# experiences at neath port talbot hosp..



## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

just wondering if anyone can share any of their experiences at neath port talbot hosp? having so much trouble and unsure what to do about it! x x


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## paulaosbourn (Apr 10, 2012)

I was referred to Neath hospital a year and had Ovarian drilling back in Jan this year with Dr Dossa for PCOS. I was suppose to have a follow up appointment 6 weeks ago but recently found out that she is on long term sick leave   and they are trying to find another consultant to take over her patients. There is such a back log though, so god knows how long it will take to get an appointment and they are suppose to start me on Clomid


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## kara76 (Dec 14, 2004)

That's disgraceful. Could u ask to be transferred elsewhere?


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

hey ladies! thanks ever so much for your reply, so appreciated 

paula, exacly the same situation as you! i need to have a lap to remove a cyst and to have ovarian drilling and am on the 'urgent list'. miss dossa is absolutely useless!!! i rang last week to find out when i would be having the op and apparently i am one of 5 girls on the urgent list, but seeing as miss dossa is off sick for at least 2 months then i'd more than likely be waiting that long, after already waiting since last september! i spoke to a woman called nicola and she was lovely, we saw her at fertility clinic and she's deff the most helpful person we have seen! she has been trying to get hold of consultants to take miss dossa's patients but wasn't having much luck.. phoned again today and she said that i should hopefully have the op within the next month or so, but thats only if she manages to get another consultant in! it really is ridiculous. how have you found miss dossa? i really don't like her, find she's really rude and very abrupt. it's a disgrace that we don't know when we will have appointments, i'm so sorry to hear about your circumstances and that you don't know when your next appointment will be, my fingers are tightly crossed for you and i really hope you'll be on trach and on clomid before too long! let me kno how your getting on and lets stay in touch  x x x

kara - i asked today if i could be transferred anywhere else and was told that i'd be back at the bottom of waiting lists and would be for at least 10 weeks so the best thing for me to do was to sit and wait it out!!! it really is a disgrace  are both you girls from the neath port talbot area? x x x


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## Starsky32 (Feb 10, 2012)

Hi paigepopcorn,
I live in Port Talbot, but was referred to Singleton hospital. On speaking to others I think the docs there are friendlier. I waited from October 2010 until 3 weeks ago to get a diagnosis, and I only got to that point by making a formal complaint.
I'm under Dr Kalra, and he is great. He explains things really well, and has been very apologetic about how long I've had to wait. I think the fertility service in the whole of South wales is a mess, but I have been told in April next year a new IVF unit is opening at NPT hospital.
When the consultant I was referred to left (before my initial appt) I rang the secretary practically every week, and it seemed to work as I got an appointment on Dr Kalra's first clinic (although that's not much help to you with Dr Dossa being off sick!)
I'm now waiting for my follow up appt to be referred for IVF....which may be in Cardiff or NPT if the unit has opened!
xx


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

hey starsky32, thanks for your reply and nice to 'meet' you  
thats awful that you waited that long for a diagnosis, no wonder you made a formal complaint! the whole gynaecology/fertility services in south wales are an absolute disgrace, the experience we have had with them so far is dreadful, every person we have seen, apart from one woman called nicola, hasn't seemed to have a caring, understanding bone in their body. we've had gp's telling us that we were wasting their time by wanting to know and understand things about pcos and that we should 'go home and google it', to miss dossa taking annual leave and going off sick for months at a time with no other consultant to replace her, to being rushed to hospital in an ambualnce from work in agony with a cyst i have on my overy and being told to go home and take pain killers! 
i completely agree with you about phoning every week - you have to otherwise they just forget about you! it will be really good if an IVF unit opens at NPT, is the only one in south wales cardiff at the moment? 
i'm glad that you have finally found dr kalra and that you are now under his care, i hope you get somewhere with him! what 'problems' do you have if you don't mind me asking? x x x


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## Starsky32 (Feb 10, 2012)

Sorry for the delay in replying, my internet has been down. 
It sounds like you've had a terrible time. I felt like i was an inconvenience, which is why i pushed the complaint.
Yes the only nhs ivf at the moment is in Cardiff which is a shame.
I have problems with my tubes, both are swollen and twisted, and the right one is also blocked. Hubby's results were ok, not perfect but ok.
It's good to chat to people in the same area xx


