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When someone says something about your Doctor... NEW INFO please help
GaBeekeeper
Posts: 916
This hasn't happened much, but the few times that it has it really bothers me. I selected a Doctor that a friend of mine just had delivered her baby in September and will be delivering her second baby that is due this September. My friend is a lot younger than me, about the same in weight, but not considered high risk like I am (mainly b/c of twins). My DR is very friendly, has had no problems with me and my partner. She is the head OB at the hospital and the new birthing center is named after her mother. She works very closely with Georgia Medical College and she has some Medical students work under her that about to graduate.
Now I have had two people tell me "Oh I wouldn't use Dr. Courson". I ask them why and they did not give me a real reason. Just that they have heard other people say that. One works at the older hospital in town (admittance personnel not as a nurse or doctor). The hospital that my Doctor is at is the other one in town. So, I'm thinking that maybe it's just something that the rival hospital has started as a rumor.
It can be frustrating b/c it can scare you when you hear that, but if I don't hear any concrete reason as to why I shouldn't use her then I feel like it is just gossip. She has always taken time with me and has never made me feel rushed.
What would you do in this situation?
Now I have had two people tell me "Oh I wouldn't use Dr. Courson". I ask them why and they did not give me a real reason. Just that they have heard other people say that. One works at the older hospital in town (admittance personnel not as a nurse or doctor). The hospital that my Doctor is at is the other one in town. So, I'm thinking that maybe it's just something that the rival hospital has started as a rumor.
It can be frustrating b/c it can scare you when you hear that, but if I don't hear any concrete reason as to why I shouldn't use her then I feel like it is just gossip. She has always taken time with me and has never made me feel rushed.
What would you do in this situation?
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Comments
If yourehappy with your OB
If you're happy with your OB and they can't give you a reason, just ignore them.
Like others have said, if your doctor is good for you, that really should be all that matters. But, for an added piece of mind (or perhaps a revelation of important feedback), Google him/her, and see what you find.
Good luck. : )
One person said that she never saw the DR in person and I don't believe that b/c I have seen either my DR or the other woman DR on all my visits. But no malpractice suits or any bad stuff.
"She has numerous (NUMEROUS) and lawsuits out against her right now for making bad decisions that resulted in infant and/or maternal death. She makes bad judgment calls for monetary reasons. She's good if you know what you want and you stand up to her-but for most people, she walks all over them and uses her medical degree as a reason to do it. I don't like her. I've been to births with her and I don't like her."
I have done the health check online and could not find anything about malpractice suits or anything. She never rushes me at my visits and has always been very nice. I also like the other DR in her practice.
I told DP about it and she says that when we go for the US on the 16th she wants to meet her and ask her some questions.
I just don't know what to do. I don't have any red flags popping up, but then I don't know what to really look for. I have no clue as I am new to this.
But I think that some may get carried away and forget their place. Supporting the mom. Not challenging the doctor. I'm sure there are doctors that push for things that make delivery more convenient for them or reduce likelihood of lawsuits or even just add to billable revenue. And if this doula has concrete things to tell you I'd listen. Like this happened on this date with this patient causing these consequences and this lawsuit.
From what you've posted I wouldn't pair this doctor with that doula but otherwise I think you're still okay to keep your doctor. You mentioned that your friend had a baby with this OB and is under her care with a current pregnancy too. I'd spend some time talking to her. Her opinions may be biased by positive experience but the telling will be first-hand!
I just don't want to die having a baby,,, I know it might be a irrational fear, but I think about it every now and then.
Hugs,
Your friendly neighborhood labor and delivery nurse
I completely agree. Twins are difficult on the body and based on what you are saying, it sounds like you have some pretty big risk factors. Hopefully all will go well and your pregnancy will be 'normal' but a more specialized doc would be able to pick up on any problems early in the game...far before they get too serious.
Mommy to Twins plus One - donor 733
As far as the other issue, I had a similar experience and I was eventually able to find "evidence" of the supposed law suits and even speak with one of the families via email. It didn't seem to matter at the time because I was supposed to have my beautiful, natural birth at the BC. When that didn't happen and they were getting ready to transport me to the hospital it came up about what doctor was on call and the doctor in question was. I said that I did not want her deliverying my baby (I found out later that my midwife has a very personal relationship with the dr but didn't know this at the time). Anyway, I said I would take my chances with whoever was on the floor. Turned out it was a grumpy, nasty man with the bedside manner of a towel. But he had sweet residents working under him who actually ended up doing my c section (the cut is super crooked but I don't know if that is related in any way to them being residents!). The point is that in the end Kate was born and was healthy. I don't know if that decision made any difference and of course I will never know. But once I started hearing things about the doctor I kept digging because it was not a chance I was willing to take. I would go back to this doula and ask for more information and see if there isn't another way other than simple "google-like" searches to find any pending lawsuits etc.
My OB automatically refers any twin or more pregnancies to the MFM clinic unless the patient declines it.
