U of Chicago PCOS doctors - Page 2

Calantha · 02-06-2009, 04:19 AM

Sorry, I forgot to add.. I'm not sure why they'd have you talking to Abby to make an appointment? Abby helps out on the academic side of things, but I've never known her to be involved in the clinic. The only time I've ever dealt with her was when I was doing studies for Dr. E.

octx2 · 02-06-2009, 12:26 PM

Thanks for you input as well Calantha. I'm wondering how often I am going to have to see him. I talked to Abby because of the Website for the Center for PCOS (which is how I found him) lists her number as the number to contact. She did put me in touch with the clinic to make an appointment but she wanted me to call her for my background info, etc. She was very nice once I finally got a hold of her.

When TTC my daugher Met was not doing much for me and my RE at the time added Actos so I took both and I got PG that month!

Calantha · 02-06-2009, 01:12 PM

I saw him every 3-4 months at first. Now that I'm basically stabilized he has me come in about twice a year to check my bloodwork and discuss any new concerns I might have. He is also very nice about answerring questions in email when I have something come up between visits.

Peggotty · 02-06-2009, 11:41 PM

I too am from Chicago. Who was the doc at Northwestern that was seen?

femmemoi · 02-09-2009, 11:47 PM

Calantha,

The doctor you described sounds like an angel, but wasnt the Dr. Ehrmann I encountered when I saw him in December. I'm glad your expereince was positive but you seem to be one of the very few who has had a positive experience with Dr.Ehrmann.

Nice or not, Dr. Ehrmann, Abeer (Abbey), and Dr. Ehrmann's assistant have poor communication with patients. Even an OB that I saw at U of C complained about Dr. Ehrmann's lack of tact with his patients. Additonally, the RE that I saw at Northwestern was apart of the initial research study for PCOS done at U of C and commented on Dr. Ehrmann as being unpleasant to patients.

Nonetheless, I hope those who choose to see him have a better expereince than I did. I went for my initial visit which was when the spiro and met were prescribed. Then I had to return for blood work and a glucose tolerance test then he sent me on my way which as mentioned in my previous post, didnt end well.

The RE I am seeing now seems to be really nice, and we have worked out a plan in which I will be taking Yaz and spiro to see how that works out. He is very knowledgeable about PCOS, and leads his own research study on PCOS at Northwestern.

For those of you who arent insured, this may be a great way to recieve treatment for your PCOS if you have already been previously diagnosed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calantha

Wow, I just stumbled on this thread and I'm shocked that anyone had an experience like that with Dr. Ehrmann. I've been seeing him for 8 years now and I *LOVE* him. Seriously, best doctor I've ever had. He DID give me the met, but when I complained of the side effects he switched me to actos, which worked MUCH better for me. Spiro was never pushed on me, but when I asked for it he was happy to give it. He's pretty much always been willing to let me guide my treatment. His bedside manner has been astounding. Not only does he patiently listen to me, but he REMEMBERS what I tell him, which even my family doctor can't seem to accomplish. Dr. Ehrmann has also helped me get into several research studies for PCOS when he knew I was strapped for money, especially during our adoption processes. Aside from being a great doctor, he's a great guy too. When I forgot my purse at home, he paid for my parking so my DH wouldn't have to leave work to come retreive me and our vehicle. When I brought my daughter home from China he offered to help in any way we might need, specifically asking if we needed clothing, furniture, money, etc. Of course I wouldn't feel right TAKING his money and I politely turned down the offer, but that really sticks with me as an example of how much he really cares about his patients.

kpants · 02-10-2009, 12:06 AM

femme, who is the RE you are seeing? also - is dr. ehrrman a GP or OB or what? im confused about what the UC pcos center actually is and what kind of docs are there. on the website they made it sound as though it's a team of diff types of docs all working together, which sounded great.. but now i'm not so sure. let me know your thoughts overall. i'm new to the area and looking for a good team, assembling some reco's for GPs, OBs, and REs. i'm not TTC right now so i dunno if i need an RE either way.. or what. anyway, your input is much appreciated!

femmemoi · 02-10-2009, 02:58 PM

Kpants,

The U of C PCOS center does research studies. There isn't a "team" of doctors per se, just Dr.Ehrmann, who is a endocrinologist not and RE and Dr. Rosenfield who is a pediatric endocrinologist.

Since your not planning on TTC, for an OB I would suggest making an appointment with the Gynecologic Specialists of Northwestern University. It's where I go, they are a group of 3 female OB's who made Chicago Magazine's Top Doctor's List. One of thier doctors, Dr. Streicher was just on Oprah speaking as an expert on hormone therapy. I would try getting in with one of the doc's and see how you like them.

