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What have doctors said to you??

what have doctors said to you??

what have doctors said to you when they don't know what's wrong?
I'll be making a video soon and i want you guys to help! :) Since we all from the undiagnosed club have been through many things with doctors! :) It would be greatly appreciated if you'd give your input! Thanks! :)
*Wishing you a good tummy day!*
 
here is the scenario.
Just had the most awfull three days , constant D and pain , dizzy and nausea .Joints aching.
Taking the meds as perscribed. Eat food and then D after 30 minutes.
Go to doctor and he says " bit of a dicky tummy have we "
 
When I was no where near getting a diagnosis my GP said to me 'Try to eat more lunch' I don't know where that came from. So there I was with horrible stomach pains thinking, I really need to try and eat this!
 
Location
NY
"You are a medical mystery" - GI
"This is a tough case" - GI
"I hope that a doctor (much smarter than me) figures this out someday." - Pulmonologist that tried very hard :)
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
After asking the GP where we go from here..."I don't know, we may just have to open her up and have a look."

Dusty. :)
 

tlc-x

Undiagnosed Teenager
Location
England
"You're not eating enough food." I'm eating as much as I freakin' can but it's hard when it causes me to stay up all night.....
 
Location
Missouri
Upon telling me that I have the uncurable, crohnic disease called Crohn's "I know, it sounds awful...but we all have our things"
 

Cat-a-Tonic

Super Moderator
The worst was when a doctor told me I "look depressed" (really, how does someone look depressed? Is that a solid medical diagnosis?). His exact words were something along the lines of (after looking at my chart for all of 5 seconds), "Your colonoscopy came back normal so you have IBS. And you look depressed. Would you like some antidepressants?" Argh!

My GI has also said several times, "You're a tricky case." Well, duh. :p
 
This video is going to be great with all these responses! You guys are the best! :) If anyone wants to add more, keep them coming! :) Thank you!!
 

Crohn's Mom

Moderator
While Gab was hospitalized and in major pain one time, on the 3rd day after they still didn't know what was wrong, he (doc) says..."I think she's just constipated and I'm going to order an enima and discharge her" (this was 3 months before she ended up having over 100 cm of bowel removed ) :voodoo::voodoo:
 

tlc-x

Undiagnosed Teenager
Location
England
Just random ones off the top of my head "it's just IBS" "go on the FODMAP diet and you'll be fine" "just constipation, take this" "take this medication it'll help" "oh the last one didn't help, take this" "you need help for this" "get counselling, it's in your head" "you're making yourself ill" "stop drinking and smoking" "you must be pregnant - but i'm a virgin!!" Umm.. that's all I can think of - i've not had all of those luckily!
 
"you must be pregnant - but i'm a virgin!!"
I had that one!

She asked me in a really backwards way if I was pregnant. So I had to think about my answer because I wasn't sure if I said yes if it meant yes I'm sure I'm not pregnant or if it meant yes I am pregnant! So she said 'how are you sure?' I was like.... :/ I'm a virgin!
 
I'm sorry Mr Vail but I don't know why your hear ,the test results that I have ( which where two years out of date ) came back clear.
So to get his attention I said I was pregnant !

Money couldn,t buy the look on his face ! stupid self reitious b______d !
 

tlc-x

Undiagnosed Teenager
Location
England
One doc had no idea what he was talking about - I asked why my tummy was so hard when I touched it.. like all the way the abdom.. it was weird so I asked him and he said it was just poo... ummm.. what?! Are you saying I have poo from my bottom all the way up to the beginning of the system?! Shouldn't you do something about that?! Another doctor said it was just me tensing my muscles... oh wow.
 
When I was first diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, my G.I. doctor sent me a nice letter setting out his "findings". He ended the letter by saying "This is to confirm that you have terminal ilieitis and the prognosis is not encouraging." When my parents read the doc's letter they began telling everyone that I was dying. When I called the doc about his letter, he was flabbergasted at his syntactical mistake and informed me he meant to say that I had Crohn's disease located at the terminal ilieum!!
 
