Fort Worth Uros???

[DonnaReagan]

Hello fellow DFW ICers!

I just went to a new uro yesterday.

I have yet to decide if I'm going to like him.

He is urging me to have a potassium sensitivity test - DESPITE the fact that I've already been diagnosed with IC from two previous uros via TWO CYSTOS + a HYDRO.

I do not like this idea at all & will most likely tell him "no thanks, to the torture"

If he reacts negatively to my assertiveness - I will then have to start all over looking for yet another uro that pretends to know a thing or two about IC.

In this day & age of "In-network" docs - this can prove challenging.

So HELP! Does anyone in Ft. Worth / Mid-Cities area know of a uro they LOVE...or like? OK, OK, a uro you tolerate?

(FYI - "Donna doesn't do Dallas" -- so unless you LOVE LOVE LOVE your uro - I won't even consider driving amongst you crazy stressful Dallas drivers - no offense, of course!)

I hurt too badly to blindly bounce around the metroplex trying to find a doc that knows how to treat IC WITHOUT the archaic, barbaric methods of old.

If you have any feedback about any DFW uros - PLEASE give it. Feel free to send me a private message if you feel like your feedback is less than a "rosy" pic about a particular uro - we don't want to hurt anyone's tender egos.

Thank you so much!

DonnaReagan
donnareagan@msn.com

[dyno]

Donna,
I sent you a PM, I will be gone this afternoon, but will check in later if you have questions.

Jolene

Oh, and I don't have time to do it now but I have some other PM and other info on good uros here, I will get to them later.

[MissMary]

Hi Donna. My doctor is Michael England in Fort Worth. He is a gynocologist that specializes in urinary problem. He has many ic patients. His staff is very understanding of our special ic problems and are vey helpful. My only complaint is that when I needed stronger pain meds that he referred me to a pain management doctor. But, maybe that will be for the best anyway. I REALLY love Dr England and I'm sure you will too! blink

[DonnaReagan]

Hi MissMarry -

Thanks for your post. My former uro was Dr. England. And you're right - I did love him. the only problem is that they stopped taking my insurance and I didn 't love him enough to fork over as much money as he wanted to charge.

Dr. England, too, sent me to a pain mgmt doc. I liked him at first - but then I stopped liking him because I felt like I was too drugged and was having several side effects. I felt like I was turning into a raving lunatic & yet he wasn't listening to me (and I was NOT taking more than what was prescribed!) Needless to say, I burned that bridge and can't go back to him. Just curious - who is your pain doc? (Feel free to PM me) I may need a pain doc in future as my current uro seems scared to prescribe me anything! (Don't worry - I hoard my meds & have plenty to keep me comfortable for now - which only supports the fact that I can't be an addict 'cause I'm thinking an addict would be completely out of meds.)

Anyway - I'm glad you're seeing Dr. England - tell Sheila (his main nurse) the lunatic DonnaReagan says "hello" sometime.

Thanks,
DonnaReagan

[holles]

hi. i saw a guy in arlington whom i did NOT like. my ob/gyn didn't like him either. ob/gyn referred me to marie blanche tchetgyn in las colinas. she's wonderful! however, out on maternity for a few months.

i can ask my ob/gyn for someone in the fort worth area if you like. his wife is a urologist, so he knows lots of uros who are good, although most of the ones he knows of are in dallas.

btw, the uro i hated was *****. dr tchetgyn is at uant also, but she's at their other location. when she isn't on maternity, she usually is at the arlington location about once a week. let me know what you think.

[holles]

sorry, was not aware i couldn't post doc's names here if i'm not saying nice things. guess it makes sense. lol. hope i'm not slandering. :D

[ICNDonna]

We do need to be careful about posting negatives about specific people, whether or not they are doctors. We don't want to risk legal liabilities.

