I left a doc's appointment feeling...GOOD!

I've been on SCD for a good few weeks now, and am quite proud of myself for how well I have been doing. I'm still eating intro foods because they have been working for me, but have also been introducing new foods every 4 or so days. Pumpkin and green beans have both been successful so far, but no fruit currently seems to be agreeing with me.

However, despite my adherance to the diet, over the past couple of weeks my symptoms have come creeping back. The first sign was the bleeding, which definitely had me a little worried. And then slowly but surely back came the C and the bloating and the tiredness. As soon as the blood appeared, I went back to my safe foods hoping that I had just introduced something that didn't quite agree with me yet. But even when I was in my 'safe zone', the symptoms just kept coming back one-by-one.

I decided that it was about time I got a referral to see a second GI specialist after the first one was such a disaster. So I made an appointment with the GP who has been looking after my family since I was born and went in to see her on Friday. I have to say, Friday wasn't a particularly good day for me. One of our family dogs, who we had for 14 years, was suffering from a facial tumor. Neither of my parents could bring themselves to get her put down, and that morning my 2 beautiful sisters had called me to ask whether I would be willing to go with them to the vet. Anyone who knows my family will know that our dogs are just as important as our human family members, and Buffy was our oldest pet. She was the type of dog who knew when you came home after a really crappy day, and would look at you as if to say 'come on, let me give you a doggy cuddle'.

So I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office and my mum called me to ask about Buffy. I told her what the vet had said, and that we had had to have her put down, and then I started crying right there in the waiting room. The poor other guy who was there probably thought I was dying, because all he would have heard was "they said it was a facial tumor and that there is nothing they can do"....and then me bawling my eyes out. Oh dear.

Anyway, I got in to see the doctor and after 5 minutes realised that I was an idiot for not making an appointment with her earlier. If you've ever had an amazing doctor who actually really gives a crap about their patients, you will understand exactly what I mean. The problem is, this doc is so good that it usually takes about a month to get an appointment with her, and she only works 2 days a week, so I had ended up seeing other people instead.

I don't think I've ever had a more thorough checkup in my life...my regular appointment turned into an hour-long session where she went through the whole history of my GI problems, what tests I'd had done and which treatments I'd tried. She was really worried about the bleeding, especially after there was no sign of hemorrhoids, and called my previous GI specialist a complete idiot which made me feel much better about that horrific experience. The only way the appointment could have been better was if she was a GI specialist herself!

So I now have a referral to a GI doc near me....I can't afford another private consultation, especially because I'll need a colonoscopy and endoscopy, so she has referred me to someone at Box Hill hospital. There is generally a 6 month waiting period to get in to see a public specialist, so she has told me that on one day when I am feeling particularly crappy, I need to front up to the emergency room with my referral and wait there until I can see somebody. I have been pre-warned that ths is likely to take around 10 hours, but that is a lot better than waiting 6 months. Plus my CB has already promised me he will bring a picnic and wait there with me :)

I'm feeling positive about things today, which is a good thing after the past couple of weeks and that fear that creeps into you when your symptoms start returning for reasons you don't understand. My GP was worried that SIBO is not the full story, which would suck...but I'd rather know. Having knowledge arms you so that you can fight whatever it is that is making you sick.

I wish everyone could find a doctor who is as wonderful and caring as my GP...and if anyone living in Melbourne wants her details let me know.