I had a junior gastro doctor tell the nurses, when they asked him to prescribe some pain relief whilst I was having a blood transfusion due to very active crohn's, that the pain was probably just constipation- I had so much pain I had a really high heart rate and was throwing up.
My gastro consultant was not impressed when I jokingly told he had got it all wrong and it was just constipation according to his junior!
 
wow what a great idea! hope these help...ive had all this over the last 14months...
from doctors and many consultants...
''your fat u need to tone up''(swollen belly,size 8 with 44inch waist after hlf a sandwich)'' ''what do you want me to do with you?'' ''your a medical mystery!'',''eat more'' ''it maybe just be servere ibs'' and when in discussion about a massive mass moving around in my tummy (which isnt showing up on scans but u can see happening in front of your eyes...i had this as reasons and answers,why and what it was ...'' great party trick'' ''dont move like that then'' from about 5 consultants and lots of doctors...about my moving mass in tummy ''gosh thats strange,never seen that before in my medical career'' me is it normal? him just pulled a face?ggrrrrr!! ''people would pay good money to see this'' ''its your bowels sticking through your stomach because how much weight youve lost'' when showing pictures of my swollen distended tummy he said '' have you youtubed these???!!!!:0'' ''maybe u have a new illness,we,may never find out'' ''weve done all we can physically do,maybe you will just have to deal with it'' to me ''why do u expect answers straight away...rome wasnt built in a day'' ''i have been sat here all day in consultations and u expect answers from me here and now!'' '' why are you on all this medication?....me- you put me on it? and many many more..hope this helps...it did me..getting it all off my chest ;) thanks.
 
oh and demanding pregnancy tests all the time..im in a lesbian relationship!!!! there would have t be 3 wise men and a star..last time i checked women couldnt get women pregnant...i siad are you basically saying i must have cheated on my partner!!!!to this day i still refuse to do one.. well if i was pregnant must be some sort of mammal as ive been swollen for 14months!!!lol!!! such a joke!!!
 
Me - I'm exhausted is there anything I can do about it?
Doctor - Get better.

He did say it with a smile, all the same I felt like saying 'well thanks! that's helpful!'
 
If anyone wants to add any more there's still time to! :) I won't be making the video till probably next week. I'm so happy you are all being a part of this video! It makes it even better! :)
 
the weather...

So I went to see my doctor yet AGAIN...things had gotten worse lately. I had taken Amitriptyline the night before the appointment. Felt TERRIBLE that day with absolutely no energy amongst other symptoms...

I said to my doctor as he was getting ready to walk out the door, "I feel as if someone's switched my energy switch to 'off' today"

His response: "hmm...well, maybe it's the weather"

Are you KIDDING me??!!! Yep...i'm sure he put LOTS of thought into THAT explanation.:yfrown:
 

Astra

Moderator
My old GP said it was cos I ate too many Mars Bars!
A locum doc said I caused it (the symptoms) cos I smoked.
After 15 years of being told I was mental and neurotic I got my diagnosis and framed it!
I was gonna shove this framed diagnosis up the GPs arse, but alas, he was dead!
 
oh my gosh, have you guys gotten the question about if you chewed gum a lot or ate candy?? APPARENTLY theres something in gum that can give Crohn's like symptoms.... right..... -__- sure doc. lol
when my doctor asked me that i laughed and said I haven't chewed gum in years! lol he then moved on to more weird questions that didn't get anywhere. lol
 
How are things at home ? He asked , I was thinking is it possible I'm in a mental asylum because if I'm not I'm gonna k--- that stupid B. things at home are great if you consider I spend most of my time in the toilet, I'm thinking of gettin a plasma screen in there , what do you think ?
 

