good NY doc? - NOT Redmond

xfilegirl · 06-05-2007, 03:34 AM

Hi girls....I haven't posted in a while. Been in a bit of a rut. I am currently a patient of Dr. Redmond but I'm looking for someone new. I don't know if he's just too busy since his book came out and his television appearance aired or what, but I have called and left messages twice in one week to schedule an appointment and haven't even gotten a call back from his secretary. And that was three weeks ago. Before that, I had tried to call him and we either played phone tag or his secretary said he was with a patient. So I went the route of writing a detailed email message...never got a response back. So here I am, going bald, my hormones in an uproar, comlpletely confused over medications and ready to give up and I can't get in touch with my doctor who I paid good bucks to see. I'm surprised - when I first saw him he was very good at getting back to me right away and I never had a problem scheduling an appointment but I suppose he's only one man...maybe he's a bit overwhelmed....

Anyway I'm looking for a new doc in the NYC/Westchester area. I have done a bit of research and I came up with these names...anyone use(d) them?

Donald Bergman - NYC
Nora Varsano-Aharon - Scarsdale

Or do you have any other recommendations?

luvmydogs · 06-06-2007, 08:09 AM

hi again.... maybe i can help you out this time.... lol i havent gone to see him yet, but i have an appt on the 25th of june with rogerio lobo.... he is out of columbia u and is supposed to be an "expert" in pcos..... i'm having trouble believing that ANYONE is an expert in this but anyway- apparently he is very interested in androgenic disorders...... look him up- there are many articles on the web that he has written or collaborated with someone else..... my aunt found him through a gyno friend of hers in italy so he is internationally known..... i have read a lot of the info published by dr redmond.... i think it is terrible that you cannot get in touch with him, as i know he does not accept insurance and people pay out of pocket to see him and it's quite costly...... how is he as a dr? did he help you? is his book any good? i have considered purchasing it but just never got around to it......

xfilegirl · 06-06-2007, 11:49 AM

Thank you sooooooo much. I will definitely google him and read up. Please let me know how your appointment goes. Most likely I'll end up making an appointment anyway based on what you've said, but I'd like to see what you think of him...I've read alot of horror stories on these boards about really nasty doctors so I'm always nervous about going to a new one.

I really liked Redmond. One of my posts a while back referred to him as "my savior" lol. My first doctor told me there was nothing wrong with me (I was about 16 at the time and just knew that I had way too much facial and body hair). He told me I was hairier than most women because i was Italian....grrrrr...Then, my dermatologist (who just could not get my acne under control) told me - actually, called me at my house a day AFTER my appointment lol - to tell me that she noticed I had too much facial hair (how nice) and referred me to an endo who told me I didn't have PCOS...she did no blood work, so I have no idea how she figured that out...telepathy I guess....again....grrrrrrr

So, after diagnosing myself I decided to go to Redmond after visiting hormonehelpny.com. He totally agreed that I had PCOS. He ordered all the bloodwork. He was sympathetic to the stress the symptoms were causing me, he returned my calls promptly yadda yadda...so I was thrilled. He put me on spiro and bcp which definitely helped the excess hair (coupled with the electrolysis)...at one point, facial hair was no longer an issue...then I went back to him because my hairloss started to get really bad and he took me off spiro and put me on Proscar and Androcur to take care of my hair loss...well, that didn't work. The Proscar seemed to stop the shedding for a few months but then all of a sudden it started again. So, after months of taking medications and not seeing results I got depressed again (I hate taking meds to begin with) which usually leads me to stop taking my meds altogether (I have a tendency of cutting off my nose to spite my face in that respect). So that's when I tried calling to ask him some questions and make a new appointment and was unable to do so.

I just think that from the time I first saw him to now he's gotten exponentially busy. His answering service is different. When you call there are options for whether you're a new or returning patient or if you want a script refilled...none of that was in place when I first saw him...so whatever. He was really expensive, and although I did see some results it's not like he prescribed anything that another doc can't. So, I appreciate the time he took with me, but I can't chase my doc around...I"m gonna be bald soon!!

