We are back from Hazel’s trip to Doc Gut today and it was a really weird experience.

At first he seemed very rude and offish, not wanting us to be there at all.

When we were called into his room there was no greeting or introduction, just a rather abrupt, “why are you here?” which was followed by a series of abrupt and rather short questions, often interrupting Hazel’s responses. He gave no impression of having read the referral letter nor looked at the Hazel’s medical history which was sitting in a file on his lap. During the questioning he was constantly fiddling with his pen, staring off into the distance, and his body language was such that he seemed to be paying us no attention at all.

It all came to a head when he asked Hazel what she did for a living. Hazel explained that she was a librarian, but that she hadn’t been a work for over 18 months, this seemed to surprise him, (confirming my suspicions that he had not read her medical history), and he then began to ask why. This was difficult for Hazel to explain, as by this point she was visibly upset by his manner and questioning, (a fact that he had missed up to this point), and whilst she was giving her answer her voice broke slightly. He then noticed how upset and fragile she was. By this point I had had enough of his apparent ignorance and spoke up, to try and explain to him why we were with him, and point out some of Hazel’s blood tests and symptoms that could be related to something gastroenterological. He responded to by question quite politely and he seemed to completely change.

He then turned into a very polite and caring doctor. All the questions were explained fully, and Hazel’s responses were verbally and physically acknowledged and affirmed in some way. He affirmed that there was a need for us to be there and then went on to explain the next steps.

He said that Hazel’s symptoms sound a lot like Irritable Bowel Syndrome, (IBS) but that he wanted to do a series of tests to rule out Crohn’s disease. These would involve blood and others tests along with an endoscopy. The referral for this will take about 6 – 8 weeks to come through. He explained that the tests he will be doing will either indicate Crohn’s or something else they can treat, or it will be clear which will result in a diagnosis of IBS.

We then left him, with him holding the door open for us, patting us on the back and saying lots of reassuring things which gave the impression he cared and was taking ownership of the problems that he could.

It was an entirely weird experience, it went from a point where I was fuming and wanting to write complaints about him, to the both of us leaving there feeling reasonably happy to see him. The end result was somewhat unusual as well. As he indicated that whatever comes from the tests Hazel will receive a diagnosis. One that may only explain her bowel problems, but a diagnosis nonetheless. For us as a couple that is a rare occurrence, so a small victory.

This means that we are again waiting for appointment dates, one for Hazel’s endoscopy, and one for the immunologist. Hazel’s next appointment is with the psychiatrist to see if she needs any help coping with her illness. This is on 20th July but I will post more on that one nearer the time.