Re: Opinions: Specialist

[Circe]

Daye wrote:
> However, my c/s
> scar (internal) has been hurting for at least the past 2 weeks, and I
> am scared of a uterine rupture. I do know that the risk of that
> actually happening is quite low, but I also know that being pregnant
> can cause a rupture.
>
Can you have an ultrasound of your incision done? Angela (Chotii), who just
had a successful VBA2C, had one done to verify the thickness of the
incision. Apparently, if it is above a certain width (I don't remember what
the cut-off was), the risk of rupture is not much greater than for any woman
giving birth. I believe Angela's was 8-9 mm, well above the recommended
width for attempting a VBAC.

> Should I bother with the specialist? What would you do?

I think it depends on what the specialist would actually do that would be
*different* from what the other practitioners would do. IOW, if the only way
you can get the u/s done to check your incision is to see the specialist,
then I'd definitely do it. I'd want to know how *my* risk of rupture
compared to the general population's risk before I decided on a VBAC. Other
than that, though, I can't imagine what the specialist could do or know
about you that your regular OB or midwife couldn't.
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [7/22/97], Aurora [7/19/99], and Vernon's [3/2/02] mom)
See us at http://photos.yahoo.com/guavaln

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[Ericka Kammerer]

Daye wrote:

> Hello all...
>
> When I was first TTC, my doctor mentioned that he would send me to a
> specialist to discuss whether or not I would need a repeat c-section
> or I could try for a VBAC.
>
> I know that I have asked here before about VBACs. Everyone seems
> positive that I can have a VBAC because of the reasons for my
> c-section (pre-eclampsia).
>
> Even though we have socialized health care, I will have to pay extra
> to see a specialist. I am not sure how much at the moment, but it
> could be up to AUD100.
>
> Also, I am still very undecided about what to do. My hospital is very
> supportive of VBAC, so that is not a concern. In fact, both the
> midwife and doctor that I have seen at the hospital asked if I was
> going to try for a VBAC. So that was encouraging. However, my c/s
> scar (internal) has been hurting for at least the past 2 weeks, and I
> am scared of a uterine rupture. I do know that the risk of that
> actually happening is quite low, but I also know that being pregnant
> can cause a rupture.
>
> Should I bother with the specialist? What would you do?


Well, we know the added risk with a VBAC is the
slightly increased risk of uterine rupture, so the real
question is whether the specialist can tell you anything
that would reveal with any certainty if your risk of
rupture was somehow higher than usual. Unfortunately,
while I know they can do things like use u/s to check
the scar, I don't know how reliable that is. That's
what I'd ask about (and check out online). If the specialist
can't give you any actionable information, then I think
it's useless. If the specialist *can* give you actionable
information, then it may well be worth it and may give you
some peace of mind. But I always think it's useful to
have some sense of how reliable the information will be
*before* you get the information--once the cat's out of the
bag, it's impossible to erase it from your mind if it's
bad news, and there's nothing more useless (or even harmful)
than poor quality bad news rattling around in your brain
stressing you out.

Best wishes,
Ericka

[Daye]

On Fri, 1 Aug 2003 08:25:01 -0700, "Circe" > wrote:

> Other
>than that, though, I can't imagine what the specialist could do or know
>about you that your regular OB or midwife couldn't.

Well, my doctor that I do most of my prenatal visits with isn't an OB
or a midwife. He is a family doctor (GP) with maternity training. So
there is probably a lot more that a specialist would know.

I found out yesterday that I will not have to pay extra to see the
specialist because I will visit him as part of the hospital's
antenatal clinic, which is good.

My doctor thinks seeing the specialist is a good idea. So he is
arranging me an appointment in a couple of weeks time.

--
Daye
Momma to Jayan
EDD 11 Jan 2004