Doctors have more than a stethoscope and thermometer in the black bag of medicine. They have readily available cop outs, and they are not afraid to use them. IBS is a favorite to pin on those who suffer adhesions. In fact, any patient who presents with nausea and abdominal pain will likely hear the IBS cop out. Irritable bowel syndrome is a vague, non-specific disorder, that completes your visit and gets you out the door so the doc can move on to the next patient.
After all, time is money.
Metamucil must love doctors. Suffering patients pay $50 (or more) for the office visit, leave feeling defeated, perhaps pick up a bottle of Metamucil and the prescription for the most popular antidepressant and head for home. But, for adhesion sufferers, Metamucil and an antidepressant is not going to solve the problem.
Soon, the sufferer is thumbing through the yellow pages (okay, clicking through the internet) in search of another doctor. Again, the sufferer will drop another $50 bucks or so just to hear the IBS cop out again. This will continue on and on, in addition to multiple, yet futile tests, until the sufferer decides his or her efforts to find help are useless.
Is it any wonder the average adhesion sufferer will search 7-10 years for an answer to pain? How many sufferers have completely given up?
I hear from many sufferers, and many who are still in search for an answer to pain. Here is a list of the most common complaints the suffering person hears from doctor after doctor:
1. You have IBS. 2. You are depressed. 3. Stress can cause stomach pain, constipation, diarrhea, etc. 4. You need a psychiatric evaluation. 5. Do you eat enough fiber? 6. You are not eating enough fiber. 7. Your blood work is normal. 8. We have completed all the tests and everything is normal. 9. It looks like Crohn's. We will get you started on some steroids. 10. You should be on a soft diet. 11. You need to learn how to "manage" your pain. 12. Who is abusing you at home?