Seeing doctor tomorrow who isn't convinced

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Updated: Seeing doctor tomorrow who isn't convinced

Please forgive me for this disorganized post. I have a lot going through my mind and don't know how to word it.

Anyway, My 11 year old son has been having tummy troubles for a few years now. Last week we saw a new pediatrician who ordered a few blood tests. They called with the results today and said the only thing he tested positive for was allergy to cockroaches and some sort of weed that we don't have around here. She said, "If you notice any more problems, just call for an appointment". Which this just burns me up, as he always has problems, for years now.

He's had 'problems' since he was young. He was diagnosed "failure to thrive" as a toddler. He has diarrhea quite often, at least every couple days accompanied with abdominal pain. He sometimes throws up in the mornings when he first gets up, about once a week. We are noticing that certain foods set him off such as red meats, lunch meats, fatty foods such as sausages. He's quite small for his age, very thin and lanky. He's always been that way though. Doctors never seemed to agree that he had these issues.

His father and I divorced when he was very young. We have no contact with him but recently found out that his sister was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when she was in her early teens. This made me research it and the symptoms fit.

The problem is that the doctor seems convinced he has an intestinal parasite. For the past two years we have been living in the country of Mexico. We came back to the states last month to get his health taken care of. She says that he must have picked up a worm or something while there. But what she isn't hearing is that he's had these issues long BEFORE moving to Mexico and he actually had LESS problems while living in Mexico. That and we regularly gave our children anti-parasitic tablets as a preventative. I don't see how there is any way these symptoms are caused by bugs in the intestinal tract, especially given that he had these symptoms before we even moved there.

So when the doctor heard my annoyance she asked me to come in again so we could talk some more.

I don't know what to do. Obviously my suspicions of Crohn's disease may be incorrect, but something is definitely not right with my son. What can I do? Should I ask for a referral to another type of doctor, and if so which type?

Thanks.
 
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Be persistent! If one doctor won't listen find another that will. You are your son's advocate and he's relying on you to help him get answers and feel better. Knowing that gave me strength to keep searching for answers for my daughter. It took us 8 years.
 
I have an undiagnosed child too. So I totally understand your frustration at not finding answers. I think it's good that the doctor responded to the annoyance she heard in your voice by asking you to come in at least that shows she has some deegree of empathy.

My son's current GI has also thrown around the idea that if we don't find anything in all our tests that we might need to throw some broad spectrum drug that target gut paresites & bacterial at him, to try and kill anything that might be lurking but not showing on blood and stool tests. We have lived and travelled in the third world too.

Our school doctor is insistant that I should not let him do that until he's exhausted all other tests (so far he's had barium x-ray & colonoscopy but still has not had Upper Endoscopy, Pill Cam or MRI) as she thinks that sort of medication could really knock him around.
 
I really do think you should ask for a referral to a pediatric Gastroenterologist. My son wasn't diagnosed until he was 15 but as a child(2nd and 3rd grade) he had bouts of vomiting and I was fobbed off by his ped saying he was just eating too early in the day(umm seriously?). It eventually passed both times and we didn't give it a second thought but now with his dx I often wonder if his vomiting was CD related.
 
I'd recommend seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist as well and keep pushing until you get answers. Until you get a diagnosis, get copies of all of his lab work and results. Sometimes the small bits all add up.

Just a thought, was he ever tested for Celiac Disease? I only ask because you said he had fewer problems while living in Mexico and most food products in Mexico are corn based rather than wheat based like in the US. Also, there is very little difference between Crohn's symptoms and Celiac symptoms.

Good luck!
 
I'd recommend seeing a pediatric gastroenterologist as well and keep pushing until you get answers. Until you get a diagnosis, get copies of all of his lab work and results. Sometimes the small bits all add up.

Just a thought, was he ever tested for Celiac Disease? I only ask because you said he had fewer problems while living in Mexico and most food products in Mexico are corn based rather than wheat based like in the US. Also, there is very little difference between Crohn's symptoms and Celiac symptoms.

Good luck!

Celiac panel was one of the tests that supposedly came back negative.

Thanks everyone. I definitely will ask about a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist. :)
 
Nothing new to offer - get the referral and don't let anyone tell you nothing is wrong when everything in your body (and obviously his gut) tells you something is *wrong*!!

Keep us posted - sorry you all are going through this... Pray you get the answers you need soon.
 
Get a GI referral. If you don't feel comfortable with current Doc. change it. And trust your instinct.
 
Blood panel for celiac is not the good std dx. You need a scope to determine celiac and need to be eating gluten regularly.
Also recommend ped Gi.
We were told alot of things before DS was dx.
 
I definitely think peds GI is the way to go next. My daughter had a similar story. Within 2 weeks the peds GI clinched the diagnosis. With a sibling with Crohn's, I think he/she will have a suspicion right away that he/she can confirm with scopes, MRE and or pill cam. I hope you can get the answers you need soon!
 
Good luck - hope you get the referral to a paediatric GI. Just keep pushing, it took me a year and a half to get my son diagnosed and 5 years to get my daughter's health issues sorted.
 
Good luck! I really hope you can get your Doctor to take you seriously and start listening! xx
 
Update:

Well, that was easier than I thought!! Got to the doctors and she already had prepared a script for a GI consult. I didn't even have to request anything. She mentioned that they will probably want to do both a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. She had all his history and labwork prepared and ready to go. Wow! Thanks everyone! Onto the next step. :)
 

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