Anyway, that's my not-so-short story. He's caring and I'm hoping he's not only in it for the money (which some cysters have felt since he charges about 600 bucks for your first consultation). I wouldnt' mind the expense if I was still getting the service, you know. Oh well...time to move on! Thanks for the info

luvmydogs · 06-06-2007, 08:13 PM

i can't believe that anyone who earned a medical degree from ANY college would tell you that you had excess hair because you were italian!!!!!! imagine what a law suit that might be...... yes, i will definitely let you know how my appt goes with dr lobo... i really hope he has some good news.... i dont know why i am surprised with the utter incompetence of the doctors i have seen....i only found out that i had this a few months ago, although i always suspected that something was wrong with me since puberty..... my husband and i started trying to get pregnant so i went for a check up..... she ordered an ultra sound and bingo! cysts on my ovaries.... i say- is it this pcos i keep reading about? she says- if you get your period every month then no.... take bc pills to clear the cysts for 4 mos and then when you come off wham! you will be pregnant! i say- do i get another ultra sound to see if the cysts are gone? reply- no, not unless you want to...... hello who is the dr?? so anyway i do this and of course- no pregnancy occurs... i move on to a new dr and another ultrasound and the words- have you heard of pcos? yeah, unfortunately i have dammit! sorry to be going on and on..... when did you first notice your symptoms? i'm sorry if i am getting too personal, but it is nice to have someone to converse with about all this.... about 2 yrs after i got my first period i noticed the extra hair- coarse- in places it shouldn't be but not on my face..... now, at the age of 33 it is popping up on my chin and it is freaking me out like nothing ever has!!!! my husband seems to think i am over reacting because there are only a few hairs but i am petrified that it will spread!!!! i have also suffered with acne since the age of thirteen... when i was in my twenties i asked my derm if it could be a hormone thing ( before i had a clue about pcos) and what do you think he said? at the age of 31 i went ot a new derm and they checked my hormones and told me they were normal.... i have taken accutane three times... it works for about one year after and then my skin just goes back to normal ( at least what is normal for me)... also..... i think i have the most oily skin on the planet! 15 minutes after i wash my face i feel like i need to again! ugh!!! i am sorry to be rambling, but i have only told my husband and my aunt about this and they are empathetic but they can't possibly understand how i feel..... i feel like this has consumed me since the diagnosis..... anyway, what part of ny are you in? i am right in nj...... i grew up twenty minutes from nyc ( right outside newark) but now we are "down the shore"... i am a high school english teacher and im working on my masters... i'm sorry that this was so long... i'm really not a complainer im just confused and frustrated!!

xfilegirl · 06-07-2007, 03:25 AM

You weren't going on and on at all - did you see the encyclopedia sized messages I left you! I'm sure you had to take your lunch break to read them!!

And you can ask me anything you want...that's why I love these message boards...you can ask whatever you want and no one thinks anything of it because that's the whole reason they came on here in the first place. There's even a thread in the Hair category about butt hair! C'mon now, who else can you talk to about that??! LOL...

I knew there was something wrong with me as soon as I hit puberty. I got my first period at age 11 and then didn't get it again for a few months. I never had a normal cycle...I either didn't get my period at all or got it non-stop. And when I did get it, it lasted a full seven days with most of them being heavy bleeding and bad cramps. At one point I was bleeding for 3 months straight...that's when I figured I really had to see a doctor (I've never been big on pills...if I get a headache I usually just wait for it to pass).

I gained about 40 pounds from freshman to sophmore year of high school even though my eating habits hadn't changed and I was active in sports. And I pretty much haven't had success in losing it and keeping off...always creeps back up though I always stop at like the 200lb mark. Still working on that. I'm going to go back to South Beach again - that worked when I dedicated myself to it the about a year ago.

I had terrible acne from 8th grade through college that didn't calm down until I started the bcp and used Proactive. I had tried Accutane, but it didn't work at all. In high school my worst symptom was the facial hair. I had excess body hair but at least my clothes covered that. I had to remove facial hair every single day - I chose to tweeze it or wax it. Couldn't bring myself to shave it like some of the cysters do. But even when I got most of the dark hairs off, I was always so fuzzy..those hairs couldn't really be tweezed because there were just too many of them. Needless to say I became quite good at having conversations and walking the halls with my head pointed towards the floor so no one saw the hair. My skin was always oily. There was a brief period where I was getting a dark patch of skin on my neck, but luckily, that went away on its own and I don't really suffer from the dark patches that alot of the other women do.

The worst out of everything for me though is the hair loss. I used to have beautiful hair that everyone was envious of. Now I can't even wear it down anymore. I am literally going bald....so ridiculous. I can handle having to get my excess hair removed but I dont' have any control over getting the hair on my head to come back and that really has been the hardest to deal with. I've also had the "depression" that goes along with hormonal imbalances and PCOS, but it wasn't the clinical depression that some experience. If it weren't for the fact that I have zero self esteem because of the symptoms, I don't think i'd have any depression at all, but it's hard to help it when you feel like a freak all the time.