Regardless you do have to follow your gut about any doctor whom you entrust with the care of yourself and your baby. I was incredibly lucky to have one of the best OB's in our state for my care. Shes very well known and respected. And in the end DP and I are so grateful for her care, especially considering the emergency state of our birth story that we never could have prepared ourselves for.
October 2014
And if you continue to have people tell you that she is trouble, I would really start to listen. As an emergency veterinarian I got to know all the vets in our county. And repeatedly one was clearly showing himself to be a quack. But his faithful clients loved him. But the guy is awful. Despite this, he has only ever been reported to the state board once. And malpractice suits and being reported to the licensing board are two different things. Not sure how you could find out about the malpractice suits. Can the freedom of information act allow you to look up legal cases involving her? I know you had said that maybe it was just people from the other hospital having a rivalry, but maybe it is because they see a lot of her screw ups? And no one is perfect... but if you see one too many problems then people will talk. And don't let a kind demeanor fool you. This quack vet has a wonderful bedside manner and a lot of the more questionable doctors I have met do... it is how the "get away" with it.
Ugh, I hope I don't come off as a negative nelly. I am still so thrilled beyond words for you but through reading your posts, I have thought something was off with your OB situation for a while now. I didn't want you to think I was having negative "vibes" about your pregnancy so I have bit my tongue. Is there any way you can get an appt with the perinatologist sooner? I thought that is who you were seeing at 16wks and was shocked to read that is not the case. I think once you see the perinatologist, you will get a better feel for what this OB is or is not providing you.
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When I got pregnant this time and found out I wouldn't be able to go to him, I freaked out a little bit. The other doctors in our area are just out of the question. Some because I have been to them before and don't like them. Most because they deliver at a certain hospital...I would rather deliver on the side of the road than in that hospital (not gay friendly AT ALL and that is not an experience I want when we have our baby).
The point of my long, drawn out story is that there is a doctor here, that delivers at the hospital I delivered the others at. I seen him once when I was having some preterm labor issues with my last and my doctor was out of town. He was nice and everything. My mother threw a fit when she found out he was the one to see me while my doctor was gone. I don't remember what she said about him or if she even said why at the time. Fast forward to now and me trying to find a decent doctor. I start digging online and I find exactly why she threw a fit. He has a ton of lawsuits against him. He was doing a c-section on one person and cut into the baby's head (baby needed stitches). During another c-section, he cut through a main artery on mom and she spent the 3 months of her baby's life in the ICU. There are tons of others.
My mom tells anyone she can not to go to him and really, if they would just google him, they might listen. Despite that, he is still in business. He still has a lot of patients that stick by him because they have had good experiences with him.
You're almost always to find some good and some bad with any doctor. It's a call only you and your DP can make. Maybe when your DP meets her, part of the questions could be about delivery. Make it clear to her what you want and see if her thoughts line up with that.
In case you are wondering, I searched online for a couple weeks before deciding on a doctor to try. I found one practice with 4 doctors and the only negatives I found on ANY of them were that 1 had a "weird" sense of humor (and what he said that the woman was offended by, we found hilarious). All the other reviews were really good and believe me, I searched and I searched. We decided to go for it and actually LOVE the doctor we got. We got a younger doctor, who also teaches OB at ETSU. He's the newest doctor in the practice, but he also practiced somewhere else first (can't think of it right off the top of my head). I was really nervous about it at first (he is the one I could find the least about online). When he walked in the room at our first visit, he introduced himself and then immediately asked who A and J were. I introduced her as my partner and he didn't skip a beat. He talks to her like he talks to me. He always asks her if she has any questions and answers them in a way that doesn't make anyone feel stupid. We are very happy with him. We have to drive 1.5 hrs. to get there and will have to drive that long to have the baby BUT it's well worth it to have a doctor we are comfortable with and to be delivering at a hospital that I know is gay-friendly and will make A feel like any other parent.
Like michgirl, I live in a small community and there are NO real high risk OB's. I have to go 1.5hrs away to see the perinatologist.
One big plus about this Doctor is she does make me feel comfortable and knows I am a lesbian. She actually asked me what my DP's name was, and said to tell her congratulations. I know that might not feel like much, but in South GA that is a big deal!!
On the 16th Holly will go with me and she is all prepared to "interview" the DR.
She checks my protein in my urine every visit, I am going to ask what my levels were the next time I go. I am going to be pro active and let her know that I am on top of my health and I am going to ask her questions about C sections, etc.
If I don't like the answers that I get then I am going to switch.
We are so backwoods here it is so crazy!!
BTW, that first OB I had came VERY highly recommended and I have personal friends she has visited at 2:00 in the morning when they had problems during pregnancy. I knew she would be understanding of our family structure because she is a lesbian, but it turns out that there were other issues that were far more concerning. Everyone has different experiences with people and I think the most important thing, if there is no real evidence about why a doctor is not good, is to go with your gut.