forums
>
GERD & Acid Reflux
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/23/2015 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
I think I have reached the end of my rope. No one cares, no one listens, no one helps. I tried talking to my gastro Dr today and he says to me after I explain some stuff that he thinks I have esophagus mobility issues but he doesn't see the need to perform any tests. Even though my medicine isn't helping my throat he is keeping me on it. I feel like he doesn't listen to anything I say. I told him I just want to be normal again and just go to a barbeque and have ketchup and hot dogs I know stupid little things but its what makes me happy. He looks at me and says well why cant you? I said because ketchup makes me sick it aggravates everything and he said go ahead and eat it don't be scared. So he just said come back in three months so I guess that's three more months of suffering. I am told he is the best Gastro in the area, guess I am going to have to find another doctor but I find them all to be the same, useless and not interested.
Posted 6/23/2015 8:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi LAWCHICK,
I can definitely identify with a GI doc who doesn't get it, and actually insults his GERD patient with his lack of understanding or basic human caring.

I had one like that. He did absolutely nothing to help me, including when I was hospitalized for GERD triggered asthma. Even my asthma doc suggested that I would "probably like to fire my GI office". I gave them another chance, and when my GI doc once again demeaned me with his lack of taking me seriously, I did fire him. Like yours, he had an excellent reputation.

I asked my PCP to help me choose a GI doc who would take me seriously and LISTEN. He did a great job of sending me in the right direction, and the GI doc I went to next was much, much better. He was respectful, and listened, and believed. That said, like all GI docs, he dragged his feet regarding the need for a Nissen surgery, expecting me to depend upon the PPIs that weren't doing the job at all.

With much pushing from my PCP and asthma doc, he finally gave me the option of surgery, but still offered the PPIs instead. I had the surgery, and it has made all the difference in the world.

A Nissen is a last resort, but when you've tried everything else, and your quality of life is suffering, it is worth considering. I'm happy I had the surgery six-plus years ago, and many others here have improved their quality of life dramatically after surgery.

I'd urge you to do some searching...get some recommendations, and go shopping for a new GI doc. It'll be worth the effort if you can finally find someone who will listen to you with respect and an open mind.

Good luck!
Denise
Posted 6/24/2015 8:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lawchick,

I'm with Denise. I'm aghast that your GI doctor would make those comments. I am currently on my 3rd GI doctor because the first one was an uncaring person who gave me the impression they were doing the profession for the almighty dollar and not really primarily to help people. My 2nd GI doctor was okay, but he wasn't very helpful and his follow ups were non-existent.

Remember, you're not just a patient, but you're a customer, whether you're paying out of pocket or your insurance or a combination of both, you are a customer and you have a right to find a GI doctor who actually cares about you.   Most GI doctors go through similar training based on my experience with them so I place a lot value on their attitude, as well as their technical skills.

I have suffered with gastritis and severe erosive esophagitis for several years now and if there's one thing I have learned is that you have to find a GI doctor who not only "gets it" but also genuinely cares about the well being of their patient.

Any GI doctor that states that "you should eat ketchup" tells me that the GI doctor doesn't understand basic concepts such as acidity and nutrition. There's no way that my GI doctor would tell me to eat ketchup, especially if I had already told them it's one of my stomach's / esophageal irritants.

You do NOT need to suffer needlessly for another 3 months. Find another GI doctor. I found mine using a combination of ZocDoc, Yelp, and a few others sites that reviews doctors. I picked the top 3 that had the best patient reviews then went to the state board website to see if they had any lawsuits or complaints against them and then picked the best of the 3.

If you have to interview / visit more than one GI doctor to find one that will listen to you then do it. It's too early to tell how it will go with my 3rd GI doctor because my initial consultation with her isn't for another couple of weeks. But the fact that she bothered to call me to ask me some questions before I even went in to see her gave me an auspicious beginning.

Fire your GI doctor, I found the comments he/she made unacceptable.

Paul
Erosive Esophagitis and Chronic Gastritis since 2011
Posted 6/24/2015 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
So sorry you have to go through that with your gastro. I had someone like that too for 2 years. He always said that there is nothing wrong with me and wrote in my records that he thinks that I suffer from a generalized anxiety disorder. He even sent a copy of this to my primary. From that point on every time I had an asthma attack the primary asked me:"Did you even have an asthma attack or was it just a panic attack?" I wanted to sue them because I make them responsible for all that misery. The whole thing still makes my blood boil:(
I finally went to an ENT, a pulmonary, a sinus specialist and a throat specialist and they put it all together that I had silent reflux. Took the results and went back to the gastro to get him to order some tests. Even then he still insisted that there is nothing wrong with me . But he ordered the tests to prove to me that I was wrong. Barium swallow the next day showed that I refluxed large amounts of acid into the throat 3 times during a 1 1/2minute test. The rest is history. That gastro got fired.
I can only urge every one to be persistent and look for someone who is compassionate and listens.
Posted 6/25/2015 2:23 PM (GMT 0)
Elke55,

Thank you for sharing your story. Yes, it's very important to find a doctor who becomes part of your "team", so to speak. While there are appropriate times when your doctor might need to be stern with you because it's for your own good, there should always be an underlying tone of compassion and caring.

I'm not talking about doctors who are "touchy feely" because that's a personality trait and that will vary from doctor to doctor. I'm talking about having a doctor who genuinely listens to you and WANTS to help you.

Your last sentence summed it up nicely.

Post Edited (Peabs) : 6/26/2015 8:16:48 AM (GMT-6)

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply