Gacek's protocol and his response

I tell you what. If you are waiting for someone with just the rifht credentials to come up with something they guarantee you will work for you, you will have a long wait and i guarantee you will not find a person with those credentials on this board though you will find some people 'who know a guy who knows ....'. Use you head, try to find something that works for you but nobody is going to bring it to you on a silver platter. That is not the state of the art right now.

 

I love the way percentages are thrown around. We have no idea whether they can back it up. Gasek.had great success with anti-virals. I have found doctors in general to be disappointing. With Meniere's they are deplorable. They don't agree on what causes it or how to treat it. It makes perfect sense to start with less intrusive means first. Anti virals, diuretics whatever. It just amazing. The medical field has to get its act together. Two doctors treating the same disease can't agree on treatment or a course of treatment. Remarkable.

 

Why remarkable? No two incidences of Meniere’s are the same. There are a common set of symptoms, but no one, including the participants in this, one of life’s more complex challenges, can agree on what causes it, what triggers attacks, the severity and impact on lives, or what is the single best course of action.

It is no wonder that the medical community are confused and perplexed. They like certainty and the lack of double blind clinical trials, feeds that uncertainty. I agree that the percentages bandied about are mainly subjective nonsense without the aforementioned trials. For those who attribute their improvement to AVs their success rate is 100%. How many have ceased all other treatments and then stopped taking them in order to see what happens? Not many I would wager, because once an element of control is established it is very hard to give up. Faith and the placebo effect are powerful forces. And all the while spontaneous remission can kick in...

Before the anti-trollers pipe up that is not to say that AVs don’t work!

I read once that we are to the medics what they call “heart sink patients”

 

Wow. All I can say is I think June- completely misunderstood my intent, my tone and what I'm about.

 

Hard to treat something when you don't know what causes it.

Now we all know how those suffering with Alzheimers, Autism, Pulmonary Hypertension and many other diseases with no cure feel when they go to the doctor and they are told we don't know or have the answers.

We all feel Doctors should know the answers and cures to everything and we get upset when they don't but lets appreciate the drive and determination they have to continue to fight, research, dedicate their lives to trying to find these answers for these diseases.

The truth is we will all suffer and die from something where there are no cures and answers. Where a doctor looks you in the eye and says there is nothing more we can do and you have 3 months to live.

Maybe we should be grateful menieres is not one of those diseases.

 

Entirely possible, my apologies.

 

Bingo!!!!!

 

http://health.usnews.com/doctors/richard-gacek-213666

On this page it states he has a speciality and is board certified. I went to a search page that purports to verify board certification and his name did not come up as verified. But then neither did dr derebery at house ear who i know is board certified, nor another specilist i know to be board certified. So i wouldnt jump to conclusions here based on an internet search.

I do not know dr gacek, have never talked to him nor consulted him, dont necessarily subscribe to everything people here say he says, but i dont follow why it is assumed suddenly he is not board certified. Where did this info come from?

 

Stop with the insults. I’m not sure I know what a troll is but I don’t think I’m one. I am a real, living person with feelings who is worried about being diagnosed with this horrible disease. I don’t care one way or another about this Dr. I was simply and honestly surprised to not see him listed with a sub-specialty and so I reported it for others, like me, who might care.

June-, the organization who awards board certification is the American Board of Otolaryngology. Here is their website:
http://www.aboto.org/

Click “Is Your Physician Certified”
Under last name type “Gacek”, under first name type “Richard"
leave everything else blank and click “Verify”

You will see that he does show up as an ENT but he has no sub-specialty listed (column towards right) and he does not participate in the MOC, their continuing education program, which is required to maintain board certification these days.

Since this is the governing body who makes the tests and administers them to the Drs, I assume their information is correct, but of course it’s possible that it’s not. Anything is possible.

 

Dr derebery doesnt come up on that site.

I really dont care about gacek. I suspect he is certified and this site is not working. My life was saved from a hell of distortion, tinnitus and eventual no useful hearing by antivirals. If someone per chance is in a similar situation, i want them to know about their successful use in some cases rather than descend into the place i was. Period. And no a laby wouldnt help me, i only have one working ear to begin with. It is not one of those remissions .... It's been 8 years now that my hearing is restored. Thank God, no one interfered with me getting this information. I would be deaf by now, posting about the relative success of cochlear implants and hoping for artificial balance implants. As it is, i lead a normal life, ride a bike, listen to music.

If you are serious, are you not aware that many doctors besides gacek rx antivirals for this?

Have you tried any way beside this little online app to check on his qualifications? Do you know how many people he has helped?

Bye now, forever.

 

Yeah, I'm also not sure what or who is small brained....I know I don't consider myself that, If I am small brained then I wish everybody were because it has gotten me a long way in life...both academically and professionally.

Let's not get personal my friend.....it seems when people don't fall in line with the AV crowd then they are considered small brainer and trolls.

 

For what's it worth, a member on this forum is a patient of Dr. Dereberry and she just recommend destructive treatment to them. Gentamicin injections. Go figure.....

 

I agree 100 %.

 

Lilli

It is unfortunate that some people are not able to see beyond their blinkers, and enter into a reasoned discussion. However, when they resort to name calling it does tend to suggest that their argument is not as strong as they would like.

As Tolstoy wrote ~ “I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives.”

Keep us posted with your research.

 

Hello, i started seeing this about the Dr Gaceks. As for me , i have been a patient of Mark Gacek. Richards son in Mobile Alabama . I have been with Dr Mark for close to 20 years and love him. He will be doing my Lamby surgery on Dec. 7 as i have already had the vns surgery. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And what works for them as well . Good luck to all who have this horrid problem , we all need support .