terrible appt. (warning! vent)

grrr i hate the doctor i saw today. up until today i was seeing the nurse practitioner, today i saw one of the many docs in the practice. what a complete @$$hole. he walks in, measures my stomach, and checks for a hb. i say hb, cuz he listened to 1 and turned the doppler off. i have to force questions at him because he doesnt ASK if i have any. i ask about cramping, back pain, and pressure. he basically says rest and stay off your feet. HELLO i do work 40hrs a week and during that time i AM on my feet the entire time! but he didnt ask what my lifestyle was, just says to rest. HA! im still asking a question about the AFP test and when i should go for the bloodwork as he's walking out the door. and then i realized on my way home that he didnt even know how far along i was, because he said, "go friday for bloodwork, you'll be 15wks then" i wont be 15wks for another week and a half.
im gonna call a few docs in my provider book and see if i can talk to a nurse and ask what policies they have on twins. i wouldnt mind having an u/s every month for some peace of mind and to be SURE the babies are growing as they should. they told me as of RIGHT NOW (at 9wks they said this...) the babies looked to be fraternal. so what if they ARENT fraternal and 1 baby isnt growing as good as the other...but they wouldnt know that because my current doc won't do another u/s until 20wks.
oh! and as he's getting up to leave i say, does this practice let multiple pregnancies go as long as they can, or do you take the babies at a certain point. he replies, well hopefullly you'll go full term. if you dont and the babies need NICU time they will have to be transfered to lehigh valley (another hospital about 2 hours from where i would deliver!!!). so best case my babies wont need NICU time, but what if they do! 2 hours away from me? i dont think so. grrr.
okay, im done venting, but i do have a question...what does it mean if the doc says im measuring 5 months? i'd say im about average weight. 132lbs 5'7" when i got pregnant...but i dont even have much of a bump..so how can i be measuring 1 and 1/2 months bigger than i should be? are they measuring my uterus or something i dont know about?
thanks for listening to me complain..i appreciate it

 

Switch!! What a jerk. Your doc should want to answer your questions, encourage questions and he should be interested in what is going on in your life, such as work to best figure out what will work for you and the pregnancy. Switch now.

I am not sure exactly what that measure, but most carrying twins measure at least one month further ahead. That is very normal. You will bigger soon b/c of more babies

Good luck finding a new doc. Keep us updated.

Dianna

 

Hi neighbor! I live in the Poconos and delivered at Lehigh Valley... the drive is worth your piece of mind! If your thinking of delivering at PMC, pm and I will tell you how AWFUL they were with my pregnancy. If you need recommendations for good doctors, I used College Heights in Bethlehem again worth the drive for me. This area is known for how awful the doctors you described but your doctor is right the ONLY NICU in the Poconos is at Lehigh Valley Hospital...

Oh yes and they measure your uterus, I measured 60 weeks at 38 weeks, its possible!

 

QUOTE(Erykah @ Jan 2 2008, 08:22 PM) [snapback]554806[/snapback]
Hi neighbor! I live in the Poconos and delivered at Lehigh Valley... the drive is worth your piece of mind! If your thinking of delivering at PMC, pm and I will tell you how AWFUL they were with my pregnancy. If you need recommendations for good doctors, I used College Heights in Bethlehem again worth the drive for me. This area is known for how awful the doctors you described but your doctor is right the ONLY NICU in the Poconos is at Lehigh Valley Hospital...