So, now, I'm a few months away from 27 years old and although the facial hair was getting better, it has started to come back with a vengence since I stopped my meds. So I'm back on the bcp and I'm trying a new vitamin regimen..see if I can control this the natural way. I figure it can't hurt....it's not like the medications were magical or anything.

I'm only about 20 minutes from NYC myself. I live in lower Westchester. I've been to the shore a few times with some friends - had a great time

My sister is a teacher too

I have my own graphic design business so that at least keeps me busy enough to deflect from my pcos aggravations.

It definitely helps to vent on these boards. I'm glad you found us!

luvmydogs · 06-07-2007, 08:08 AM

jaime-
westchester is such a beautiful community... my husband's mom grew up in port chester and his aunt still lives there..... i am sorry to hear about your hair.... on top of everything else that must be awful..... i do not have this problem.... stupid question, but have you been checked for insulin resistance? aren't dark patches synonomous with that? the only symptoms that i have are irregular periods( which EVERY ob i ever went to told me was "normal" hah!), acne, and the excess hair, which as i said was never a problem on my face until recently...... i do have some skin tags on my neck, and i craved sugar ALL the time until i cut out carbs COMPLETELY when i started researching this disease..... now, i stick mainly to protein but will have the occasional piece of fruit..... i have only cheated once in six weeks and i NEVER thought i could give up my sugar! anyway, with my luck this is probably not even beneficial for me..... forgive me- i am an eternal pessimist- ESPECIALLY now! i also have never had to deal with the missed period thing... mine will come approx every 32- 36 days sometimes a bit longer... but i always get it! i have also never had an issue with my weight... i really cant wait to see this new dr in the hopes that he can give me some answers!!! i mean, what is wrong with me? when my hormone levels were checked everything was normal! it just doesn't make sense to me at all!!!! i know what you mean about self esteem too.... mine is rapidly decreasing.... when i am having a converstion with someone i find myself backing up because i am afraid that they will see something on my face...... and as a teacher this makes things difficult..... also, at times i have wondered- should i forget about having a baby so that i can start taking some medicine that will hopefully control my symptoms? it is terrible.... i am so worried about how pregancy will affect my symptoms! i think my biggest fear is what is going to happen to me... i have never enjoyed suspense..... i cant even watch a movie without asking my husband how it ends! so every day i wonder how the symptoms will progress.... it's awful as you must know.... did you say that your sister has this too? i know they say it runs in families but NOT in mine! neither of my grandmothers, my dad's two sisters or my mom has had ANY of these problems..... something that i have been thinking about lately..... i bet that if men were suffering from a disease that "feminized" them that a lot more would be done about it!

on a lighter note... what kind of books do you like to read? right now i have to read Oliver Twist for my masters class and im not too happy about it!l lol well have a great day and thanks for listening! (reading)

xfilegirl · 06-08-2007, 05:44 PM

I was checked for insulin resistance by Redmond...he said I technically wasn't resistant, but that my levels were on the high end which meant that I could move into that territory eventually. So that's why I try to stay away from the bad sugars and carbs...I don't always do so well, but I try lol

I don't really get the dark patches enough where i'd list it in my symptoms...every now and then one pops up but goes away just as fast thank god. I know what you mean about not thinking you could give up the sugar...when I first did South Beach I thought there was no way I'd be able to stick to it...but after the third day, I didn't even have the cravings anymore...I got light headed a few times but took care of that with a small shot of OJ....it got to the point where i could have been standing in a bakery and been repulsed by the sweet smell...lol..those were the days....gotta get back to that..but I think cutting the sugar is definitely beneficial...regardless of whether or not you have PCOS...so for us, definitely better....good work!

Yes, my sister is a teacher and she also has PCOS though she was never officially diagnosed. Unfortunately for her she is often sensitive to meds. All of the bcp she tried gave her terrible anxiety attacks, depression and panic attacks...she's going to be trying to get pregnant next year. I cross my fingers she doesn't have trouble...she has always had very regular periods unlike me (very very bad cramping, but it always shows up on time), so I'm hoping that will work in her favor.

