Radiation damage to small bowel

@beanglow Welcome! You’ve mentioned many G.I. symptoms, none of them fun to deal with. The title for this discussion is Radiation Damage to Small Bowel— have you had radiation treatments? Can you go back to the radiation center and talk with those doctors? Also, maybe find a new gastroenterologist! You shouldn’t have to deal with all this. Keep a record of what you eat, what symptoms you have after eating, what medications bother you, etc. All of this together can give a good picture of what’s going on. I really wish you luck and hope everything gets better.

I'm not sure if my replies are getting posted. When I try to enter anything in the@ Mention Someone box it moves me down to the reply box. What am I doing wrong>

@becsbuddy I had radiation treatments after my rectal cancer surgery in 2001. My symptoms have been getting worse over the years. I am seeing another GI doctor at the University of Michigan hospital. I have been keeping records but haven't been able to pinpoint anything as yet. I'm going back to the doctor on March 28. He wants to do more testing. I've been living on Boost and very small amounts of food. I continue to lose weight. Thank you for your suggestions and good wishes. I truly appreciate it. Elaine

@beanglow I’m glad you have another appointment and 2nd opinion! My sister goes to University of Michigan for her rare autoimmune disease and she really likes the doctors. Maybe I can get her to message you and tell you of her experience, if that’s ok. Dealing with doctors and finding the right one can be tough at times. I wish you the best of luck.
P.S. your replies are getting posted! You hit the ‘mention someone’ box and it goes to the reply box with a little @ symbol. Then you can write in the person’s “name.” Just like I did at the beginning of this message
Becky

Hello @beanglow

I too see a GI doctor (and an endocrinologist) at Univ. of Michigan. I've had a rare form of cancer (neuroendocrine tumors) and after the first two surgeries, I went to Univ. of Michigan for the third surgery and I've also been very pleased with my doctors and the care there. I hope you have good results and get some answers to your problem.

When is your appointment at U of M?

@beanglow You are not doing anything wrong. When it opens that up you should put the name of the person next to the @ sign so they will be flagged in their email that there is a response to them. Then continue on with your message.
JK

I’m @becsbuddy ’s sister who relies on the UofM doctors to manage my problems. I think they’re great for a number of reasons, the most important being the different specialists (I see 2 primarily) talk to each other about their patients. And they can refer you to others within the system and they all confer with each other. I am gradually transferring all care to them, and seeing my primary care physician (PCP) between visits to Ann Arbor. The UofM doctors send detailed reports to my PCP and she, in turn, reports back to them after she she sees me. Best of luck and let me know if I can provide additional information.

Hello @molly48823

Welcome to Mayo Connect and thank you for your encouragement to @beanglow. Your sister @becsbuddy mentioned in a previous post that you had a rare autoimmune disorder. I would encourage you to take a look at Connect's discussions on autoimmune disorders. You might find some helpful information there.

If you are comfortable sharing more, what type of autoimmune disorder do you have? How long ago were you diagnosed? How are you feeling with your current treatment?

@becsbuddy I would like to hear from your sister about her experiences with U of M. Thanks for the info on how to reply to posts. Thanks for the good wishes. May you be blessed. Elaine

@hopeful33250 My appointment is March 28. I'm glad to hear that people have had good experiences with U of M. The doctor I saw at my first appointment is an intern. He did call in a resident to consult with us. I have exchanged emails with the intern and also had a phone call from him. Thanks for your good wishes.