Oh yes and they measure your uterus, I measured 60 weeks at 38 weeks, its possible!


holy smokes it's a small world... I just delivered my 4th child at LVH. It's a great hospital. i also went to College Heights!! I'm getting the heebie jeebies here. I also have bad feelings about PMC...both my dh and my FIL had bad experiences up there. My ILs live in the poconos. But I do have to say there is a NICU at St. Lukes in bethlehem...not as high level as LVH, but capable of dealing with a certain level of prematurity. I used St. Lukes OB/gyn during my twin pg and they have an office in WindGap...that would be closer to the poconos, although you'd still have to deliver at St. Lukes in bethlehem. The practice has changed over the years and at last check all 4 docs are now male. I know 3 of them... 2 were fine, the other was a jerk. (but maybe he's no longer there...one can hope!) I do have to say though that at St. Lukes the one perinatologist, whom St. Lukes ob/gyn refers all twin mommy patients to, is really fantastic. He was my regular ob/gyn for my first dd...he went for training and is now back as a peri. Anyway, you can pm me too if you want more info. The nice thing about the St. luke's place is it would give you a closer office to go to...but it would still be a hike to get to the peri...and to deliver...not as far as LVH though... honestly, I'd be terrified to deliver at PMC. I knew high risk ob patients that did drive all the way to the valley just to get better care.

I never knew there were so many locals on here!! LOL!

 

I switched after my 2nd appt, I didn't feel like they cared this was a twin pregnancy. I was lucky to find a Dr who a lot of multiple lady's went too. Good luck!




QUOTE(cottoncandysky @ Jan 2 2008, 02:07 PM) [snapback]554786[/snapback]
grrr i hate the doctor i saw today. up until today i was seeing the nurse practitioner, today i saw one of the many docs in the practice. what a complete @$$hole. he walks in, measures my stomach, and checks for a hb. i say hb, cuz he listened to 1 and turned the doppler off. i have to force questions at him because he doesnt ASK if i have any. i ask about cramping, back pain, and pressure. he basically says rest and stay off your feet. HELLO i do work 40hrs a week and during that time i AM on my feet the entire time! but he didnt ask what my lifestyle was, just says to rest. HA! im still asking a question about the AFP test and when i should go for the bloodwork as he's walking out the door. and then i realized on my way home that he didnt even know how far along i was, because he said, "go friday for bloodwork, you'll be 15wks then" i wont be 15wks for another week and a half.
im gonna call a few docs in my provider book and see if i can talk to a nurse and ask what policies they have on twins. i wouldnt mind having an u/s every month for some peace of mind and to be SURE the babies are growing as they should. they told me as of RIGHT NOW (at 9wks they said this...) the babies looked to be fraternal. so what if they ARENT fraternal and 1 baby isnt growing as good as the other...but they wouldnt know that because my current doc won't do another u/s until 20wks.
oh! and as he's getting up to leave i say, does this practice let multiple pregnancies go as long as they can, or do you take the babies at a certain point. he replies, well hopefullly you'll go full term. if you dont and the babies need NICU time they will have to be transfered to lehigh valley (another hospital about 2 hours from where i would deliver!!!). so best case my babies wont need NICU time, but what if they do! 2 hours away from me? i dont think so. grrr.
okay, im done venting, but i do have a question...what does it mean if the doc says im measuring 5 months? i'd say im about average weight. 132lbs 5'7" when i got pregnant...but i dont even have much of a bump..so how can i be measuring 1 and 1/2 months bigger than i should be? are they measuring my uterus or something i dont know about?
thanks for listening to me complain..i appreciate it

 

I am so sorry you had that experience. I would definitely find another doctor. It doesn't even sound like he was listening to you at all (or even cared). Twin pregnancy is rough enough without always feeling like you have to battle with your doctor too!

Oh, and they measure the fundus (top) of your uterus to get to that figure. Usually it is measured in weeks not months (number of centimeters equals number of weeks from the pubis symphysis to the fundus). Most all twin mom's are at least a month ahead. I am measuring 40 weeks, and I am 32.

Good luck finding someone new!!

 

Switch. My dr is awesome, always answered my questions, scheduled me an extra ultrasound when I was worried, even to this day remembers what we talked about at my last annual appointment. You are not ordering a sandwich here, more interest in your progress is warranted!!