Astra

Moderator
Oh yeah I got that one too! Hence the Mars Bars quip!
Sorbitol and Phenylalanine gives you diarrhea, this is true, but it doesn't give you inflammation
xx
 
I started seeing a new GI because mine didn't take my new insurance. He has my whole history and knows I just got out of the hospital a couple weeks before. Between IV steroids, 40 mg of steroids for months, on a total liquid diet and being so sick I am basically on bed rest he looks at me and says you really need to work on loosing weight!!!!!!!!!! I was like really? I can't get out of bed and am living on Ensure. How do you expect me to do that? I said to him REALLY being on this dose of prednisone? He said oh that's just a myth. This guy is supposed to be one of the best in our area. I just let it go in one ear and out the other!
 

tlc-x

Undiagnosed Teenager
Location
England
You learn when docs head for the IBS option... I had a massive flare one night and just managed to get out of ending up in hospital. Never been in so much pain in my life.. anyway, we got an emergancy appt the next morning and I had eaten, I was so tired after not sleeping etc and the doc said "Do you ever get this during school holidays?" Ignore the fact it was 3 days after christmas that this happened.. but I got so angry! No, it is not IBS, it doesn't just happen when i'm at college. No, college doesn't stress me out and make me ill - no it doesn't go away during the holidays because the stress has gone! Argh. Then she told me that she wasn't going to do anything until I do actually end up in hospital weighing nothing and in so much pain I need morphine to ease the pain... I cried, the night before I was in pain i've never felt before and she was telling me it needed to get worse before they'd help?!!!
 
Then she told me that she wasn't going to do anything until I do actually end up in hospital weighing nothing and in so much pain I need morphine to ease the pain... I cried, the night before I was in pain i've never felt before and she was telling me it needed to get worse before they'd help?!!!
Thats awful! To be honest I think in times like those its better to just go to the hospital! Sometimes GP's just aren't the right person to see as there is not a lot they can do in their little office. In hospital at least you are more likely be seen by a specialist of some kind on that day.
 
Location
Missouri
My dad was so concerned when we got my diagnosis, he wanted to take me to Mayo's...I was just thrilled to finally be diagnosed so told him no. He would research as best he could in the days before everyone had a puter. I remember him coming to me, so serious, asking if I swallowed my toothpaste when I brush my teeth. I told him, no, never. He had read somewhere that this could be a cause of, or make Crohn's worse or something.
 
So i went to my GP this morning as i ran out of meds since my hospital appointment was re scheduled from friday to next month. I asked him since im on Asacol which is a anti- inflamatory med, should my bloods be tested to see if there is any change in my inflammation levels ? He looked at me and said "you need to ask the GI about that on your next appointment "!
I am now looking into a new suitable Doctor, one who is familiar and experienced in Bowel issues.
 

tlc-x

Undiagnosed Teenager
Location
England
My old GP said it was cos I ate too many Mars Bars!
Mars Bars actually make me so much worse and could practically start flares up for me haha! Luckily it only causes the pain and sickness for a fews until it has passed. Must gain some self control and stop eating them! :shifty:
 
I'm in a terrible flare and went to a doctor I've been seeing on and off since 1998 and steady for the last 2 years. He says he doesn't know what to do with me anymore because we've tried all the medicines with no luck and it might be time for surgery so he's sending me back to another GI I saw a few times when I had different insurance. He says the last colonoscopy (2 years old) was clear and he just doesn't know what to make of my symptoms. He performs a rectal and upon exiting, exclaims loudly "EWWWW GROSS!! It's definitely active!!!" I was absolutely beside myself. He quickly left the room and then sent his nurse back in to tell me to make an appointment with my old doctor.
 

Astra

Moderator
Thing is Tasha...
I never ate any friggin Mars Bars!!!!!!!!!!!
And.....when I see one I think about the old git who could only listen thro a Beethoven horn and dribbled phlegm down his chin when he spoke. And this said phlegm congregated, all crusty and congealed in the corners of his mouth!
EWWWWW!
 

