Doctors

[Manchelle]

Has anyone else had a hard time with getting any help from their doctors?
I've tried several times to get some help, and they've given me prescriptions, but their attitude has been so awful. IF I decide to do this again, I'm going to find a doctor BEFORE I get pregnant who will listen to my problems. Right now, I go to a group of doctors, and it's impossible to get any continuity. I've literally had one nurse tell me "awww... you're probably just one of those lucky people who is going to have morning sickness the whole time". And I asked the doc yesterday if there was ANYTHING he could do to help me feel better... his response... "have a baby". Duh. I guess there's nothing they can do, but it seems they just don't care.
Well, I wanted to tell everyone here that by reading everyone else's stories, I've realized that this is not all in my head, and I'm not just being a big baby. I've finally admited that I need some help, and I'm going to try to cut back on work hours, and my dad and his wife are coming up from florida early to help me out. I refused to ask for help before, because I thought I was just being a wimp. Your forum made me strong enough to realize I DO need help.

Oh, and I just wanted to note that I am LOSING weight again! My grand weight total now is 9.5 pounds! Shouldn't the docs care about that? That alone would be a large baby. I wonder if she'll be incredibly small b/c of all this, or if I will just end up weighing less than when I started.

[RebeccaM]

Manchelle,

Responding about the weight issue:

I weighed 128 before I got pregnant, and I lost 17 lbs. (down to 111) in the first 2.5 months. By the end, I was up to 134/135, but I was flucuating between those two numbers for the last two months. So my total weight gain was 7 lbs.

My doctor was never the least bit concerned because he knew I was very sick and my stomach was still measuring right on target (though on the small end of the spectrum).

After going one week over-due, I gave birth to a perfect little 5 lb. 13 oz. girl. Small, but perfectly healthy.

Now I know everyone's situation is different, but I thought my story might give you some reassurance. Of course, I would still ask your doctor about it, and hopefully he will be able to reassure you that everything is fine.

And I'm sorry your doctor's office is treating you so poorly. How aggravating that must be! I'm glad you're going to try to take it easy. The extra rest will do you good I'm sure.

[Manchelle]

Thank you for telling me about your experience!

[IslandDreamer]

Manchelle,

First, I need to say something to your doctor: Can he see? Sticking my tongue out in Michigan.

Okay, that said, I didn't get much support at all from my doctors the first time. The ER folks were appalled when I finally was "allowed" to venture into their care at 13 weeks in January 1999...they wanted to immediately admit me...begged off as a I was a single mom of two dogs and no one to care for them...anyway, they arranged for home healthcare...don't recall my physician even being aware of this...had the rolypoly for a month...then the unisom/b6 worked well enough on its on.

The second pregnancy, my doctor tried by was truly not well educated...and I was too much of a mess to press beyond the need for some medicine and her "okay" for ER visits for fluids every 18 days (that's as long as I was able to take it...I'd be good for a day or two after fluids, then dehydrate again...wait 16 days...can't believe what I did to myself).

Never even knew I needed to ASK for a rolypoly with her...figured it would be given if needed. Looking back, I can see how horribly ill I was and am sure I was being "under" treated. The nurse was playing gatekeeper, never writing down side effects to meds in my chart (I have since learned), and then this nurse wouldn't allow (again with the gatekeeping) my doctor to offer me anything besides zofran (didn't really work), reglan (makes me hallucinate), and phenagran suppositories (which became more painful than the hg). That was helpful, eh?

The whole office really nutted out when they learned the baby had no heartbeat but that the hg continued to rage. (and let me be clear that it was the continuing hg that upset them, not that my child had died, but that's another issue) The hg didn't leave until the hormones went down....so, yes, I totally understand the frustration with doctors. I am currently trying to educate my doctor on hg, very quietly and nicely. Now that I refuse to speak to anyone in the office but the dr, I'm learning what a quality person she is....I have brought much data from this site and am helping her set up a loss protocol. What I thought was deliberate evil and neglect is ignorance.

Your doctor needs some educating, either on hg or on compassion and bedside manner....I'm so sorry you have to deal with that kind of garbage on top of all you have with an hg pregnancy.