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Not happy with how your doctor has treated you?

I have recently sent a letter to The Ontario College of Physicians to complain about the treatment I recieved after my hysteroscopy.

I went in for surgery to remove a septum and while waiting and waiting and waiting to see my doctor he had left the hospital.  My husband insisted to speak with him on the phone and the doctor informed my husband that there was no setum but scarring in my uterus. My husband told him that he needed to explain this to me as he is the doctor.

While being wheeled out of the hospital I was sobbing and a nurse asked me if I wanted to speak with my doctor I said yes. I told him I was confused has to what has happened he said "You don't have a septum thats a good thing". If I had known at the time he was lieing because a septum is better then Ashermans.  I was crying a lot and said I was upset, he asked me if I wanted another doctor, I told him no and that I wanted him as my doctor but as his patient I would have appreciated him coming to tell me what was going on.

When my husband and I went home were so upset that my surgery had turned out to be something different and even though I was happy that the doctor still performed the surgery I strongly felt he should have infromed my husband of the changes before procceeding with the new surgery.

A few weeks later we saw the doctor (it was very uncomfortable) he performed a sonohistogram and told us there was no more scarring and that my uterus was very open, he wished us luck and we went our way.  A few months later I was having severe pain in my uterus on and off, I called my doctors office which now had moved to Hamilton. The receptionsit told me the doctor said to see my refering OBGYN. I called my OBGYN he said "Ashermans is not his domain".  I called the surgeon back the receptionist said the same thing. I told her to tell the doctor that I beg he see me I will come all the way to Hamilton. He said no.

So a few months later I woke up from a sleep that barley exsisted becasue I could not stop thinking about all this. I went to my computer and wrote all my feelings down. A good friend of my who is an English teacher edited the letter for me and I sent it to the College.  Someone called me this week from the College of Physicioans, and asked me a lot of questions, she said she will send the doctor my letter and a letter she will compose explaining my complants. The doctor then has 35 days to respond if I am happy with his response then we can close the case.  If I am not happy then we can send the complant to a commity and take it from there.

No matter what happens to me, or how horrible I feel I will not let poor treatment of patients and unethical behaviour slip by.  It is our right to be treated properly and with respect.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marni (BTB Creator) on July 14, 2011 at 11:45am

Hi Leanne,

You are so right and it's great to sent a letter. I really feel that there are some doctors that are totally inexperienced when it comes to any abnormality in the uterus. Have you heard of the classifications of Asherman's surgeons? A, B and C listers? It's important you find an A lister who has the most experience. I also thought that a septum is caused by scarring so essentially it's the same thing. I had both a septum caused by scar tissue and also tons of scar tissue.

What's your plan of action now?

Marni

Permalink Reply by Sharon on July 15, 2011 at 7:41am

 

Hi Leanne,

 

Glad you sent a letter it is very unfair to be treated like that. I hope you are doing okay. If you ever want to chat I am here. We could do tea or something.

 

Sharon

Permalink Reply by Leanne Hester on July 16, 2011 at 9:50am

Thanks very much Sharon, I really appreciate it.

 

Leanne

Permalink Reply by Leanne Hester on July 16, 2011 at 10:05am

Hi Marni,

I was told a septum could be caused by DES a drug they used on pregnant women in the 60's and 70's (I think that was the time) and as a result of that drug some womens daughters had a defect from the drug (a septum).   But when I saw my doctor after my surgery he said it was not a septum but scarring caused by the 2 D&C's I had.

I was also told he was one of the best in Canada. I think he maybe really good and surgery but it was how I was treated after, that I am upset about. But I will see a new specialist on Augus 11. I have a feeling he is going to either tell me there is too much scarring and doesn't think it is fixable or to try another surgery and see if that helps.