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

awh it's okay hun  inconvience, thats the exact word to describe how they make us feel! i triend ringing again today to see if there was any news. no one answered so i left a message and no one has bothered to get back to me, i shall be nagging them tomorrow! i really hope they will put an IVF unit in NPT, i never knew cardiff was the only place, i always thought that LWC in swansea had one there. 
oh sorry to hear about your tubes, what stage of treatment are you in now? at least it's something with your hubby's results, it could be a lot worse than okay at least  i'm so trying to keep positive, but seeing as we know nothing it's getting harder and harder. you think a man and a women having a baby is the most natural thing on earth - turns out that that's only the case for the lucky ones! 
it most deff is good to chat with people in the same area, share experiences and gain knowledge and help others who arn't too far away from you  x x


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## Starsky32 (Feb 10, 2012)

At the minute we're waiting to be referred for ivf. My ovaries are fine, and my womb is fine so clomid etc isn't an option for us. We have an appt with Dr Kalea a week tomorrow to go through everything and then he'll make the referral. They used to do it ar lwc but it's something to do with them pulling the funding for it.
I have my days on the tryong to stay positive front, most of the time I'm fine, and since we've finally been given a diagnosis i've been far more positive.
I know of someone else who had pcos, and miss dossa insisted on her having a lap & dye before she would let her start clomid. To me that seems like a waste of time!
Yes, it amazes me how some people seem to manage it at the drop of a hat...i guess these things are sent to try us hey?? xx


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

i hope you get refered quickly and don't have to wait to long - we were told that the waiting lidt for ivf was a year and a half long, i really hope that won't be the case for you and your hubby! 
thinking about it, i have actually read that about LWC somewhere, i think a lot of it is for people that go private as well isn't it?! we had to go there for DP to do a SA, it wasn't very good to be honest, it's not sign posted so we spent half hour looking where to go in singleton! then no one was there and there was a little red bin for "vesectomy analysis" to put sample in, that contained loads of pots, god knows how long they had been sat there for! 
i'm glad that having a diagnosis has made you much more positive, i hope positivity is around the corner for me!! 
miss dossa is useless! she has told me that i need a lap and dye before i have any treatment myself. nicky (our fertility consultant) said that when i have the laparoscopy that miss dossa should be able to do a lap and dye at the same time to get me onto clomid/metformin quicker (she said that because i'm not ovulating then that will be the first thing they try me on) but miss dossa has told me no, that they will have to be done separetly, and i need to have a hysteroscopy as well. don't understand why they can't do it all in one! the only thing that i have found with miss dossa is that she waste's time. she's either off on leave for months at a time or on sick, and when you can finally get around to seeing her she's rude, sarcastic and very abrupt. i was refered to her in sept because i am having pain which i have been told is being caused by a large cyst i have, miss dossa asked if i want to regulate my periods or want help to conceive, i asked for help to conceive and she signed me off from her, without mentioning doing anything about the pain i'm in. went to my docs and they told me miss dossa hadn't said anything in her report to them about me being in pain so they couldn't do anything. i rang and had an arguement with her secretary and had to wait for 2 months for another appt with miss dossa cus of her c*** up! and when my appt finaally came she said "you didn't mention anything to me last time about being in pain!" i didn;t know what to say except for that was the whole reason i had been refered to her, the reason i had had scans etc etc, and she laughed. she's horrible, wouldn't reccomend her to anyone who is waiting to be refered/planning on going to her privately!!!
oh god yeah, some people get pegnant so easy, some that don't want/deserve a baby, and then there are people like us who want nothing more, doesn't make too much sense really does it! haha, yes most deff sent to try us!!!!! x x


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## kara76 (Dec 14, 2004)

Star you might need an op before ivf if your tubes are swollen, sounds like hydrosalpinx.

The building of the new ivf unit is actually what has increased the waiting list at cardiff.

