I've recently been having a lot of trouble with my stomach/chest/throat. I've been cleared by a cardiologist that it has nothing to do with my heart, but the symptoms have persisted. My hausarzt had referred me to a gastroenterologist to get an endoscopy (and maybe also colonoscopy) done, but I didn't hear back from them last week. It's getting a bit desperate times since I'm down 15 kg in 1.5 months from not being able to eat. I thought I'd try to find someone as well on my own and ask my GP again to refer me to the new doctor. I think I have hit some walls since I'm young (27) and otherwise pretty healthy so I'm not high on the priority list.
I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a gastroenterologist in Zurich? It would be better if they spoke English since, while I do speak some German, speaking about medical things is difficult. Also, if anyone has had an endoscopy and colonoscopy done could you share the cost? I have paid about 3.5k out already in other doctor's bills and am waiting on reimbursements so I would like to have a ballpark for how much I should try to get ready since I'm a PhD student and don't have a ton of disposable income. Thank you!
Done one and they put you under and feel nothing so nothing to worry about.
If you're already above cost of deductible just go to a clinic and book one to do immediately. Losing 15kg is grave cause for concern, worry about the money later.
I'm surprised your GP is not more alarmed and treats this with so casually.
Consultations by referral from your Hausarzt or another doctor only, patients can't get an appointment on their own. But if your Hausartz refers you and explains that there is some urgency you might get an appointment quickly.
Nice person as well as a good doctor, actually takes time to listen to his patients. Happy to consult in English, btw.
Had a very positive experience recently at https://abdomed.ch/team/ . Dr. Schilling was extremely professional and efficient. Worth the short ride to Pfäffikon Schwyz, as it is 2 minutes from the station and a 26 minute train ride from Zùrich HB.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I will contact my Hausarzt tomorrow and see if she can recommend me to one of these doctors - - she is now at least taking it seriously. I also think it's urgent with the weight loss being so extreme and I was maybe 5kg overweight to begin with at most. A month ago I was told it was just anxiety (then I'd not lost as much weight), but when I went last week she was more moved to action seeing the weight loss and also that my throat was red and swollen and I'd been having a hard time swallowing. Hopefully one of these doctors will be able to figure out what is going on with my digestive system and I'll be able to eat again soon
Can't help with a recommendation (I'm in Geneva), but I can perhaps help with costings.
I had both a colonoscopy and endoscopy a couple of months ago and the doctor's bill was chf 1,400; on top of that there was a further 1,500 in lab fees.
The lab charges in your case will rather depend on what samples the gastro took and what he'd asked the lab to look for, but should give you some idea of what to expect. If you've reached your annual franchise (and it sounds like you have) you'll get most of the money back.
Some doctors send the bill to the patient who must pay and submit the bill to the insurance for reimbursement. It can be done the other way round: get the bill, obtain the reimbursement and only then pay the doctor. Since this can take a while longer, it's best to check that the doctor will be willing to wait, and not send you demands for payment.
Better yet is asking whether the dictor would be able to send the bill directly to your medical insurance company. Some (best to check) doctors have set up this arrangement with the insurers.
Also, you could enquire from your medical insurance when they will reimburse you for the last lot of bills you've already submitted. If you happen to get a sympathetic person on the phone, he/she may be able to expedite matters. You might be able to ask someone else to make the phonecall for you, in German, or just try in English and apologise.
All the best. What you're going through sounds worrying, so I hope you can settle the financial side swiftly. As long as YOU know that you're a reliable, honest bill-payer, then if need be, go ahead and charge these (or some other) costs to your credit card, or ask for an advance from the ETH. But please do not delay in getting proper tests done.
