Doctors

If I hadn't been having trouble conceiving I probably would have never been diagnosed with PCOS. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is just one of the litany of problems that I bring to the table in efforts to conceive and one that long-term will probably have the most substantial impact on my health and well-being. Nevertheless, when I am visiting doctors other than the ob/gyn or fertility specialist I often forget to mention (on forms or in person) that I even have PCOS. PCOS is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately one in ten women that is typically characterized by cysts on the ovaries, irregular periods, and high levels of male hormones or androgens. It is the most… [more]

The decision to visit a Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE)is a big one. Once you take the step to delve deeper into your fertility issues by researching treatments and more advanced therapy and seeking the help of a fertility specialist, then you have had to come to the point of admitting to yourself that you may be infertile and may need more help than your regular ob/gyn can offer. That first consultation can be nerve wracking and overwhelming and it is often difficult to know what questions to ask. My biggest piece of advice is to make a list and take it with you! Write down your questions and concerns and get the answers that you need. It is also helpful… [more]

When undergoing IVF, and after you have made it through taking all of the stimulation medications, endured monitoring and the fears and worries that go along with it, and have finally been through egg retrieval a new question suddenly pops up. In the days that can seem like years between the retrieval, getting the fertilization report, and finding out when your transfer will be you will probably ask yourself many, many times whether or not a five-day blastocyst transfer or a two or three day transfer is better. More accurately, especially if your embryos are not developing as you hoped, you may wonder if you should just go ahead and have them transferred rather than wait and see what happens… [more]

Once again, another study that reminds me that physicians are normal people. In this article titled, Doctor's Often Don't Fess Up to Errors we see where even doctor's are people too. I am lucky in the fact that the doctor's in my life are also people that I feel a companionship with or have worked hard to build a dialog with. Except for one emergency room doctor who changed the face of it all and made me realize how important developing a mutual bond with your doctor is. The only time that I have had medical complications and I believe, medical errors are with an emergency room procedure with a physician that I didn't know, but had been warned about. At the time, I had no choice but… [more]

Yesterday an announcement was made by S. Edmond El Dabe that a client of his is suing Pacific Reproductive Services in San Francisco, claiming that the center videotaped him while he was masturbating. The man discovered a camera in the ceiling of the center and then complained. Employees then refused to call the police when the man demanded that they do so. http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=4072673 Add this to the stigma of fertility treatments. Not only are we subjected to scrutiny by the general public, but now we have to worry about something like this? Add insult to injury, put salt in the wound, kick us while we are down. And while you are at it, why don't you videotape a portion of… [more]

In the local paper, there was a letter to the editor regarding a recent article about how doctors now see patients for an average of seven minutes about how "Many patients, particularly elderly ones, are timid around doctors. A hospital social worker told me of the great number of unnecessary operations performed on patients too frightened of a doctor's disapproval to say no." This comment, which was probably true, made me a bit angry. If your doctor tells you that you need an operation, who are you to say no? I.e., who's the doctor here? This comment makes it sound like these scared little old ladies are buying snake oil at the behest of their doctors, when actually, this… [more]

Reproductive Immunologists (RIs): Who are they? This is a fairly new, and controversial field of fertility medicine. These doctors look a fertility issues from the point of view of the immune system. If you have, or have a family history of, autoimmune or immune problems such as diabetes, asthma, Lyme, fibromyalgia, thyroid problems, arthritis, this specialty may be of interest to you. The following is a list of RIs FOR INFORMATIVE PURPOSES ONLY. This is only a starting point, please do your own research and decide. There is also a very informative yahoo group of patients of RIs. ----------------------- Information gathered for Immunologysupport group discussions http://groups.yahoo.com/group/immunologysupport/ Updated 1/20/06 Contents: I. Dr. Alan E Beer, MD II. Dr. Carolyn B. Coulam, MD III. Dr. Kwak-Kim, MD IV. Dr. William Matzner MD V. Dr. Geoffrey Sher, MD (Reproductive Endocrinologist) I. Dr. Alan E Beer, MD Dr… [more]

Yay.....Blood! No, I haven't gone all vampire yet, actually the opposite. Needle-hating me had to have *7* tubes taken out last week, my friendly phlebotomist whistled in awe and said I held the record of most tubes taken out of one patient. She was so kind and worried about me that she went across the hall to another doctor's office and snitched a few doughnut holes for me, lest I pass out walking back to my office. Here, I decided the short term (not passing out and falling into traffic) overrode the long term (sugar, carbs, possible transfats) plus they were chocolate, you get the picture. Anyway, my doc wanted to check to see how my immune markers were doing after… [more]

We recently had a leak in the bathroom of our old house (the bathroom of our office from which I write this), and we called a plumber. He banged away while I worked, and he did a wonderful job. Now, imagine if, before he came, and instead of minding my own business, I took it upon myself to learn all about plumbing, looked over his shoulder as he worked, and questioned his every move? Seems like kind of antisocial aberrant behavior, right? Okay, now transplant this into the medical setting, the white coats and fancy equipment, the years and years of medical school, the scary and fancy jargon, DQ alpha, b.i.d, anovulatory, nuliparous, FSH, hcg, etc., etc., etc. Add to… [more]

"What's the difference between a doctor and God?" Answer: "God doesn't think He's a doctor." The world of medicine can be bewildering and frightening for the civilian who is not a health professional. Doctors speak in their own language (which is devised, specifically, so that patients don't know what's going on--a lot of it's just Latin), they wear special clothes, they have years and years of special training. My mom, when we were sick and felt like vomiting, used to force us to dress in our Sunday best if we were ever going to see a doctor; the respect and awe was ingrained. When our son first went into intensive care as a baby, my husband and I were scared out… [more]