Monday, January 28, 2013

How do I know?

Today was our 3rd and final RE consultation on our mission for a new doctor. Yes, my last post raved about the Chicago clinic and I still really liked that clinic. However, the appointment was there, and we decided that it certainly made sense to still go and see what this doctor has to say.

This afternoon we did just that. The office was small. Not sure we were blown away by the waiting room experience or when we were taking to the consultation room, but when the doctor came in, we did really like him. He was a very sweet man. He seemed to agree with the doctor in Chicago as far as protocol. The only difference was instead of the saline hysterogram that the Dr. Chicago wants to do, Dr. Indy wants to do the Laporoscopy/Hysteroscopy. Then we move on to a very aggressive protocol of IVF (or IUI if we wanted to). He also agreed that because of my age, he believes my issue is quantity not quality.

So I left with surgery scheduled next Tuesday. So we have several options. I send these results to Chicago, because obviously surgery near home is a ton easier. Or we do all treatment here. I honestly don't know what the right answer is. Do we go with the big clinic in the big city, or the tiny office in Indy. I have no idea.

Basically. I'm looking for your comments. This is a hard decision. One doctor was sweet and personable, the other seemed very smart and they obviously seem to have state of the art labs and equipment. I feel like making the right decision on who is ultimately going to give me the best shot is one of the biggest decisions we'll make in this journey. I wish I knew what the right one is...

9 comments:

  1. This is such a tough decision. A couple things to consider:

    Do you have a gut feeling about which Dr you liked better or which clinic seemed like a better fit?

    If you chose the Indy clinic and it didn't work would you reget not having gone to the Chicago clinic (or vice versa)?

    How far away from home is each clinic? Can you stay in Chicago for a few days if you choose the clinic there?

    What does Trevor think?

    Good luck on picking a clinic and I am so excited you are moving forward! I never realize you lived in the midwest too. K and I live in Iowa. We just got some unfortunate test results, but I am very excited for our appointment in 7 days. I hope we can start IVF soon!

    -Dee

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey lady,

    Tough decisions. And I guess I am going to go with the cliche phrase, "Go with your gut." However, here is what we've dealt with thus far: We are at the best of the best in Minneapolis (supposedly) and I feel like just another number. My doctor never calls me when I ask and I feel like I have to get through several nurses before they put me through to her. I picture them dressed all in black with sunglasses on and ear pieces that they speak into, guarding my doctor's door. Ha! It just doesn't feel like they care. And I don't know. Maybe that's the way it is everywhere. But our RE's office is huge. I am one of many. Sometimes I'd like to see what a smaller, more intimate setting is like. Ahhhh. I know there are pros and cons with both. Do you go to support groups by chance? Maybe you can find someone in your area with a personal experience.

    As always, I continue to think about you and keep you in my prayers. All the best to you, friend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You are so smart to get so many opinions! Now the tough decision.

    I am typically more inclined to go with the nicest, most up to date feeling place AS LONG AS the treatment I'm getting is good. This includes the communication of the nurse handling my file and the entire office staff....that is HUGE in my opinion.

    Were you assigned a nurse at each office by any chance? You could try "testing them out" by reaching out to each office with some follow-up questions. Just think of something you can ask each one, even if it's the same question(s). See how fast the nurse/staff responds, how thorough they are, how caring they seem to be. How well do they communicate in a timely manner? Who do you click with?

    To me, it's the RE and facilities yes, but it's also the entire staff and how the machine runs, because most times you only see the RE in the office. In my office, most of my outside correspondence is with my nurse who is the messenger between the RE and me. I'm sure it's different at every office, but I just think good communication is so key no matter how they run their machine. You can have a great RE, but if the nurse/staff leaves much to be desired it can ruin the whole experience and leave you extremely frustrated!

    I would throw out a couple tests questions/concerns to each office and see how each responds. Requires a little more effort on your part, but might help you make your decision more easily. Also, did you research their SART rates respectively? Look at how many cases they handle each year, what their live birth rate is for your age group, how many cancelled cycles they've had, what their multiple birth rates are, etc. This can give you a REALLY good idea how experienced they are and how successful they are!

    ReplyDelete
  4. One I would go with the big city and the better medical equipment. Two you raved about doctor number two and not the others so i think you know your answer. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You should check out http://compromised-fertility.blogspot.com/2013/01/i-guess-lab-really-does-make-difference.html?showComment=1359481124619&m=1

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm trying to post from my phone and it doesn't like blogger. She changed doctors and has some really good insight. She might be if some help to you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That is great that you were able to get several opinions!

    I agree with that you should go with the one that you feel most comfortable with as long as you know that you will get high quality care. Because you spend so much time communicating with the nurses, that could really play a big part as well.

    Emily had a good point, can you find out what the office stats are? If one is significantly more successful than the other, it may be more beneficial to go to that one.

    It’s just crazy to me how difficult all of this stuff is. Once we think that there is finally light at the end of the tunnel, it gets confusing all over again. Lots of luck with your decision, you’re in my prayers!

    ReplyDelete
  8. So I'm echoing everyone else's opinion that you should go with your gut. And I also agree that it needs to be a balance of what they can offer you as far as medical services are concerned, but the emotional support and willingness to communicate with you in a timely fashion is crucial. I loved the fact that I was able to e-mail my clinic via their portal, and Dr. P ALWAYS responded to my questions. I could have stayed solely in contact with her nurse, too, but it was huge that I was getting my questions answered, no matter how big or small, directly from the doctor. And they were opened seven days a week, so I didn't have to worry about adjusting our schedule if something came up and we needed to tweek the timing of the procedures.

    And I think when you look at the stats, you also have to keep in mind who is making up their patient roster. Is it only people who are considered "prime" candidates for ART procedures, or are they also willing to help those who are facing additional challenges like elevated FSH, DOR, etc. When I compared the two clinics in here in Madison, the other clinic had a higher success rate. However, they saw considerably fewer patients, and very few of their patients were "older" or were struggling with DOR. The clinic that I went to did not turn patients away whose FSH was above 10 or who were "advanced maternal age." They were willing to give everyone a chance without regard to how it could affect their success rate. It's not always an apples-to-apples comparison. That's definitely a lesson I've learned through this whole experience. It's great if a clinic has high success rates, but if that's because they are only helping "one" kind of patient, then I think those results are meaningless.

    It's SO tough. Have you guys made a decision yet? Big hugs to you, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry it's taken me so long to comment on your blog. I really think you need to go with the clinic that is going to listen to you and your needs. I remember hwo much you liked the initial RE and then when you really needed him he screwed you over. That's the only thing I worry about with the Chicago RE. You want someone that's in it for the long haul, that's going to return phone calls and answer questions, that cares about YOU as a person. The good news is you have two great choices. I know this is the start of a BFP for you.

    ReplyDelete