Lisa

Adminstrator
Staff member
Location
New York, USA
My dad was so concerned when we got my diagnosis, he wanted to take me to Mayo's...I was just thrilled to finally be diagnosed so told him no. He would research as best he could in the days before everyone had a puter. I remember him coming to me, so serious, asking if I swallowed my toothpaste when I brush my teeth. I told him, no, never. He had read somewhere that this could be a cause of, or make Crohn's worse or something.
Are you sure we aren't related...sounds like MY Dad!!!
 
Thats awful! To be honest I think in times like those its better to just go to the hospital! Sometimes GP's just aren't the right person to see as there is not a lot they can do in their little office. In hospital at least you are more likely be seen by a specialist of some kind on that day.
But if you see your GP they can streamline admission or get an urgent referral.They arrange admission and assessment that day by the medical/surgical team on duty.
I nearly always go through my GP (except when perforated and had to get help immediately or when gastro admitted me himself). This means you get taken almost straight away to the assessment unit to be seen by the team your gp referred you to,without waiting to be seen by the ED staff.
I have therefore never waited more than 10 minutes in the ED unlike those who just turn up who seem to sit and wait for ages.
 
My GP has started taking the honest approach. Almost every time I'm there he pulls out one of his health books and starts reading in front of me. He also says "I really have no clue what's wrong with you, so I'm going to do some more blood tests" a lot. I thought after having a confirmed diagnosis of Crohn's that this "I don't know" thing would stop but it hasn't. Even just this weekend in the ER the doctor said "Well if a specialist can't figure it out, I definitely can't... Let's do more tests."
I need to start being followed around by a medical student because they would get to see so many tests first hand. Just one request: make him cute ;)
 
When I was younger the doctors would tell my mom that I just didn't want to go to school and was faking it.

Once I was a bit older it didn't change much. They said it was mostly in my head and I was bringing it on myself with stress and anxiety.
 
But if you see your GP they can streamline admission or get an urgent referral.They arrange admission and assessment that day by the medical/surgical team on duty.
I nearly always go through my GP (except when perforated and had to get help immediately or when gastro admitted me himself). This means you get taken almost straight away to the assessment unit to be seen by the team your gp referred you to,without waiting to be seen by the ED staff.
I have therefore never waited more than 10 minutes in the ED unlike those who just turn up who seem to sit and wait for ages.
Yeah I guess it would work better if your GP's are helpful. At my GP surgery they don't have emergency appointments just walk in and wait, so I have been waiting there for hours sometimes. It is probably very situational though as to what the best thing is to do!
 
Yeh, I am lucky to have a good GP and I can just ring and ask for a callback or they ring me if my results are bad.
If you have a gp who is difficult to get to talk to or who is awkward then that would make arranging hospital review more difficult.
 
More questions from docs

You look so sick- haven't you been eating?
You have lost 30 lbs this year- do you have an eating disorder?
Are you sure you are not doing this to yourself? Do you make yourself throw up? Be honest with me! :ywow:
What is wrong with you? Why aren't you getting any better? This medicine should be working.... oh well. :shifty:
Did you take your meds correctly? You have to read the bottle. Really?
And my favorite... Do you have a lot of stress in your life? I bet it's just stress. Get more sleep and the rest will just go away.

Love them doctors- yee haaa- that med school learnin did some real good, uh huh. :ybiggrin:
 
Location
NY
When I was younger the doctors would tell my mom that I just didn't want to go to school and was faking it.

Once I was a bit older it didn't change much. They said it was mostly in my head and I was bringing it on myself with stress and anxiety.
I hate that! When were you finally diagnosed?
 

tlc-x

Undiagnosed Teenager
Location
England
Not a doctor, but my grandma says if I go to college then I will become distracted by my tummy and bowel problems and then it'll go away foreveerrr! I wish! I'm still going to college but it's not working! Hahaha.
 
despite my love of my gi every appointment i get the same "sure your not stressed at all?" my answer is only by my stomach

i do love when thanks to humira i got shingles my rhemy looked at my back and says
"Shit that's not good" nothing like a doctor saying that to make you feel better.
 
