i am going to go see GI dr. because i am tired of going through pain and ready for answers and maybe change in medicine. Do you have to get your regular dr. to refer you to GI dr. or can you just make an appt. with a GI dr. yourself? i have never seen GI dr. so just wondering how it is done

I would say that this would depend pretty much on your insurance. They decide for us all today on what we can, and can not do-and on what drugs they will cover. I'd start by asking them to be sure you would have coverage without a refferal.

Do you have a PPO plan, HMO plan or another type? If it is PPO then you should be able to do what you want, but the others are pretty strict. I would call you insurance plan administrators and ask. Sometimes your HR dept can help as well. We have a PPO plan and have not had any problems with what they call "self referral".
Best of luck to you! I am calling the GI doc on Monday too, to see if I can finally put a stop to all of this garbage. My regular doc is good, but all of her remedies and drugs and really just barely touching the surface of my issues!
Take Care of You!!!
CrazyLife