I have been so busy with my business that I haven't gotten to read as much as I'd like to. The last two books I read were The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover and Lamb by Chris Moore....if you know anything about Catholicism or Christianity I highly recommend Lamb...it was friggin HYSTERICAL. The full title is "Lamb: The Gospel According to Jesus' Childhood Friend Biff"....lol...I was raised Catholic though I'm not religious, but that has to be my favorite book of all time....I actually laughed out loud while reading it.

Girl Glass · 06-18-2007, 09:52 PM

i'm a little late in replying (it's my first post to the boards here although I've been looking at them for years now)... if you are still searching for a doctor:
I've been to Redmond too-- but have regularly gone to Dr. Daniel Stein, also a PCO expert. He's been really nice with me and knows all about PCO-- but as usual, how do you know if you are getting what you need? Anyway... hope this helps!

puppyjean · 06-22-2007, 01:08 AM

girl glass - i'm looking for a good doc in nyc as well. i searched for daniel stein, and there are lots! i found an ob/gyn on W 59th and an endocrinologist in the Bronx. are either of these guys the one you saw? thanks!

Girl Glass · 06-22-2007, 12:57 PM

Hey puppyjean,
I should have realized there would be a ton of people under his name--- He practices at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital on the West Side-- on 59th (so you may have found him already). i've tried to put a link in below, not sure if it worked. Good Luck!
http://www.infertilityspecialistnewy...ew-york-ny.htm
Hope this helps!

xfilegirl · 06-26-2007, 11:06 PM

Luvmydogs, how did your appointment go yesterday? I still haven't picked a new doc yet. I was anxious to know what you thought of Dr. Lobo. Any news?

luvmydogs · 06-27-2007, 11:36 AM

hi jamie how are you? well, yes i did see dr lobo on monday..... sorry i didnt post to tell you about it, i've been so busy! i was impressed with the amount of time he sat with me and also he has a very reassuring attitude....he calmed me down and assured me that there are many ways to treat my symptoms..... we didnt really get very far because, well, as it turns out, im pretty sure i am pregnant! i took clomid last month and i am well over one week late and the home pregnancy test is positive.... so it really seems to be.... i will know for sure on friday when i go to see my obgyn..... i kept the appt with lobo because i really wanted to hear what an expert on pcos had to say and i also wanted to establish myself as a patient for after the birth... he could have done the pregnancy test right there but i declined since unfortunatley he is not on my insurance so i had to pay out of pocket ( 350 for a consult - no exam- cheaper than redmond yes?) i felt it was well worth it to hear someone tell me not to worry- that there are therapies that work.... he said it was a very good sign that i got pregnant right away on the clomid- in other words, maybe my case isnt as bad as anothers.... he did seem nonchalant about the cosmetic problems - HOWEVER, was VERY confident that they could be treated and taken care of with relative ease.... so, in a nut shell, yes i think it was worth the money and the trip, and will more than likely become a patient once my baby is born..... ( wow!!!!! now that sounds STRANGE!) of course i know you know that i cant do anything about hair, acne, etc while im pregnant so in the meantime i will continue to see my regular ob... i trust my ob to deliver a baby and for prenatal care but NOT to treat symptoms of pcos..... im sure you understand where im coming from..... sorry to go on and on here.... i am very excited (really i am shocked!!!!! i certainly did not think the clomid would work the first month!!! ) but also scared.... well. i hope you are enjoying the summer! hope to hear from you soon!!!

xfilegirl · 06-27-2007, 05:10 PM

CONGRATULATIONS!! I'm so excited for you! Wow - some ladies on here try for YEARS before the meds help them with fertility problems. That's so terrific for you! Thanks for the info on Lobo. I am debating whether to try him or try the woman doctor that is in Scarsdale - she might be more sympathetic to the cosmetic end of all of this, don't you think? Being a woman herself and all? ...I don't know...It makes me nervous that he was nonchalant about the cosmetic problems associated with it. That's one of the main reasons I'd be going to him - to try and get my head hair back (being as how i am still single and not trying to conceive at the moment). I just dont' like the idea that I don't know anyone who has used her and I can't find anything about her online. Maybe I should just go for a consultation and see what my gut tells me.

Thank you so much for your help. I'll let you know what I decide to do and please keep me posted on your baby updates

It was good that you kept your appointment - definitely should be on standby to control those symptoms after the baby is born....and I've read that pregnancy seems to work in favor for some of the ladies on here...the estrogen you'll be pumping out will definitely give you a few months of spectacular head hair! I'm jealous...lol....