I've just started seeing Dr. Goldman and she's fantastic. Her philosphy is, not all PCOS patients are created equal. Some have acne, some dont. Some have excessive hair growth, some dont. And she doesnt just prescribe a bunch of meds and send you on your way which I appreciate.

Anyay, that's my two cents, let me know what you decide to do. I hope you find someone you like.

kpants · 02-11-2009, 02:20 PM

ok thanks this is helpful. i actually was a patient of dr. streicher's for a short time when i was in college - but left because i really was not a huge fan of her bedside manner. she seemed way more into research and big ideas as opposed to my own personal PCOS plan and actually left me with little info or help other than to tell me to lose weight. she wasn't bad by any means, i just felt i needed someone to have a dialogue with. so you recommend dr. goldman? that sounds like a good idea. going to her, do you think you need an endo on top of that or do you find it suffices just to work with her?

kpants · 02-11-2009, 02:35 PM

also i just reread your earlier post - let me know who your RE is as well. i'd like to have one in my arsenal for down the road.. thanks!

kpants · 02-11-2009, 02:37 PM

octx i think your appt at UC was today - pls keep us all posted!!!!!!

octx2 · 02-12-2009, 12:12 AM

Hi All. My appointment was today. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I really liked him. He wasn't warm and fuzzy but I felt that he gave me his undivided attention and was really listening to what I had to say. I still have a road ahead of me and have not had to deal with his "follow-ups" as mentioned previously yet. He sent me for some bloodwork and is sending me for a sleep study (he mentioned the correlation between sleep apnea and PCOS). I have felt for a long time I may have sleep apnea. He said once we had all those results he would come up with a plan of action and he would be in contact with me. He gave me his email address to contact him anytime needed. So I guess its a start and we'll see where it goes!

kpants- I don't have enough posts to PM if you want you can send me your email address if you want more info

jill7755 · 02-17-2009, 10:41 PM

I have also seen Dr. Ehrmann before I was TTC and he was perfectly fine. Very helpful and listened to me. I had absolutely no problems with him, but I was TTC and so I started seeing the Reproductive Endocrinologists (Dr. Kim, Dr. Caruso, Dr. Cohen), who are an amazing group! I would highly recommend them to anyone.

BTW, there is also a PCOS research group at Northwestern, which I believe is led by Dr. Andrea Dunaif. Never seen her, so I cant recommend, but they have a website you can check out.

Peggotty · 02-24-2009, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmemoi

Kpants,

The U of C PCOS center does research studies. There isn't a "team" of doctors per se, just Dr.Ehrmann, who is a endocrinologist not and RE and Dr. Rosenfield who is a pediatric endocrinologist.

Since your not planning on TTC, for an OB I would suggest making an appointment with the Gynecologic Specialists of Northwestern University. It's where I go, they are a group of 3 female OB's who made Chicago Magazine's Top Doctor's List. One of thier doctors, Dr. Streicher was just on Oprah speaking as an expert on hormone therapy. I would try getting in with one of the doc's and see how you like them.

I've just started seeing Dr. Goldman and she's fantastic. Her philosphy is, not all PCOS patients are created equal. Some have acne, some dont. Some have excessive hair growth, some dont. And she doesnt just prescribe a bunch of meds and send you on your way which I appreciate.

Anyay, that's my two cents, let me know what you decide to do. I hope you find someone you like.

Hi. What RE are you seeing at Northwestern?

kpants · 02-27-2009, 09:09 PM

so i called today and made an appt w/dr. ehrrman.. i figured i'd give it a shot since it is the PCOS clinic and all, and if i don't like him i'll just go to one of the REs there instead. the weird thing was - i talked to abby before the appt and she asked me questions, took my history, etc. - and she wanted me to stop all of my meds between now and may (my appt) because dr. E likes to see patients and get bloodwork when you're not on meds. octx did you do this? i declined.. i'm finally losing weight and getting regular AF etc.. do NOT want to wreak havoc on my system for the next few months. i can understand where they're coming from on that but still - i'd think it would be best to get my baseline bloodwork so i can see how my meds have been working, then i can always go off for a trial period and redo bloodwork etc. down the line.. but not before even going in! anyway, she said it was fine and that many women decline.. but i thought it was interesting that they'd even request that. anyway, i hope it goes well an that i like him .. octx, did you do any follow up calls or visits yet?

jill7755 · 02-27-2009, 10:13 PM

kpants, was she screening you for a research study? What meds are you taking? They did tell me they would like to get bloodwork w/o meds and so I waited until I going to TTC before I quit spiro.