Colonoscopy?

[KarenT]

Morning all,

My primary sent me to a new gastro supposedly informed on MC, well let me share a few of his gems of wisdom:
1: fecal testing results aren't worth the paper they're written on
2: Don't go to google for answers (in reply to my talking about THIS forum)
3: What you eat, for example a salad, my cause a reaction but won't impact your MC
4: MC can be cured. I confirmed the he didn't mean remission, no he meant cured.
5:MC does not cause food sensitivities, or some verbiage like that....

I left there frustrated, annoyed and depressed at his statements, yet another gastro who doesn't get it....

Sorry about the vent, my question is, after 8 years post diagnosis is there a valid reason to have another colonoscopy? He suggested he would need it before moving forward with a plan as another gastro illness may have sprung up that is causing the WD and not (or not just) the MC....

Thanks for your time!

[tex]

Hi Karen,

Thanks for the chuckle. That makes one wonder how that poor soul ever managed to get a medical license, let alone be certified by the state as an "expert". Fortunately, most gastroenterologists aren't quite that bad. LOL.

Tex

[KarenT]

It was really crazy, Tex! I told my daughter and she said she would have walked out. ;-)

If you have a moment I'd love your thoughts on if another colonoscopy (it's been 8 years) would be beneficial to make sure nothing else is causing problems leading to WD?

I hope you are doing well!

[jbrohlr]

Hey Karen,

Yeah, that's nuts what the gastro said. I do believe that MC is considered an autoimmune disease, and since when is an autoimmune disease ever "cured". Would he say that about Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis?

Technically, he's right about salad (the leafy greens part), it can be an irritant to the gut and not an immune reaction. Something else in the salad might cause a reaction though (shredded cheese, salad dressing, bacon bits, etc.).

John R.

[tex]

Karen,

It's always possible that something else might be causing the WD, but over the years, I've seen many, many MC patients persuaded to have a repeat colonoscopy because the treatment they (the gastroenterologists) prescribed wasn't working, so they suspect that "something else" is causing the diarrhea. I don't recall that a single one of them ever found anything other than MC as a cause of the diarrhea. Of course, most of these situations occurred within a year or 2 of the diagnostic colonoscopy. If it's been 8 years since you had a colonoscopy, it might be beneficial as a cancer or polyp screening exam, even if it doesn't show anything else. If you're relatively young, though, I'd be surprised if a colonoscopy would find anything (other than MC).

Incidentally, regarding raw salads, as far as I'm aware, every one of us reacts to iceberg lettuce before we reach remission. As John points out, it's probably just an irritant. But it's a very, very powerful irritant that always caused me to regret eating it, before I learned the "rules".

Tex

[KarenT]

Tex and John, thank you for your replies! I've abandoned that gastro dr and plan to move on to someone more qualified. My tech savvy daughter talked to ChatGPT and found some Dr's that specifically mention expertise in MC in the Virginia/Maryland/DC area. I'll look into that after the holidays.

Tex, I'm a young 61 so may not fall under the category of "relatively young". ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

[tex]

You're 23 years younger than I am. Remember when we were first starting school? Anyone in their 20s or 30s seemed old, and we wanted to be older. And as we age, that view eventually flips (and we wish we were younger). So you're still a kid, from my viewpoint. LOL.

Incidentally, try not to be disappointed when those "MC experts" don't live up to their claims.

Tex

[KarenT]

Haha! That's a very good dose of perspective! I have noticed the ticking of the clock in my head more in recent years.....

But, it sure is fascinating how younger people seem so darn young to me now!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Karen

[tex]

And have you noticed that the order we get, the faster time seems to fly by?

Thanks, and happy Thanksgiving to you, too.

Tex

[KarenT]

I sure have, Tex!

Karen