Yep - we don't have insurance, it's all the National Health Service (unless you're wealthy enough or your company pays for private insurance).
We have to find a doctor (GP) in our locality to register with them and they DON'T take kindly to people swapping and changing often. I think a some of it's to do with money, but also time pressures. A GP has to meet his targets - something totally ridiculous like see one patient every 4 minutes!!! So basically they don't have much time for anything other than arrange a blood-test, referral or write a prescription. Of course, some are more helpful than others.
As for consultants/specialists at hospital, some of their attitude is just a professional arrogance - they like to be totally sure of themselves and in total control - they can't cope with anything vague, don't want patients to take their health into their own hands or be giving them info, and some of them are only interested in certain diseases or types of surgery because that's what feeds their ego. To a certain extent, medical training is flawed as science tells them to only believe what they can see in front of them.
Of course, this is only the negative and unhelpful bunch. I'm sure that some are truly wonderful. There are some who do now believe in IBS - enough to be doing research and reporting on it. The NHS itself in the UK gives advice for IBS (and doesn't even say it's caused by stress) so if I saw this consultant, I'd have to wave this info under his nose, not that it's likely to change his mind!
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Re: "I don't believe in IBS"
