Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Heather, Shawn Eric/Dr. Drossman

After seeing Dr. Drossman's name mentioned over and over again in posts, I realized he is at UNC-Chapel Hill, which is 3 hours from me. I looked up his website and got a phone number for the Center for Functional GI and Mobility Disorders at UNC-Chapel Hill. I called and talked to a woman there yesterday and she encouraged me to make an appointment to see him or one of the other doctors there (a woman, a Dr. Helbert, I think). It takes 2-4 months to get an appointment and I think Dr. Drossman is covered under my insurance.
My question is: is he an expert on IBS? Would it be worth the 3-hour drive to see him? And the 2-4 month wait? She said he consults with first-time patients for 1 1/2 hours and that it is a multi-disciplinary practice. Since I have other issues that I'm sure affect my IBS (bipolar disorder) and take medication for that, she told me that he would consult with the other doctors at the medical school to determine what would be the best treatment for me. It sounds too good to be true!
Also, she did recommend a doctor here in Charlotte, a Dr. Rick Sigmond, that trained with Dr. Drossman at UNC-CH in l983-84. I'm trying to determine if I should just go see him, or if it would be worth my time to drive to Chapel Hill to see Dr. Drossman.
Can you offer me any advice? I have IBS-C. The gastro doctor I saw here several months ago only spent a few minutes with me, told me I could take milk of magnesium every day, and said there was nothing he could do to help me. I am better after following your eating guidelines, but still have problems.

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