Dallas-Fort Worth Babies
Kim&Jim
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Dr. Barnett
Kim&Jim
member
A friend of mine was referred to him yesterday. Pros? Cons?
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Kim&Jim
member
Re: Dr. Barnett
I went to Dr. Chantilis in Dallas. I live in West Plano and he's off 75 in Dallas, but he and his staff were well worth the drive. I posted the following on another Board so I thought I'd cut and paste it instead of re-writing everything. Therefore some may not completely apply to your friend's situation, but I had a number of people who took the time to reply with a thank you message so some found it valuable or comforting...It may give your friend some idea of things to consider or questions to ask her docs.
Quote:
I HIGHLY recommend seeing an RE. I love my OBGYN but an RE has specialized training and resources that an OBGYN doesn't have. As a 37 year old who had been trying for a full year to get pregnant at the time I started seeing my RE, time was of the essence. I see Dr. Samuel Chantilis at DFW Fertility. He's incredibly thorough and has taken me through a process to slightly tweak my treatment each month until he was able to determine every small detail of the issues I was having. He monitors his patients every step of the way, which I've heard many docs don't do. How can you possibly know if meds you're taking are working if the doc doesn't do regular sonos to see how your follicles are developing and if they are even releasing an egg? I'm shocked at how many women I've met who don't get the basic follow up after being prescribed fertility drugs.
Within 7 mo's of seeing him, I was pregnant...w/o expensive IVF and even though I had several difficult issues. He started with the most basic and cheapest treatment and slowly added new things in to tweak my treatment until he had the correct formula. His staff has been great about submitting everything to insurance to see if there is anything that could be covered. I was surprised at the amount of stuff that was actually covered since it could be coded as a regular sonogram or a blood test. And though for IUI's my side wasn't covered, my husband's side was! Crazy!
Dr. C has always discussed my options w/ me and has been supportive of the decisions I've made. He's had the conversation w/ me several times to determine if I want to get more aggressive...i.e. IVF. He's always asked if I am ok w/ the tweaks he's making to my meds since each time it has increased my chances for multiples. He's been very supportive of my decision to continue w/ IUI until I felt comfortable w/ moving to a more expensive next step...which I haven't had to do. He's also been very up front w/ me in telling me when we're heading down a path that is NOT GOING TO WORK. I don't know that my OB would have had the expertise to tell me the same. There is no reason to spend money on cheaper treatments if the doc knows it won't work for you. Your reproductive system is a delicate process. You should go to someone who knows the small details about the many drug and procedural options that are available to circumvent the issues you have. I'm not saying you should automatically revert to a more aggressive or more expensive treatment, but throwing good money at something that isn't going to work prolongs the process and just adds to the overall bill in the end.
Though my first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage (blighted ovum/trisomy 22) after 8wks, 2mo's later I was pregnant again since he'd found the "formula" that worked. I'm now 7wks pregnant and anxious to get to my 1st sono tomorrow to make sure I have started off with a good egg this time!
It's important to point out that I was an active participant in my treatment. It should be a 50/50 relationship w/ you and your doc and his/her staff. Researching and keeping abreast on everything you do, your meds, and your procedures, and taking responsibility for your own health is key. My friends who don't ask questions, who don't research, and/or who simply take the docs instructions and don't become active in their own health care, are still trying after several years without success. You need to keep track of your own symptoms and changes in your body. You need to make sure you are asking questions about things that you read on the internet and the doc should respect that you do this. If he does not, I would change docs immediately. A doc that isn't sympathetic to the frustrations and emotions that lead you to constantly think about and research your issues is not someone to which you should entrust your healthcare...whether in fertility or some other speciality.
Don't buy into negativity on internet blogs. Everyone's treatment is different since we all have different probs. Focus on you and your partner's issues and research on respected, medically based sites...Webmd.com, americanpregnancy.org, womenshealth.gov are a few good ones.
I wish you luck! It is a difficult process emotionally, physically, psychologiclly, socially... Dr. C and his nurse Melinda really helped me believe in the process which makes it so much easier...I didn't care much for his other nurse Ruth, but I know other patients love her so it's just a personal preference.
One tip, I have a friend who went to see the other docs in Dr. C's practice and they didn't like the bedside manner and sometimes felt they were more argumentative than consultative. I encourage you to insist on seeing Dr. C. The reputation of the practice has been built on his expertise and his success in this field. If you have to wait a few extra weeks, it is worth the wait! Like most practices, once you see one doctor in the practice, they won't allow you to switch to another. Good luck!