It's official! I have an appointment set with a Napro doctor!
Tuesday, June 15th!
And I feel totally blind walking into this appointment!
What do I need to bring?
What will the doc do? (The only thing she told me was to schedule around ovulation time)!
If I have to have any surgeries will she do it or will I have to go elsewhere?
Do all Napro doctors work with the Pope Paul VI Institute?
I use the sympto-thermal method of NFP, not the Creighton Model (which the doctor told me she can get more information out of Creighton), but I don't have a year to go learn the Creighton Model! Will STM suffice??
I'm excited but a little unsure since I don't know what to expect!
For any of you that do Napro, can you share your first doc experience? What she'll be looking for, reviewing, etc?
Do I need to go to my OB and ask for my whole chart?? (It's BIG!) Or should I just make a list of all the things I've been through myself to give to the new doc?
Need help please! ;) Thanks!!
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12 comments:
Yay! Napro is awesome! You will love it! I think a basic history will be ok for your first appointment. She may want to see your records later though. If you first appointment is like mine was it will be mostly a lot of information and the doctor getting a history of you. I would bring something to take notes. I'm one of those people who tends to forget a lot of things when I am given tons of info.
As far as Creighton. I would definitely look into learning it. It really doesn't take that long to learn. I had it pretty figured out in two months. My Napro doctor wouldn't even see me until I had two months of Creighton under my belt.
Good luck! I'm praying this helps you get some answers. :)
I'm so glad you're getting into a NaPro doc! With my first visit, it was history and an exam. We talked for hours! I had my husband take notes so I didn't forget anything. I say bring your charts! It can't hurt-they can read whatever parts of it they think they'll need.
I'm not sure how it'll work with STM-Creighton is definitely more detailed. But it did'n't take us a year-our doctor met with us after we had three months of charting. And our Creighton teacher knew a lot about how our doctor opperated, she was able to suggest things like B6, etc before we even got a chance to talk to our doctor about it. That was super helpful.
Make sure you write down a list of questions-as many as you possibly can. If your doc is like mine, they will take plenty of time to answer them! I can't wait to hear how it went!
that's awesome- congrats!
Ok, this brings up a question that's been brewing in my mind for awhile and more after reading some other IF bloggers.
I took Creighton while engaged. Abandoned it with discouragement after a few months, and then learned CCL (STM). So, with STM you chart not JUST mucus, but temp and cervix changes- thus MORE info. So, how does Creighton- mucus only- provide MORE info to doctors??
Also, I, having PCOS, have a lot of mucus- which according to Creighton can always be fertile. BUT, b/c I'm charting my temp and feel my cervix, I can get so much more info and know better weather to consider the mucus highly fertile, or "less fertile".
Please- someone help me understand this, b/c when I see a new napro doc, I really don't want to go "back" to charting that way---yellow stamps and all----akkk!!
:)
Thanks!
To the best of my knowledge (which isn't much) the reason Creighton is helpful is because of how streamlined the mucus observations are. The 10CLx3 is much more detailed than the simple S on STM. And things like the Mucus Cycle Score are more readily available with Creighton. I hated STM because I couldn't ever wake up and remember to take my temp! But I do know of women who use their knowledge of both systems-take their temps and make internal observations, yet use the numeric codes for mucus observations. That might be a way to continue giving your doctor the info he needs without resorting to yellow stamp world.
thanks Kaitlin-- and sorry for highjacking this post--
that does make sense that the observations are more detailed about the "quality" of mucus. (I still am trying to finger stretch every single thing I see!)
I know the temp is super annoying and I avoided it forever, until I got excited thinking "will it be up or down this morning?"
Mary Grace- it seems a good idea to request your file, even if the new doc does not delve into it at this appt, and just listens to your "list". Good luck and let us know how it goes.
Kerry: I don't mind you hijacking my post, b/c I've been wondering the same thing! But Kaitlin, you cleared it up for me. Thanks! Oh and my name is Angela ;) My daughter was Mary Grace.
omg, totally learn creighton. it is sooo much easier than what you are doing, and yes, surprising provides a lot more info. your napro doc will be able to help you better. when i met my doc I brought all my creighton charts (they recommend two months worth minimum for those just starting and your teacher will help you correct mistakes so you can count what you did while learning). it will really help you with red flags like tail end brown bleeding, spotting, amt and type and # of days of mucus etc. i think docs always like summaries as well, so I make a chart for my docs-here is what I have been dx with, how I was dx and what tx I am on. They seem to like that as the list is LENGTHY, lol :) I hope your appt goes well!