In regards to the letter I sent the surgeon will get a copy of my letter and a letter from the College of Physicians and he has 35 days to respond.  If I am happy with his response we can close the case, if I am not happy then we send it to a commity to look at and I am not sure what happens after that. If he were to apologize I would be happy, if he trys to justify what he did I wont.  After my surgery a few months after I started having pain in my uterus, sharp pain it felt like something was pulling my uterus. (It hurt). He refused my care and my other doc. did not refer me to anyone else. So if that was the scarring coming back it has been there for almost a year now. I have read it is important after the surgery if scarring reforms to cut it away immediatly while it is fresh. 

Iam worried that all this time has passed and has made my chances worse. We also wasted time trying to concieve for nothing, paying for progesterone, estrogen, so many pregnancy tests. The emotional up's and downs every month all for nothing.  I went for cycle monitoring getting my blood taken and an ultra sound everyday for over a week my arm was  blue with bruising.  It just makes me so mad that these maybe little things to someone else but when you are living it it's so much more.

 

(SORRY had to vent)

 

Leanne

Marni said:

Hi Leanne,

You are so right and it's great to sent a letter. I really feel that there are some doctors that are totally inexperienced when it comes to any abnormality in the uterus. Have you heard of the classifications of Asherman's surgeons? A, B and C listers? It's important you find an A lister who has the most experience. I also thought that a septum is caused by scarring so essentially it's the same thing. I had both a septum caused by scar tissue and also tons of scar tissue.

What's your plan of action now?

Marni

Permalink Reply by Marni (BTB Creator) on July 16, 2011 at 3:45pm

Thanks for explaining. I'm am truly so sorry for all that you have been through. I completely understand. I hope the new specialist can help you figure things out once and for all in August! Please keep us posted!

Marni

Permalink Reply by Leanne Hester on July 16, 2011 at 5:37pm

Thank you Marni.

Leanne

Permalink Reply by Davina Barron on July 26, 2011 at 12:25pm

Hey Leanne,

 

I'm so sorry for the treatment you've received.  Dealing with infertility is hard enough, without having to deal with incompetent doctors or their staff.

 

I've been very lucky that the two doctors I've been treated by for scarring have been knowledgeable and friendly.  Although my former doctor didn't do so well with managing my miscarriage, but my new doctor did great.

 

I would suggest also joining the yahoo Ashermans group, who might be able to help you out with getting seen by a specialist.  If you can get your doctor to write your insurance company a note stating that there are no specialists in your area (Canada)  who can treat your condition, they may pay for you to see a specialist over in the U.S.

 

A lot of AS ladies have flown out of State so that they can be seen by  a specialist.  I didn't, I was lucky that my RE was a fantastic surgeon.

 

((HUGS)) sweetie, I know its hard. I've had two surgeries, bouts of phlebitis because of all the i.v's and needle pokes, 3 miscarriages and 5 years of heart break.  

 

Its been two months since my last miscarriage and I'm getting ready to try and get pregnant again.  I keep hoping that the next pregnancy will be the one that sticks, our luck has to come in one of these days right!


Hang in there!

 

Davina.

Permalink Reply by Leanne Hester on July 26, 2011 at 8:47pm

Hi Davina,

I am so so very sorry for your loss. It is never easy.

What stage was  your scarring and where was it in your uterus?  I am hoping that when i see the new specialist in August that he tells me there is still hope and that we can try surgery again or that there is a spot in my uterus that is free of scarring and we can do implantation or something.

 

Thank you so much for your kinds words it really helps. I have joing the yahoo group but find it difficult to search.  I will look around again. As it sits right now they are sending me to the new specialist who apparently is really good at hysteroscopies. We shall see.

 

Thanks again

my heart goes out to you at this hard time.

 

Leanne

Davina Barron said:

Hey Leanne,

 

I'm so sorry for the treatment you've received.  Dealing with infertility is hard enough, without having to deal with incompetent doctors or their staff.

 

I've been very lucky that the two doctors I've been treated by for scarring have been knowledgeable and friendly.  Although my former doctor didn't do so well with managing my miscarriage, but my new doctor did great.