 

QUOTE(Susanna+3 @ Jan 2 2008, 03:44 PM) [snapback]554856[/snapback]
holy smokes it's a small world... I just delivered my 4th child at LVH. It's a great hospital. i also went to College Heights!! I'm getting the heebie jeebies here. I also have bad feelings about PMC...both my dh and my FIL had bad experiences up there. My ILs live in the poconos. But I do have to say there is a NICU at St. Lukes in bethlehem...not as high level as LVH, but capable of dealing with a certain level of prematurity. I used St. Lukes OB/gyn during my twin pg and they have an office in WindGap...that would be closer to the poconos, although you'd still have to deliver at St. Lukes in bethlehem. The practice has changed over the years and at last check all 4 docs are now male. I know 3 of them... 2 were fine, the other was a jerk. (but maybe he's no longer there...one can hope!) I do have to say though that at St. Lukes the one perinatologist, whom St. Lukes ob/gyn refers all twin mommy patients to, is really fantastic. He was my regular ob/gyn for my first dd...he went for training and is now back as a peri. Anyway, you can pm me too if you want more info. The nice thing about the St. luke's place is it would give you a closer office to go to...but it would still be a hike to get to the peri...and to deliver...not as far as LVH though... honestly, I'd be terrified to deliver at PMC. I knew high risk ob patients that did drive all the way to the valley just to get better care.

I never knew there were so many locals on here!! LOL!



Wow, it is a small world... I completely forgot about St Lukes even though its right next door to the pediatrician's office! Who do you use at CH?? I love Defulvio and Steiner-Friel. I am in agreement about PMC.. that place is like a chop shot!

 

I just sent you a PM - Scranton has 2 NICU's at CMC and Moses Taylor - and Moses is a GREAT place to deliver!

 

That was a bad doc! You and your babies deserve better care!

 

sorry its taken so long to respond, been down with the flu bug and not feeling like doing much of anything. anyone have doctors to recommend? practicularly one who does u/s more than just once at the 20wk mark? though any suggestions are welcome, im sick of jerk doctors! i see a new practice jan30. its in NJ, and the docs are affliated with newton, which has a nicu. its 2 male docs and a female nurse practioner. i like the fact that theres not as many of them. it SHOULD feel more personal and i should be able to get to know them. there were 9 docs in the practice i was going to...thats way too many.
thanks for the hospital recommendations. CMC and moses have docs that take my insurance, so maybe if someone comes up with a good doc at those hospitals i'll luck out and one of them will take my insurance

 

sorry to hear you caught the flu. Hope you are feeling better.

Dianna

 

I am so sorry to hear about your bad dotor expierence. Twin pregnanies can be difficult. You need to have a doctor who is experienced with twin pregnancies and who is very supportive of you. I had to switch doctors 1/2 way through my pregnancy (my doctor left his practice). I ended up with this AMAZING doctor. She was so supportive. She herself was a twin. She would call me though out my week just to check up on me. I loved her!! So, please find someone who is going to be there for you and for your babies!!

 

Change NOW!!! I waited until I was 29 weeks and after changing I was mad I waited so long! My new Doctor was great and I wished I had had the benifit of him the entire time! That being said, check into local twin groups and see who thier doctors were and what they thought, also, if you have friends with high risk pregnancies or fertility issues they usually have GREAT doctors. My doctor was referred to me by 2 friends both with fertility issues and one of them had a super high risk pregnancy. Even though I didn't have fertility issues the doctors who deal in fertility often have lots of twin experience due to IVF ect... Also, I was in the same boat you are in with the possibilty of transport to another hospital if they were early. So, I called to nearest hospital with a NICU and asked them for referrals as well since I had made up my mind that I wanted to deliver at a hospital w/ whatever my babies might need. That hospital was an hour from my house, and the ride duringlabor was not fun, but totally worth the piece of mind. I cannot imagine my babies being transported to another hospital while I recovered in another place!!! We didn't need a NICU, but it was nice to know they were there!