Hmmm...well I'll definitely be bringing my charts...hopefully she'll have enough info to get started? Thanks girls! :)
Can you just buy a book to learn Creighton?
And are all NaPro docs connected to Dr. Hilgers?
I think it is enough to get started. You can't just buy a book, but some practitioners will do long distance consulting if there isn't one near you. It's about $30 a session and very easy compared to what you've been doing! :) fertilitycare.org lets you find someone close to you. All Napro docs aren't the same. There are various levels of training. I saw what I thought was Napro and came to find out he only completed half the training once and never kept up on anything. Frustrating! Napro docs are also listed on the site, but it doesn't distinguish the level of training, only that they've received it. From my understanding the levels are: The medical consultant program is 16 days and the basics are covered. There is a variety in those that come out of this, some good and some not. The next level is Certified Fertility Care Medical consultation. They do the same program but get additional certification through the organization that requires some peer review of cases and a three hr exam based on HIlger's textbook. I found the good docs own and refer to this book regularly. Hilgers himself wrote to me about this and said this group "is the most enthusiastic and generally involved in their practice." Finally, the most advanced program is the ob/gyn that has done the fellowship program to learn the surgical aspect of napro. They also know the medical components, but the surgery component allows them to be skilled at Hilgers' high tech methods of less adhesions/scar tissue and tube repair etc. These are the docs for sure well worth traveling several hours to go see for surgery if they are closer than Dr. H and Dr. H isn't covered by insurance. I would never trust another doc with even a lap again. Scarring is too big of a deal. I am a little frustrated I had to go to Hilgers himself to learn this info, but glad I have it now, because as I once posted, all nfp physicians are not alike.
WBR: Oh my goodness, thank you so much for writing all that out for me! That helps TREMENDOUSLY- I would have never known all that info about the levels of training! I will definitely be checking into this doc that I am going to! Hopefully she is in that "enthusiastic" group! ;) And also really interesting to know about the surgery and scarring...that's really interesting to me, b/c I feel like part of the reason I can't get pregnant now may have something to do with the D&E I received after Mary Grace was delivered....although I have nothing to confirm that...wow...there is just so much for me to learn.
I just wanted to reply to your question on my post where I was sure you'd see it. I live in KS. I only went to Omaha once-thankfully-and was able to drive. Many do go cross country and find it worth it though since it is usually just one trip. The trip was for a lap (which included several things-selective hsg, hysterscopy, look for infections, etc) and also had an ultrasound series done there. The lap can be done in a long weekend visit, but u/s series can take a week or two depending on stress and when you ovulate. Before I went I did a hormone series Hilgers ordered at my local lab and shipped it Omaha. All of this was analyzed at the same time and then I met with Dr. Hilgers and he broke down every diagnosis and treatment he prescribed. it was wonderful one stop shopping! Ever since then I have worked with them from out of town very inexpensively with monthly p+7 blood draws mailed in and monthly CD1 phone calls where they review the blood draw results (prog and est) and my charting observations and determine if tweaking meds, etc was needed. I did have 2 miscarriages after my initial appt in omaha-back then he knew less about infection and my abx weren't strong enough. I did a phone consult with him one time after the miscarriages and we corrected the problem. Went on to have a 19 month old and am 16 weeks preg with #2. They monitor my progesterone levels every 2 weeks during pregnancy (again, mail the blood there) and they determine the approp amt of progesterone as a result. So I am very well taken care of. Local ob does all the rest. So no moving to Omaha necessary :) I highly recommend calling PPVI and ordering "women healed" for $12-stories of women with different issues, how they were dx and tx through ppvi, etc. The women wrote it themselves and I found it so so helpful. Napro is so different from mainstream meds and this helped me know why and educate myself on what I had and all sorts of other issues. Sorry for such a long reply! You can also email me anytime through my blog.
If you do end up needing to come to Omaha for anything, you can definitely stay with us if you want, or we can give you a ride from the airport, or bring you dinner, or whatever else you need. Or we could just hang out! :-)
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