I came to Dr. Caudill with new and very worrying symptoms of a previously diagnosed condition. I didn't know what to make of him at first, because he seemed nice enough but also interrupts whenever you take too long to answer a question, which was off-putting. He wrapped up the session by asking some questions about my mental health, which I assume are routine, but something told me then where this was heading. He asked if I had a history of abuse and, when I said yes, asked for details. I thought this was a little weird and definitely a boundary violation, but I just politely declined to expand and our session ended shortly after. He ordered some bloodwork and x-rays - the bloodwork tested for Celiac disease, which was ruled out numerous times when I had to doctor-hop pre-diagnosis as a child. He called to inform me that my x-rays came back negative as well - including for my previously diagnosed condition - which I expected. However, rather than coming up with a new plan of attack to get me some answers, his plan was to "sideline" himself while I got my depression, anxiety, and PTSD "under control." The first issue is that, after confirming that I have both depression and anxiety, I assured him that my mental health is the best it's been in a while and that my symptoms also have nothing to do with my stress levels. The more obvious issue is that he thought himself qualified to diagnose me with PTSD after asking me two questions about abuse. My therapist will be pleased to know that I received a diagnosis from a qualified professional! Looking at his other reviews online, I'm not surprised to see that mental illness is his cop-out. The other issue, though, is that he gave up after two tests came back negative and decided to have me wait out the symptoms that have hindered my daily activities and schoolwork for two months. I guess he thought I was just making it up, or else wasn't interested enough to press for answers. I was hoping Dr. Caudill would be a good doctor with somewhat impersonal bedside manner, but instead he gave up, pinned my symptoms on my mental health, and overstepped several personal and professional boundaries by speaking beyond his qualifications. He has also left me back at square one trying to find a doctor who will believe me and actually treat my worsening symptoms.
Update: I felt the need to make a little addition that I feel further highlights Dr. Caudill's unwillingness to search for answers - and, perhaps, my findings may help others. My original "unofficial" diagnosis is gastroparesis, unofficial because I have all the symptoms but normal gastric emptying. Dr. Caudill, relying on tests rather than patient experience and symptoms, decided that nothing was wrong except my mental health. This prompted me to do my own research and, in doing so, I've discovered that it's actually quite common for patients to present with symptoms such as mine, and the term "gastroparesis-like syndrome" has been applied to it. Researchers have begun to incorporate this into their studies, trying to identify if it's its own entity or on the spectrum of GP. It's amazing to me that a 21-year-old English major can spend 5 minutes on Google and find an excellent study that proves my symptoms are both real and unrelated to mental health, but a specialist with 30 years of experience in his field gave up after two tests. read more