Should I trust my doctor???

Hello ladies,

This may be kind of long and I do apologize for that. My TVH is now scheduled for June 16th. I went to my regular gyn and she did a D&C and hysteroscopy in Feb trying to figure out the cause of my very bad cycles. Needless to say they didn't find anything so she said the D&C should help and wait 6 months. Well they are now worse then ever. My neighbor recommended her doctor who I went to. He really thought ablation would be good for me but I know too many ladies who it didn't work for so I really didn't want that option. So we decided on a tvh. My neighbor went to him for her post-op check up (she had a tah in March b'cuz ablation failed) and he told her that he tried to talk me into the ablation but since I listened to her he couldn't talk me into it. We discussed both options in length at the time of my appt with him (dh was there too) and we all came to the final decision but now he is discussing it with my neighbor and saying what he said - can I trust him? Am I doing the right thing? Any advice would be great. Me and DH aren't sure what to think. Thanks bunches!!!!!

I would not ever go back to him... I think that's totally unethical for him to discuss your case with another patient. The only reason for him to discuss your case with anyone else should be seeking advice from peers in the medical profession. I'm mad for you, it sounds really petty to me. Like he's upset he didn't get his way. It's your body!! I would not want someone like that performing a major surgery on me... just my opinion!
Hope it all works out for you, proceed with caution!

I would strongly suggest a third and maybe even 4th opinion before you make any decisions!!

Hello
First of all, I dont think your DR should speak to anyone about you, no matter what. Despite the fact that your friend referred you, the DR should still honor patient confidentiality. Also, from what you said, I'm getting that your not really sure why your having your surgery. I understand that you want to feel better and not have problems anymore but you should go to another DR first. You should try to discover the cause of your symptoms before you have such a serious surgery. You could have something thats easily fixed and wouldnt have to have the surgery. Good luck with making your decision and whatever treatment you need. We are here when you need us...

That is totally unethical & violates HIPAA privacy rules! For the doctor to discuss your medical information with your neighbor is unacceptable! I work in healthcare & the policy is so strict that we, as workers who have accesss to computerized patient files, are not even allowed to look up our own family members information! I'm not sure that I could trust that doctor! I advise a 3rd opinion with a different doctor or going back to your original doctor & revisiting the possibility of the TVH with her. It is your choice & body. Your original doctor should respect that proceed with what YOU want to do! Best of luck to you

"The HIPAA Privacy Rule regulates the use and disbursement of individually identifiable health information and gives individuals the right to determine and restrict access to their health information. Compliance with HIPAA’s privacy regulations became required on April 14, 2003. There are substantial penalties, both civil and criminal, for non-compliance."

Thanks for all the advice. My DH and I will see if I can find someone for a 3rd opinion. Neither doctor knows what is causing my cycles to be so bad to begin with. One thought hormones but there is such a large variable that they probably can't find the perfect level of medicine and so there isn't much option left. I liked this doctor but don't feel very comfortable with him and I know if I ask him he will certainly make it so he doesn't get into trouble. Good luck to all of you in waiting and to those in recovery.

Thanks for the warm wishes! I hope you have a qualified, good, caring doctor soon! Please keep us updated!

not sure where you live, but here in CA it is ILLEGAL for my doctor to speak with even my own DH without my permission ... you might be able to report his ethical violation to the medical center/hospital or state AMA board ... that's really way out-of-line ... good luck with your future research and opinions

Yeah, that dr is WAAAYYY unethical. After my c-section I had an infection, then horrible bleeding and excruciating pain all the time. I went to 3 OB-GYNs before I found one that actually wanted to solve the puzzle & not just throw painkillers at me. He suspected adenomyosis at first, but its gotten way worse. I now have aedno & endometriosis that is going into my bladder, & causing it backup into my kidneys, which are now damaged (my hyst is in 3 weeks after a laproscopy next week).

You might want to check into adenomyosis...it causes heavy bleeding, with or without pain, passing clots, etc. but my doc told me its hard to detect without having the hyst then sending the uterus out to pathology, small chance using MRI w/contrast. My dr said the only "cure" for aedno is a hyst.

Don't EVER settle for a doctor. Be 100% confident. Good luck!

I actually talked to him directly to ask him why he did that. He said that my neighbor (the one he talked to about it) brought me up and told him what we had decided. He said he just said that he gave me the 2 options and we went with the best one for me. Now I don't know who to believe. I saw my family doctor yesterday for my thyroid and she had known about the surgery because the gyn's office sent her paperwork and without even bringing it up to her she said she highly recommended this doctor as she has sent several women to see him and that he is a very good surgeon and I was in good hands. He did apologize for any miscommunication and assured me he would never discuss mine or anyone's situation with another patient. I am not sure at this point. Right now everything is still a go since my husband's vacation time is all set and everything is in place for help. SMENDES thanks for the thought on what to look at with the adenomyosis. He did mention that and I have looked into it as well. It is odd that the D&C/Hysteroscopy made things so much worse when typically it makes things better at least for one cycle. I know I have 2 more cycles to go before the hyst. I will be in one for the surgery itself so it will go out with a bang. Unfortunatly my next one falls right on my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary party. Hopefully I can make it through it.

Thanks for all the wishes, thoughts and advice. This website is fantastic and I hope everyone in waiting has smooth sailing. Good luck to us all!!!!