Lwc use to undertake ivf on the nhs until late march this year when the welsh goverment pulled the funding without having anothewr unit ready to take on patients. Ivf therefore are the only clinic in south wales offering tx on the nhs which is a disgrace


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## Starsky32 (Feb 10, 2012)

She sounds like a nightmare!! I'm guessing we'll know more next week but would think if it's all being done in Cardiff that the wait would be longer. Have you heard anymore on whrn she is likely to be back? Surely it would make sense to try with the metformin/clomid anyway then you may not need other treatment. I had lap&dye and hysteroscopy and removal of adhesions in one procedure. I was fine afterwards...in a bit of pain but nothing major.
Hope you get some answers soon xx


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

she is a nightmare, lol. i think i'm going to have to be asked to be refered somewhere else and just have to sit out the waiting list to be honest, i rang again yesterday and they still can't get another consultant to take her patients, and i need to ring in another 2 weeks time to see if there is any new news. dossa should be back with a month and a half at the most apparently, but i'm not going to hold my breath!
well thats what my DP said about trying clomid/metformin but they won't prescribe it until everything is complete otherwise it could be a waste of time, it's just a long old wait, i'm going to say that i want everything done in once, if you and others have had it done in one then i don't see why i can't, it will just drag everything out longer! 
any news on your front yet? how you doing? x x


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## Starsky32 (Feb 10, 2012)

Sorry Kara, I've only just noticed your reply. I did wonder if my problems fell into the hydrosalpinx category, the Doctor showed me pics he had taken when I had my lap and dye but said we'd discuss it further at my follow up appt. He didn't mention operating before IVF but I have read that IVF is likely to be more successful after surgery if it is hydrosalpinx.

Paigepopcorn, I'm doing OK, eagerly awaiting my follow up on Thursday  . We booked a holiday last week, it's not until a year September but I figured with the waiting lists etc, we need something to look forward to  
How are you? Have you heard any more? I think the most frustrating thing is waiting for answers!   
Well if she is going to be off for so long it may be worth getting nother referral, especially if she's sarcastic and not listening to you.
I really rate Dr Kalra if you could get a referral to him. Take care, sending you positive thoughts   xxx


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

hi starsky,
sorry i have only just seen your reply! glad you are doing okay, how did you get on with your appointment last thursday? don't blame you for booking a holiday, you deff need something to look forward to  where are you jetting off to? somewhere nice and hot away from this windy weather i hope! it was awful here yesterday, trees had fallen onto electric cables so we had no electric from 8am until 9.30pm last night, our house was like a church with all the candles, lol. 
i am okay thank you, spoke to a woman in neath today and they finally have a replacement consultant   i have an appointment on tuesday at 2.10pm to meet with her an discuss when i will be having the lap, about flammin' time!!!  x x x x


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## Starsky32 (Feb 10, 2012)

At last!! Glad you're finally on the way to being sorted . All went ok on Thursday, we've been referred for ivf and just told to keep trying in the meantime. He did say this time that I may have mild endometriosis but he wasn't 100% on it.
Yes the wind was awful wasn't it?! The candles sound quite romantic tho ;-) we managed to keep our electricity but did lose a fence panel. All fixed now tho.
We're going on a cruise...not very sunny, were off to Iceland and the Norwegian fjords. It's our third cruise so my poor hubby is missing getting on a plane lol.
Have you heard when your op is likely to be? Which consultant will you be under? Hope you start to get some answers soon hun xx


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

tell me about it, about flammin' time, lol. glad everything went okay for you hun, sorry to hear about the mild endometriosis, how did they find that out? my fertility specialist also thinks i may have that as i have really painful periods and often have pain during nookie which is a nightmare! at least you have finally beenrefered for ivf, will it be at neath you will have it once the new ward is open? 
the wind was terrible, candles were romantic but chris (OH) was only worried about missing something on tv, typical man, lol! i don't know how he'd ever manage if we were ever to no longer have electric! saying that, i'd struggle, especially with the no internet", haha. oh god, glad you've managed to fix your fencing, theres loads of people in our village that have lost/had broken their kid's trampolines!!!
awh wow, that will be amazing, i'd love to go on a cruise but get so sea sick, went to germany a couple of years ago on a boat and was sick the whole way there and back so it's put me off! where else have you been then? 
op is meant to be within the op, fingers crossed! i am going to be seeing miss zaki, i have never heard of her before tho, but as long as she is nicer than miss dossa i don't mind! on tuesday she is just going to have a look at me and say when i should be having the op. thanks ever so much hun, and glad you've finally got some of your answers too  really hope your not waiting too long for ivf! x x x


