Endocrinologist Visit
Posted , 10 users are following.
Hi Ladies just wanted to give you guys an update on my endocrinologist visit today. Well first of all , I specifically asked to be seen by a female but the only two females in the office was booked until May so this is how i got stuck with a male. According to his beliefs, perimenopause doesn't cause all of the symptoms I'm having. The only symptoms that are from peri are hot flashes, and naseau . Guys this man made me feel worse than before . I m losing weight , I am down to 105. I don't know why im losing . But all of this started during the time of perimenopause. I'm trying to explain to him. I've went there because I'm having thyroid symptoms also. So he ask me so what happened in 2017 and i told him that it started with my digestion and few days later got a period and symptoms disappeared but returned right afterward period ends. According to him my thyroid is fine and perimenopause does not cause weight loss, digestion issues, heart palpitations, insomnia, etc. I even mentioned to him about talking to other women online who have some of the same symptoms. He told me to stop reading things online and what others say because something else may be going on with them besides perimenopause because it is not known to cause digestion issue. and all these other symptoms you re mentioning. He even turned up his nose at my naturopathic bloodwork that I brought. He said he has never seen any bloodwork with those ranges and he doesnt know where he gets that from. According to his ranges , I am in range. He asked what has my GYN has to say about all of this.. i told him that she said some women have easy ones and some don't but she has never doubted this is what im feeling. He continues to tell me that to stay in contact with my primary dr and my GI dr to be sure it's not anything else. I told him i had a colonoscopy and endoscope done in 2017 when this all started . I cant even continue with what else he said because just thinking about it makes me upset. I had anxiety when I went in and coming out it was worse because of the things he said to me. I told the lady at the front desk that I did not like him and i won't be coming back to see him though he ordered bloodwork. She said I tried to tell you to wait for an appt with one of the female. She asked did i want to speak with the office manager about it. I told the manager that i did not like him and i will not be seen by him again. I know my body better than he does.. so he asked were you aware that you cannot change doctors once you see one , of course i said no ..in my case he will talk to one of the females and see if they have avail appt. Now he has me freaking out with health anxiety and feeling worse than before. I mean he belittled everything I said and the other drs opinion or view if it was not a conventional dr. He asked what did your GYN has to say about all of this..i said she told me that some women have easy ones and some don't. But she has never doubted what i feel. He ordered blood work for my adrenals to make sure it's nothing else and checking for tumors. He suggested to go back to my GI dr and request another colonoscopy and endoscope. He asked when was the last time you saw your GI dr? I said November and she ordered an ultrasound on pelvic and abdominal. So I assume since it started with my digestion then it must be my digestion and not perimenopause. My daughter had a appt also there with a pediatric endocrinologist . I was very impressed with her ..i immediately knew i would like her when she entered the room but with him I immediately knew the opposite when he entered the room. Ladies, your instinct never lie! I spent $161 individually for these visits. A waste of money for my visit.
0 likes, 12 replies
Guest mary27278
Posted
Hi Mary, I saw 2 endos in 2017 male and female (younger) and 1 last year... male. For being hormone drs, I did not find that any of them had any knowledge about female hormones. They were all nice to deal with, but most of them are trained to treat diabetes or thyroid issues. The last one drew me a cute diagram of how our thyroid works...moron. My primary dr knows nothing as well. Stick with your gyno if you like her. There are reproductive endos too, but they mainly help with infertility.
I went to an integrative dr too...took 14 viles of blood out of me. Tried to tell me I had lyme disease and sell me a program of supplements and antibiotics.... even though the tests all came back negative. I had been tested before too. Then, called me a month later telling me I had hypothyroidism. Again, my blood work was fine. Interestingly, my female hormone levels were off, but I guess they were not in the hormone business. Not to belittle alternative drs, there are some good ones! They are just not very well regulated where I live! Turned out, I met with a physicians assistant who majored in nutrition.
In the beginning...I lost weight too...15-20lbs I got down too 100 lbs. I have since gained some back. I thought I was a textbook case of hyperthyroid, but no. I had a colon and endoscopy too. All clear. You probably are not eating as much as you think...I started writing things down and I was barely eating 500 calories a day. Some days I ate nothing...too weak to have been bothered. When I am worried...I do not eat. You are probably worried, run down and scared! The bad stuff is easy, they can usually figure it out right away.
Thanks for the update! Sorry he made you feel worse than when you walked in.
kelly55079 mary27278
Posted
That's awful.. Sorry that happened to you. Try to shake it off and move forward. Sometimes Dr. don't know everything that we think they do or even the answers we want to hear. I know that I have researched 'things' to go into the Dr's office and they seemed puzzled which I take with a grain of salt. Like you said, you know your own body and what's going on. Stick to the Dr's that know you. Have you considered visiting a nutritionist? The reason I ask is because I am going to visit one for a 'blood test analysis'. I want more answers from my blood test. Yes, the doctors have their standards BUT I would like a different prescriptive.
mary27278 kelly55079
Posted
Im seeing a nutritionist now but he only does muscle testing..no blood work. He does look at your blood work. I meet with him today.
kelly55079 mary27278
Posted
So how did it go? Did the nutririonist give you any information that you didn't know? The one that I'm going to doesn't do blood work, they just go off of your blood test levels. All dr like the endocrinologist you saw tend to stick to certain ranges. I have heard this before with my GP 'well, your in the range, blah blah blah'.. This is why I wanted to take a different approach thru a nutritionist.This one that I'm seeing next week is about 10 years younger than me but I still would like to hear about what she has to say about hormones and my symptoms.