I was assuming 2k-3k for the costs (depending on what's done) so it looks like that is a good ballpark figure. I unfortunately have Swisscare and they said they only pay up front in special circumstances and evaluate case by case. So the first thing I'll do is see if they can pay this upfront. If not, I have a few friends who had offered to lend me money to cover bills (I can pay them back as soon as the reimbursements are in) so I'm very very lucky there. I wish I had gotten a more expensive, more reliable insurance, but didn't expect to get sick. It's funny because I had this feeling I should switch my insurance late last year and didn't, perhaps my body knew somehow it was getting sick. I think the finances should be okay. I just wanted to know around how much so I could call swisscare and speak with them. I'm still waiting on some bills to arrive so likely I won't be able to afford everything alone, even with the reimbursements, but worst case I can take a loan from a friend for a few thousand to cover me. My Franchise is only 300 chf so I should get a lot of my money back. They've tested basically everything but the digestive system so far. Since I'm having chest pain as well they first thought it was my lungs or heart and I've had an emergency visit at the start of this plus tons and tons of lab tests and female doctor checks. I'm hoping these new tests will now show something since it's at the point even drinking plain water causes bloating and discomfort and all food causes pain after a few bites. I figured get the tests done and sort finances later since it seems serious.
Hello Astrorocks! Where are you studying? I know that ETHZ offers short-term loans (up to CHF2000, payable right away, only a simple application form required) to students to sort them out in case a difficult situation arises. Here is the link: https://www.ethz.ch/studierende/de/s.../darlehen.html
I assume UZH has the same.
This will save you the trouble of getting indebted to a friend.
Do try and get confirmation from Swisscare before proceeding with the exam, and do ask your doctor to provide a clear referral to the specialist (you will probably need to submit it to Swisscare).
I also have had some problems with my stomach but I am older(66) More of a problem with enzymes etc. Went to the fellows in Thalwil. Nice guys but prescribed with meds. Checked the web and it says the meds not good on a long term. So I have been checking the web for solutions. Many suggestions.
I considered checking paramed in Barr.
I am tired of going to the Dr. and being prescribed with meds. So I look for Drs. that are wilingl to help.
The problem could be stress related. The stomach is part of the autonomic nervous system. I have been doing biofeedback for a number of years and have many people with these problems. Stress can have a tremendous affect on our health. I am not promoting my services. Actually kind of semi retired. One thing I teach people is simple breathing. As it does affect the nervous system.
I know it has been a while since you made this post but I would greatly appreciate if you can tell us what was the issue you were having finally? I am currently having a very similar issue but no one is yet able to figure out what is going on despite mutiple tests (blood, x-ray, ct scan, endoscopy, colonoscopy, etc) with the past 3 months!
I too have been having some issues. I think that I may have GERD gastroesophageal reflux disease. Thee problem can be with stomach acid. I have now risen my head while sleeping. Also take something called Basica. Aslo avoid acidic foods and even carbonated drinks. I am also thinking that the stress and anxiety from corona can also contribute. The first thing the Drs. will prescribe are pump inhibitors. Research lately that they can contribute to alzheimeer's plus other things. Get onto the web and do a search on Gerd and check out the symptoms.
In regard to the above posts (in case this might be of any help to anyone)... I was having awful, recurring stomach pains for well over a year, a few years ago. Was worse when I laid down for bed. A burning sensation. My doctor sent me for an endoscopy (which included a biopsy), and they didn't find anything other than some mild inflammation in my stomach. So then I decided to stop eating anything with gluten for a while, to see if that helped. It didn't. Then I stopped eating or drinking anything with lactose, and Voila! That did the trick. No more awful stomach pains.
Apparently, lactose intolerance can 'strike' at any time, at any age. I think it may be the same with gluten intolerance.
Another thing that was causing me pain for a long time was the magnesium oxide tablets that I was taking each night. Then finally one day I came across info about the oxide form of magnesium sometimes burning the wall of people's intestines. So I stopped those and switched to the glycinate form of magnesium, which is best on the stomach.
So maybe try to make some changes in your diet and whatever you might take in the form of supplements, etc. to see if anything helps. I'm actually kind of mad that my doctor had never once mentioned that my problem could be lactose. The gastroenterologist had never mentioned it, either.
Some common signs of mild to severe anxiety include, for example, discomfort in your stomach. Another would be a feeling of tightness or pressure in your chest causing, for example, shortness or tightness of breath, or causing irregularities in the rhythms of your heartbeat, or irregularities in your gastro-intestinal tract.
Once again I recommend focusing on breathing. Sounds simple but takes effort to practice.