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## Starsky32 (Feb 10, 2012)

Well, he took loads of pics during the lap & dye so i think now he's had a chance to look at them properly he thinks it could be. He also removed 5  or 6 adhesions during the op which i think is also suggesting endo. I get painful periods too but from my history he wasn't sure if it was endo as they are pretty regular. Yep i've been referred to the new unit at neath port talbot. He said welsh government rule is that you have to be on ivf waiting list for a year but that if we don't get a date within 18months, we'll be offered treatment elsewhere (although reading other posts on here i think we'll be waiting for 2 years at least)
I haven't heard of that doc either but surely she must be better than miss dosa. Good luck with it anyway 
We've already done a caribbean cruise and spain & canary islands...you hardly feel the boat moving, which is amazing considering the size of it!
Hope you get a date soon xxx


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## paulaosbourn (Apr 10, 2012)

Hi Paigepopcorn,

 I replied to one of your posts about Dr Dossa a few months back. Sorry i didn't reply back, to be honest i completely forgot i wrote on here lol   

I've just read you mentioned that Neath Hospital have found a replacement consultant for Dr Dossa. That's fantastic news hopefully you will get ur op soon. Dr Zaki is from Bridgend hospital, I enquired about going private and Zaki is the Fertility s specialist there . 

I think i'm going to ring the hospital 2moro and see where i am for an appointment to be put on Clomid so fingers crossed its not too long away otherwise I'd rather pay £120 and go private x


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## paulaosbourn (Apr 10, 2012)

Hi just a quick update I phoned the hospital on the 11th and I Finally have an appointment with dr Zaki on the 28th May. Soo glad now as i will be starting Clomid


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

hi paula, sorry only now i am replying, having hell with my internet and just figured out how to get on here using my phone. i'm such a technophobe, have no idea at all, lol. awh wow thats fantastic news, so happy for you! about time hun  miss zaki was lovely, really informative but we didnt get much time with her due to how many people were there to see her, we were also waiting an hour and a half to see her cus she was so busy. i'm so annoyed tho because miss dossa hadnt put me on the waiting list for the op like she told me she had way back in november, so now i could be waiting till october for it! i've writen complaint letters to a lot of people tho so hopefully something will get sorted soon, feel totally neglected by miss dossa!
anyway, good luck at your appt, make sure to let me kno how you get on and how clomid treats you  can't wait to hear all about it! x x x


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## paulaosbourn (Apr 10, 2012)

Hi paigepopcorn

Sorry to hear about ur appointment, they haven't been very organised at all   
i had my app today with Miss Zaki it was short and sweet but I had 6mths supply of clomid as well as provera to bring on my period because i havent had any since the op, I have to take the clomid on days 2-6 of my cycle and they are gunna scan me on days 10,14 and 24 of my cycle also a blood test on day 21 to see if the clomid works. I hope that i finally get a BFP after 3 yrs to the day of ttc. I will keep you updated on how i get on though.... best of luck to you


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## paigepopcorn (Oct 31, 2011)

hey paula!
awh tell me about it, i had a pre-op assessment last friday and was told i could be waiting up until september! i really hope not, am in so much pain all the bloody time   
onto better news then... omg yaaaay i am so happy for you, about time! how's it treating you so far? hope your not suffering too badly with the side effects! you'll have your BFP before you know it, good luck hun  x x x


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## paulaosbourn (Apr 10, 2012)

Awww September!!!, wot a pain in the ass.... I kno how you feel especially with all the waiting :-(

Yeah the clomid went alright, I had a few headaches and the sweats but that was about it  Im on CD10 and I had my 1st follicle scan today and i have 2 good sized follicles which measure 16mm and 14mm and 5 smaller ones in the right ovary so they think i could ovulate from that side, which makes sense because i have been getting pains in there.

My endo lining measured 5.5mm which they reckon is ok but they wanna see it get thicker, hoping it will thicken by the time I go in for my other scan on day 14 and hopefully an egg will be there lol. I'm not getting my hopes up but it was good news to hear the follies are there and a nice size. 

i hope all is well with you  x


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