The Trip to the Gastroenterologist

Hi friends,

Once again I must thank you for your prayers for Mom. Today was, overall, a pretty good day for her even though we still don't have a diagnosis. But we can see God's hand at work in what happened this morning.

When Mom and Dad got to the gastroenterologist's office, there was a problem. They hadn't been referred to him by a primary care physician (PCP). That meant that insurance wouldn't pay for the visit. To get a referral from Mom's PCP was impossible -- her PCP moved to Puerto Rico last week! But obviously, Mom needed to see the doctor. It just so happens that there is a Physician's Assistant (PA) in the same building with the doctor, and it just so happens that she had a cancellation this morning. So, the doctor's staff suggested that Mom go see the PA and then get a referral to the doctor from her. That is exactly what happened. This turned out to be a blessing because the PA is much more into natural medicine than the doctor, and she has knowledge about Mom's type of chemical sensitivities. It was very encouraging for Mom to find someone who understood her concerns and needs. When finished with the PA, Mom got to see the gastroenterologist.

To get to the results of the two visits. The PA suggested that Mom visit another internal medicine doctor who has more knowledge of chemical sensitivities and natural medicine than the gastroenterologist. Mom has gotten an appointment lined up with this new doctor, but it's not until next Monday (June 29).

The gastroenterologist wants to do an endoscopic examination from both "ends" of the "alimentary canal", if you know what I mean. If he's telling the truth, he should be quite competent to do it. He says he's done 25,000 colonoscopies with no perforations, which is an excellent track record. (Average is 1 perforation per 2000 colonoscopies.) However, Mom is holding back for a few reasons, including concerns over how she would respond to the anesthetic. However, she may still wind up going ahead with the scans depending on what happens to her physically in the next few days.

Thanks again for your prayers. God is using this for good in our lives. I will keep you posted as there are further developments.