Colonic Diverticular Disease

This morning, I received a call from my father's new doctor (his 3rd one, introduced by a very dear friend of mine).

Dr. Wong "I think I know what's wrong with your father, when you reached hospital, give me a call and I'll explain to you."

Me: "ok, will go there and call you"

After I hung up the phone, I was so so scared and worried. I asked my sister to accompany me (luckily, she's not working today).

Actually it's a good news. My father got Colonic Diverticular Disease. After months or nearly 1 year, finally a doctor can tell us CLEARLY what's wrong. My father need NOT go through surgery, but just need to control his diet. If there's no constipation, then most of the time the pain won't attack him again. Sounds simple, isn't it, but why can't the doctors detected and told us earlier???

Thinking back, I can't help "salute" those so called specialist doctors! Not 1 but 3!!!

1st doctor - Dr. A, a gastroenterologist- told my father there's tiny "holes" in my father's colon, but there's nothing to worried about. That's all he said to my father! Every time my father in pain, he just gave antibiotics and some constipation and did not bother to explain why. Did not bother!!! Because he's famous. He got lots of patients, he didn't bother to tell my father what to do to prevent all this, put my father in grey clouds wondering why he kept on getting stomach pain.

2nd doctor - Dr. B, a surgeon - This one my father saw when he admitted into hospital emergency on November 2009 (I can say this is tip-top hospital in my area). He did not check back my father's previous records carefully. He thinks there's something wrong with appendix. He actually bought a friend-gastroenterologist with him to check on my father, his friend just used his hands and fingers to press my father's stomach and claimed nothing wrong. This time when my father admitted again few days ago, he even suggested my father to remove his appendix, at the same time, he can also "look" inside my father's stomach to find anything wrong. A big BUT here is the scan shows that my father's appendix is NORMAL, NOTHING WRONG!!!

I objected to this strongly and one my father's friend also asked him NOT to do it. I called my dear friend, who is a doctor herself. She's so helpful that she called up her squad of doctor friends and introduce me this 3rd doctor - Dr. Wong a gastroenterologist, who is coincidently in the same hospital as my father is staying.

Dr. Wong is so detailed and careful, asking every single records and scan results my father had. He told us that at one look, he knew why my father keep on getting stomach pain. Same as Dr. A, there's "hole" or "lump" in my father's colon. Difference is he didn't tell us "never mind" and explained to us in details!!! He said further scan or surgery in NOT necessary. Most important, he taught us a way to prevent it and lessen the chances of pain attack.

We are so relief and happy to hear the result. I can see that my father is happier and more energetic than yesterday. It's so sad to see him at such condition, not only in pain, but like beaten and don't know what to do next.

At the same time, I do feel angry towards the so called specialist doctors! One did not bother to spent time EXPLAINING, one did not bother to transfer my father to another doctor and insist on operating my father, one just use his hands to press and check as if he had a scanner in his hand and mind! Why???? Because of money they risk the patients life????

P/S: If you want to know more about colonic diverticular disease, click here.