A Surgeon said to me after my Right Hemi in 97.
"Your Cured"

Bless him, he meant well but without too much knowledge of Crohns obviously.
 
doctor that attended me at home "hospital for you , no rush its only Pancreatitis"

emergency doctor in CDU (clinical decisions unit) " i know what that is you have diverticulitis"

consultant in CDU " highly possible its contagious food poisoning, get him isolated and in for ct scan"

consultant and nurse in cdu after 2 x ct scan " well i have some seriously bad news ... you have Crohn`s disease, do you understand - your staying in and have a 90% that you will need surgery in the next two days"

one thing my wife told me, while in CDU while being tested, prodded - when they put in the canular there was a spurt of blood,
my wife says " hell is it meant to be that colour"
me high as a kite on etonox shouts out " im not a Fu*King vulcan you know"
 
Last edited:
Location
Uk
To add a positive one, when my symptoms started I went to my gp and said

'I think it may be anxiety or something' (as a psychologist my view of the world is skewed!!:ybiggrin:)

He replied saying 'There are other reasons people throw up you know'

Reading through all of this and knowing where i am now with symptoms I just want to go back and kiss him!!
 
GP- IBS
GP- anxiety
Gp- depression
Gp- here is 5 months worth of anti depressants
Gp- anxiety
Gp-anxiety
Gp- depression.
Basically this has been me dealing with the above.
Now I have osteopenia and they still try throw in an anxiety
Never take a diagnosis from a GP.
Majority diagnosed me with anxiety without doing a degree in psycoligy
I see a GP who did have a degree and he has diagnosed me with osteopenia already.
Worst is people around you don't believe you.
That's the hardest
 
Take your husbands credit card- go shopping- put some make-up on and you will feel better. It will give you something to do besides thinking about getting sick. Really buddy? I
sure as h&%$ don't WANT to be throwing up with diarrhea all night. But, thank you anyway! :rof:
 
After experiencing urinary and bowel issues -
Doctor - you has a kidney stone, go home and drink 3 liters of beer.
Me- I dont like beer, anything else I can drink?
Doctor- beer or water.

Doctor2 - I want to try something new which has shown great results
Prescription - 5 months worth of anti- depressants.

Doctor3- you could have a problem with your stress
Me- doctor, I'm not stressed thats the thing...
My girlfriend- he is sick. He gets tired all the time.
Me- "i said to my girlfriend", please let me talk to the doctor ,doctor is there anything else we can do?
"doctor starts giving me relationship advice"

The last scenario -
After everyone thinking I was a hypercondriac
Even though I could barely leave my bed in the morning
Some mornings... I went to doctors who wouldnt sign off
For health insurance which later we found out my bones reached osteopenia
And I had some kind of arthritis, spondylolthesis,
Constant fissures and UTI like symtoms...
Fatigue etc etc...
Doctor signed off but you need to be off 3 months to claim...
So... Now struggling with mortgage etc.
But, because I haven't been given the diagnosis of crohns...
Got gastro app on 13th so please diagnosis!!
 
My GI asked how I was doing regarding smoking, and I said "Not to well, find it hard to give them up"

He replied, "Ah sure, I know it feels great ..... no, no, no, no, I shouldn't be saying that, I'm your doctor"

The two then burst out laughing, it was such a weird moment. :3
 
my said to go check out the internet. cause you know there all that releable info on the internet
Jesus Christ, really? When I first diagnosed my GI said DO NOT go near the internet with regards to Crohn's, medication etc, I should talk to either my IBD nurse and/or GP.

He was telling me that one his newly diagnosed patient of his was "researching" Crohn's on the web and rang him in hysterics, crying, saying that she read that the majority of people with CD/UC don't "make it past the six month mark" ..... as in die....

:ywow:
 

Chrismac

Best of British
I think the only reliable internet source is here, right? :)

My doctor told me I was "born to be awkward". Turns out he was a rubbish doctor and didn't really know what he was doing. He's now retired and owns a Whisky distillery in Scotland.
 
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