[Veen]

How do you know that you actually understand a topic as well as a doctor? How do you verify that? It's not unusual for people to think they comprehend a topic at expert level, when in fact they do not. The correlation between confidence and understanding is not a reliable measure. That's why doctors are trained by more expert colleagues who can judge their true understanding, have to take exams, etc.

[Madmallard]

I think most people with complicated chronic diseases for more than a few years end up knowing more than most doctors about their condition and related conditions. Doctors are more breadth than depth. But the problem is that depth is what is absolutely necessary in these situations. But there is a lack of that among specialists too, or at least they are not willing to go outside of insurance mandated covered procedures and testing and it creates a really useless and frustrating scenario for the patients.

Doesn't matter how much GI doctors know when all they do is scope you. Sure doc scoping is sure going to help people with atypical intolerances, IBS, and any number of modern chronic conditions for which treatments are inadequate. They have to do better!