 

I would suggest also joining the yahoo Ashermans group, who might be able to help you out with getting seen by a specialist.  If you can get your doctor to write your insurance company a note stating that there are no specialists in your area (Canada)  who can treat your condition, they may pay for you to see a specialist over in the U.S.

 

A lot of AS ladies have flown out of State so that they can be seen by  a specialist.  I didn't, I was lucky that my RE was a fantastic surgeon.

 

((HUGS)) sweetie, I know its hard. I've had two surgeries, bouts of phlebitis because of all the i.v's and needle pokes, 3 miscarriages and 5 years of heart break.  

 

Its been two months since my last miscarriage and I'm getting ready to try and get pregnant again.  I keep hoping that the next pregnancy will be the one that sticks, our luck has to come in one of these days right!


Hang in there!

 

Davina.

Permalink Reply by Davina Barron on July 26, 2011 at 9:23pm

Thanks Leanne,

 

I think we put my scarring at level three, it was pretty thick and dense.  The area affected was on my right side in the middle.  So my tube wasn't affected and neither was my cervix, but the front and back walls were fused together.  I hadn't been able to get pregnant for 3 years following the D&E that caused it until it was removed.

 

Since surgery I've gotten pregnant twice and had two losses, we have no explanation for my first two losses, but my most recent once was Trisomy 16 and completely unpreventable.  But I'm amazed to have even gotten pregnant again!  Because of my PCOS and endometriosis my main worry was just getting pregnant.  Now I just worry about staying pregnant.  

 

My current RE just seems to feel I'm having bad luck, since he says I'm healthy as an OX, and every test they've run has come back normal. The only advice they give me is to keep trying and odds are one will stick!  Not the best treatment I guess, but I fall into that unexplained loss category, so we'll just keep going on and hoping.


I hope the new specialist you see has good news for you :)  If you want a third opinion I know a lot of the girls swear by Doctor March and he can review your films and test results via email to give you his opinion and I know he does phone consults.


Davina.

 

Permalink Reply by Leanne Hester on July 26, 2011 at 9:28pm

I would love a third onion, thank you. I also e-mailed another doctor who I have to contact again.

Thank you very much Davina.

 

Leanne



Davina Barron said:

Thanks Leanne,

 

I think we put my scarring at level three, it was pretty thick and dense.  The area affected was on my right side in the middle.  So my tube wasn't affected and neither was my cervix, but the front and back walls were fused together.  I hadn't been able to get pregnant for 3 years following the D&E that caused it until it was removed.

 

Since surgery I've gotten pregnant twice and had two losses, we have no explanation for my first two losses, but my most recent once was Trisomy 16 and completely unpreventable.  But I'm amazed to have even gotten pregnant again!  Because of my PCOS and endometriosis my main worry was just getting pregnant.  Now I just worry about staying pregnant.  

 

My current RE just seems to feel I'm having bad luck, since he says I'm healthy as an OX, and every test they've run has come back normal. The only advice they give me is to keep trying and odds are one will stick!  Not the best treatment I guess, but I fall into that unexplained loss category, so we'll just keep going on and hoping.


I hope the new specialist you see has good news for you :)  If you want a third opinion I know a lot of the girls swear by Doctor March and he can review your films and test results via email to give you his opinion and I know he does phone consults.


Davina.

 

Permalink Reply by Davina Barron on July 26, 2011 at 10:01pm

You're welcome Leanne,

 

I hope it all works out.  Sometimes we just have a longer road.  I felt so devastated after my first surgery to find out I definitely had PCOS and Endometriosis as well as AS.  And wasn't too thrilled at the though of needing a second surgery after my post op HSG showed remaining scarring.

 

But I got through it, did that second surgery and my next HSG showed a clear uterus.  I count myself lucky I only needed two.  Some women have had 90 % scarring and needed numerous treatments.  A lady on the yahoo account Sandy, has had five operative hysts recently, but she's gone from 90% scarred to pretty much clear.  Its been a long road for her, but she finally got the all clear to ttc.

 

It can happen :)

 

Davina.

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