 

How awful and what an insult to the field that doctors like that are out there. I love the idea of a pp about finding suggestions on OBs through a local twin group. You could probably find out a lot about the OB just by having a little conversation over the phone with them, or in person, but it's more work. You should be able to find out how often they perform ultrasounds (for example the OB I just switched to does one every time just to check heartbeat and now cervical length) and also whether they work with a perinatologist. If you're interested in growth scans, that's what my peri does every 4 weeks or so (I have had an uneventful pregnancy, it would be more often with complications). Good luck, it's such a pain to deal with but so worth it for peace of mind and good care

 

even the new doc i will be seeing wont do u/s every 4 wks to check growth, hbs, etc. at least thats what i was told over the phone when i asked. it would be so reassuring to know theyre growing right on track. the hospital and doc that im going to be at now is an hour away. the next closest set of hospital/docs is 2 hours away. i cant imagine every 2 weeks towards the end driving 2 hours. if i HATE the new doc then i will switch again, but im keeping my fingers crossed and hoping they will do more frequent u/s.
they want to see me in 4 wks cuz thats what my other doc said, come back in 4 wks. well i wanna know NOW if i will like them or not..hehe so i plan to call them on monday and tell them i hadnt gotten around to calling my old doc to cancel my appt and let them know i was not going to be coming back, so the old doc had called to say i need to come back in 2 wks instead of 4. haha. you think they'll buy it? we shall seeee! id rather get it over with NOW if i hate them and need to switch again.

 

QUOTE(cottoncandysky @ Jan 2 2008, 03:07 PM) [snapback]554786[/snapback]
grrr i hate the doctor i saw today. up until today i was seeing the nurse practitioner, today i saw one of the many docs in the practice. what a complete @$$hole. he walks in, measures my stomach, and checks for a hb. i say hb, cuz he listened to 1 and turned the doppler off. i have to force questions at him because he doesnt ASK if i have any. i ask about cramping, back pain, and pressure. he basically says rest and stay off your feet. HELLO i do work 40hrs a week and during that time i AM on my feet the entire time! but he didnt ask what my lifestyle was, just says to rest. HA! im still asking a question about the AFP test and when i should go for the bloodwork as he's walking out the door. and then i realized on my way home that he didnt even know how far along i was, because he said, "go friday for bloodwork, you'll be 15wks then" i wont be 15wks for another week and a half.
im gonna call a few docs in my provider book and see if i can talk to a nurse and ask what policies they have on twins. i wouldnt mind having an u/s every month for some peace of mind and to be SURE the babies are growing as they should. they told me as of RIGHT NOW (at 9wks they said this...) the babies looked to be fraternal. so what if they ARENT fraternal and 1 baby isnt growing as good as the other...but they wouldnt know that because my current doc won't do another u/s until 20wks.
oh! and as he's getting up to leave i say, does this practice let multiple pregnancies go as long as they can, or do you take the babies at a certain point. he replies, well hopefullly you'll go full term. if you dont and the babies need NICU time they will have to be transfered to lehigh valley (another hospital about 2 hours from where i would deliver!!!). so best case my babies wont need NICU time, but what if they do! 2 hours away from me? i dont think so. grrr.
okay, im done venting, but i do have a question...what does it mean if the doc says im measuring 5 months? i'd say im about average weight. 132lbs 5'7" when i got pregnant...but i dont even have much of a bump..so how can i be measuring 1 and 1/2 months bigger than i should be? are they measuring my uterus or something i dont know about?
thanks for listening to me complain..i appreciate it
Are you seeing a perinatologist? They have so more detailed and informative with ultrasounds and over all info. I get an ultrasound every 2 weeks and soon every week. As for your measuring, your carrying twins.. dbl duty. I'm 5 months and look 7! Do you live in a small town for NICU to be so far away?

 

I went through that with my DS and switch you will be glad you did... its early do it Monday... honestly you will be so happy

 

no peri. the doc i was seeing was treating me like everything was okay. which is good to be calm, but i have worries and fears and i would like to be reassured. it IS my first pregnancy, and then we find out twins, and my mind is on overload!