I am just so pissed off, again. I have a pouch and RA and on the 22nd of April my upper GI went nuts with pain and naseau. They found too much bile, acid, a hy. hernia, and saw that I wasn't emptying my stomach normally. I tried the normal meds but nothing has been helping. So now of course the new GI doc says hey it's depression since they can't find a reason for the high level of my pain vs. the mild results (their words) found in the tests. Man, I have been thru this before. Doc can't find an answer so of course it is in my head. I reminded him of the history of stomach ulcers and h. pylori but he wasn't listening. What a surprise. Maybe it is depression because I have now been suffering terible pain for almost 3 months waiting for appointments, tests, results etc. Yet even tho I fight the word depression I just get bent so out of shape when the doc can't find
an answer and so then, again, the problem is me. He wants to put me on anti-depressants. Has anyone else, anyone???, even had this type of situation? I feel so angry, sad and yes now
depressed. Any feedback will be great. This site is the best.

sarah kay

Dr. Bo Shen ( I think that is the name) at the Cleveland clinic is the guru of jpouches. He is the guy who everyone refers to when there is a problem. I spent 4 months getting progressivly worse and they kept saying it is only a fissure. Another Doc stepped in and said cuffitis. Never give 1 doc too much power. How does an anti depressant get rid of excess stomach acid?

Great question that I will ask at my next appointment on the 29th. Tho I trust the folks on this website more than any doc-so any idea on how an antidepressant gets rid of stomach acid?
Sorry I know it is not about a pouch. I do have chronic pouchitits too.
sk

Sarah...

Maybe he thinks that if he reduces your anxiety, that your stomach will become less acidic. There is a widely held belief that stress increases stomach acid, but I don't know if that is actually true. You should ask him to explain his rationale to you because it would confuse me as well, if i were in your shoes.

Doctors tell me I'm crazy all the time and offer me medications. I even tried to take them. Went through four different meds before giving up because the side effects were intolerable. Sometimes doctors just need to pull their heads out of their arses and remember that being sick in this fast paced, perfection obsessed, achievement oriented world can be legitimately depressing rather than it being a disorder called depression that occurs independently of negative experiences.

Needless to say, if anti depressants do help you then what have you got to lose? I know lots of people who take them and it helps them cope with life better.

I would suspect you should find a different doctor who will piece your medical history together and explain to you what he is seeing. To me, it doesn't seem at all like your symptoms are in your head. Doctors are just afraid to tell patients that they don't know what's going on for fear the patient will lose trust and respect for the doctor. The doctor you see sounds like he is dismissive, and when it comes to your body, nobody should treat you that way.

Sarah,
A good doctor is one that seeks advice from others or refers you to someone else for a second opinion. That's why I trusted my GI for so many years because when I told him I wanted a 2nd opinion he arranged my appointment at the Mayo Clinic.

It appears as you tried medications. Did you try prilosec and questran like ones? I probably spelled them wrong, Prolosec and meds like that are for stomach acid and Questran is to reduce bile acid.

I currently need anti-depressants but they are not for everybody. I hope you get medical help soon.

Thanks for lending and ear and the info as well.
Yes I have tried Questran (made my diarrhea worse) and Nexium among many other drugs. I am getting to
believe I just need to work with a GI doc that will work with me. The best advise I ever got from my psychiatrist was when he told me I had to
be captain of the ship in re: to my health. I needed doc, nurses etc to help out but ultimately
I am the captain. Yet it can be so damn hard at times when I am sick and in pain to have to act like a captain. I live alone so there's not much choice. Anyways, thanks for the notes folks. As always,
Sarah