Re: What should I expect from gastroenterologist app?

Have you had your visit yet?

My experience of gastroenterologists in the UK is that they were generally pretty clueless about these things. I wasted money seeing one privately who came out with the usual "IBS" BS, though the one on the NHS (after much waiting) was actually better and did ultrasound scan, then colonoscopy and gastroscopy, as well as barium swallow and eventually CT. They only gave me the latter two because they diagnosed a severe hiatus hernia from the gastroscopy ("impressive" was the surgeon's word!), though this was only really the tip of the iceberg of my problems (had also lower pain, ascites, migration all over my body to hands, feet and face) and the hernia has magically disappeared by the time of my later scans after my mass self-dosing of antihelmintics in the intermittent period! (and they said it was so bad that they were considering surgery!)

When I mentioned the antihelmintics to my gastroenterologist he said that (after nothing showing up in stools) all they would do in gastroenterology if they suspected worms would be to try you on mebendazole for a couple of weeks, and if that didn't work they passed you on to an infectious diseases doctor.

I am now seeing an infectious diseases doctor, and they are much more clued in, in fact are the ONLY type of doctor in the entire health service who seem to have the slightest clue to even have heard of most of these things! They've done barrages of tests, and I'm still waiting for all the results back, though by the time that has happened I've almost fully cured myself!


So, in summary, if you are sure the antihelmintics are working, then skip the queue and go directly to those who know what they're talking about by seeing a private infectious diseases doctor (and yes, try private for your first consultation if you can as waiting on the NHS will be MONTHS to even get the ball rolling) Still go and see the gastroenterologist as well, as they'll do a scan and if you get a gastroscopy/colonoscopy then make sure to mention the worms and ask that they take biopsies/samples when doing it as the surgeon did not bother in my case.
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