Sending an encouraging hug,
Donna

[rachelm]

Holly,
I see Dr. England too. They have been wonderful for me so far. Sheila and Jennifer are both so patient and caring. I feel like they are my life line right now because I'm going for daily bladder washes. Dr. England is going to do a trial interstim Tu. next week unless he has a cancelation Th. I have gone a little balistic on them before too when my lab results were reported incorectly. I have to remember that they are human and people make mistakes. That's why its important to always question them. They don't seem to be intimidated by my questions when my other uro got defensive. I often wonder which other patients in the waiting room have I.C. I would love to visit sometime. You can PM me if you would like.

Donna,
I know of a Dr. Hassel in Plano that several people from the Dallas support group go to but that would be a drive for you. I hate the drive from Duncanville to Ft. Worth every day. It takes me about 40 min. and during a flare that's rough. Sometimes I don't know if the benfit of the wash outways the discomfort of the trip. Ugh

I hope you are able to find a dr. you like. I don't understand why your uro would be wanting to do diagnostic tests that have already been confirmed by another uro. My current Dr. took all of my previous tests and then went from there. Good luck in your search.

[dyno]

Rachel,
I just wanted to comment that I hope things go well for you and you will get the help you need. I feel so lucky right now that I live just 5 miles or so from the main hospital district here in Fort Worth and I have these good Dr.s so close. I have one right now that I really like but I am taking notes in the event I ever have to switch Dr.s

[momw/ic]

I see Dr. Hassell in his Richardson office - I REALLY like him a lot. It looks like I may be starting a job in Fort Worth and was thinking of switching to someone there for convenience sake. Does Dr.England work with overlapping conditions like IBS and chronic fatigue also?

I, too, have been in need of daily bladder washes and since it is a 30 minute drive for me to Richardson Dr. Hassell had his nurse teach me how to do my own! I was terrified and first (and actually refused) but he asked me meet with the nurse and just try it. Well...I am sold! I do them everyday in the comfort of my own home and they have helped way more than they ever did when I had them in the office. I use heparin and marcaine. It takes about a week to get the hang of it but now (after a month) I feel like a pro - and I would have NEVER thought I could do something like this.

Good luck in your search. By the way there is a support group chat/message board for Texas people at http://groups.msn.com/TheICPlace. If you are interested just click on the join now icon and you will receive an invitation to join.

[rachelm]

Momwic, Yes Dr. England is exremely thurogh! He had me do an MRI to rule out M.S. when I first saw him because of my voiding dysfunction that can be an early sign. He also tested me for EVERY autoimune disease and fibromyalgia. He treats the whole person. He won't let you do bladder washes at home though, because I have begged him. I have to drive 40 min. there and back every day. He is concerned about the effects that too much marcaine can have on my respitory system. Apparenty you can go into res. distress if too much is absorbed in the body. I will continue trying and maybe he will give in. I can't keep going every day when I go back to work next week.

Let me know if you want more info about him.

[Texas]

Dr. Stanley Worsham is also as great uro.

[dyno]

Yes, I have that name on a list too. I had been told he might be a good one. Thanks for the info.

[Cerridwen]

I use dr england too

I see patrick donovan for pain management but he doesn't usually prescribe meds..

and yes SHEILA is THE Best...

[olivia6217]

I am moving back to FTW and am leaving a uro I adore. He is the best. I was going to post about searching for a new dr in town. I will check Dr England although the thought of going to a gyn at 60 yrs old doesn't really appeal to me but I will check it out. I'd fly back to Tampa every six months for my appointment if I could. Any other info about living with IC in FTW would be totally appreciated.

I will say that Dr Worsham treated my dad several years ago. We went through months of incompetence. Hopefully he has learned more, I know I have.

Any assistance would be appreciated.
Thank you all for such great input :woohoo:

[holles]

try (sherry) alex gordon at uant in arlington (at the arlington memorial office). she's really good. she recommended trying the doxycycline just to see if it would work, and it seemed to be the best thing for me. i've had 2 cystoscopies that showed IC, and none of the treatments worked. but since doing the doxycycline, the pain is manageable. it only gets bad if i'm stressed or if i'm stupid with my diet (happens more than it should, lol).