Does anyone know of a good gastroenterologist in the south or south west of England?

[KJay]

I wanted to ask if anyone can recommend a good gastroenterologist in the south or south west of England. I was told I was suffering from IBS but my GP has said that my symptoms are suggestive of pancreatitis (there is pancreatitis in the family). My local hospital did an ultrasound of the gallbladder, endoscopy and colonoscopy and said that there was nothing there and it must be IBS. I was already losing weight (I am a small person anyway) and when I went on the IBS diet I lost even more weight (it also exacerbated my symptoms). In all the IBS books I have read, the symptoms I have are all flagged up as not being caused by IBS.

My GP is a nice lady but basically fussed about saying she didn't know who to refer me on to. After a month of inaction I decided to stick a pin in a list of names and go privately to a hospital in London. What a big mistake that was! The consultant was Dr Evil personified! Because I didn't have private health insurance he seemed more worried that he might not get paid and I think realised that he wasn't going to get lots of money out of me for expensive tests.

He didn't listen and was very intimidating. Everything I said he contradicted and he then told me that if I 'pursued the pancreas' I wouldn't get anywhere. He said this over and over again to me and it was said as if it was a threat.

When I went back to the NHS consultant, I found out that 'Dr Evil' had contacted her. She kept saying it was IBS. After I got Professor Hunter's book out on IBS and said that the book said my symptoms were red flag symptoms for IBS, she grudgingly agreed to do a stool test for elastase but said that they didn't do any other tests at the hospital. She said it was IBS and I needed to follow the diet 'Dr Evil' recommended (FODMAP).

I have virtually excluded all trigger foods in this diet anyway and don't want to lose anymore weight (I have lost nearly a stone) trying yet another diet and I have osteoporosis as well. I have some form of IBS but know it's part of another underlying problem and am very worried as to what it might be.

Can anyone recommend a good and sympathetic gastroenterologist who's not on a power trip and is genuinely interested in their patients?

All recommendations gratefully appreciated!