Guest mary27278
Posted
Hi Mary,
I am sorry you had this experience. Sadly, the more I connect with other women this seems to be the norm. When I first experienced symptoms of perimenopause at 48 (I am now about to be 53), digestive issues were the first thing that happened. I too lost weight. I had actual stomach pain that would last for 7-9 days where I could barely digest anything. I lived on soup, tea and saltines. The miraculously it would lift and I could again. I was still having periods at that time but they were wonky - 28 days, 17 days, 35 days, etc.
Clients started commenting on my weight loss. I too had an upper endoscopy and the only thing that came back was a benign 'area of erosion' which the md said was symptomatic of the gastritis I had been experiencing.
When I mentioned to him about hormones and how much they can affect the digestive system he turned to me and said he had never heard of that - seriously...
This has been a tough time for me and I have learned a lot about about myself and even more so about the medical community. What I now know for sure is that we have to be our biggest advocate . Read, read, read. Don't doubt yourself. You know better.
I can tell you that when my periods stopped about 2 1/2 years ago, the gastritis improved. I still suffer from occasional gerd and nausea but my weight came back (too much now - have the muffin top we all hear about). I also take supplements that help coat my stomach lining. It is one capsule that contains slippery elm, marshmallow, and aloe vera - all known to help the stomach lining.
I am not out of the woods by any any means. I experience different awful symptoms now - more anxiety and depressed moods, worsened migraines, muscle aches and spasms, heart palpitations and fatigue.
Working on fixes for all of that as well...
Keljo48 mary27278
Posted
Well, I would leave a strongly worded review on that male Doctor to let others know he is single minded and ignorant in his views.I have been bullied by male doctors in the past. I have no time for their arrogant BS anymore. I am angry for you, that you should have to justify yourself to any medical professional isn't right. Your issues should be taken seriously.
But to be honest, though my late 30's female GP knows about hormones but has listed now that she will no longer accept patients with any hormone issues. She is not accepting of hormones issues at all. I am wicked enough to hope she gets knocked on her butt with menopause. KARMA. I go to my GYN (who is a bit older than me) to deal with hormone issues now or mostly just suffer. Sometimes it just feels like battling uphill for help and menopause is an uphill battle as it is.
Sassyr12a mary27278
Posted
Hi Mary
I'm sorry you had that experience today. All I can say is try not yo let it drag you down or put you off, you know he's completely wrong, it's just a shame you lost the money and didn't get the answers you should have had today. Don't let him make you anxious, just breathe and push on because he's just not the right doctor for you. Everything you have listed can be linked to menopause /hormones, but sometimes they are so hung up on what they think they completely forget about the person suffering....... Idiot Xxx
julie7525 mary27278
Posted
hi mary, digestive issues was one of the first changes i noticed in perimenopause. extreme bloating right hand lower side and burping. also palpitations, hot flashes, anxiety, amongst others! 3 yrs on i still have a irritable stomach (i had a series of tests to rule out various nasties, so by default its ibs, possibly!? ) i go from constipated to loose, bloat easily according to what i eat though thankfully the non stop burping has abated! its well known that peri/meno affects the working of the digestive system. it amazes me how little many doctors know about it, considering how common it is and how much of a disruption it can cause to our lives! I guess its wise to have the tests to rule out other stuff, then do our own research into improving digestion. ive gained well over a stone since menopause and am just trying apple cider vinegar for gut health and hopefully to help lose some fat around my middle! i had such a bad time with anxiety that the weight was my least concern, but now i hate being chunky and not fitting in my old clothes after always being slim! dont let your doctor get you down - we all know theres a link between peri and digestive issues- even if he doesnt lol. reckon i should see a nutritionist myself
sharcerv52408 julie7525
Posted
It was because I was having digestive issues that I Googled my symptoms and it lead me straight to a post from this forum which is how I found this wonderful place where I can vent and relate to women going through the same thing. Am I ever glad I did!
sharcerv52408 mary27278
Edited
What an awful and horrendous experience! I am so sorry that you had to go through that! What a complete idiot he is! He should have his license revoked. Is there a website to that clinic or office where you can leave your review? If the other reports came back normal from the other doctors then who is he to discredit them! He's got me heated now. Just reading this has me unnerved! I went through something similar with my mammograms. They kept sending me back and forth because the films were coming out unclear. They took sonograms of both breasts and an ultrasound of both but still kept sending me back for mammograms. But the idiot people refuse to see that if the sonogram was clear and showed nothing and ultrasound was clear and showed nothing then something must be wrong with the mammography machine. These medical people can be book smart but their common sense is lacking. 🙄
mary27278 sharcerv52408
Edited
As a matter of fact I just received a text to rate my visit and of course u gave him a zero. They then sent a link to explain ..oh yes i will definitely do that.
abigail43097 mary27278
Posted
Hi Mary
I have had repeated digestion problems during peri-menopause and have treatment from a Chinese Medicine practitioner. He totally understands the weakness I am suffering because of not getting nutrition from my (healthy) diet. Once I am stronger he then treats the heat in my body that causes the flushes etc. Symptoms are cyclical and I just go round the remedies I need as required. Definitely helps to know one is listened to and respected. Good luck.