VR 2011!!!

[cynnywd]

So, I'm really new to this, but love seeing the correspondence you guys all have between each other so, after reading and mildly participating, I thought I'd join in!
A little about me . . . I'm 35, and my DH will be 40 in March. We just got married October 24th, 2010, and have been together since 2007. I have 2 awesome(I'm a LITTLE biased!) children from my first marriage that are 10 and 8. My DH has a son that will be 8 in 2 weeks. During my first marriage, I always wanted more children, but knew I just wasn't with the right person to do that. My DH and his ex-wife had their son, and he had his V when he was 6 months old. He wanted more children, but his ex said there was no way she could do that to her body again(she's a runner . . . and that all I'm going to say), and since he thought they'd stay married, he agreed to the V. He really regrets it now. From the time our relationship became serious, we talked about the VR but wanted to wait until after we were married. Well, it's been a few months, so now it's time! We're having a little trouble narrowing it down to which dr we want to use. We're torn between Dr. Daniels, who's pretty close, and Dr. Roeder in Texas. I've noticed alot of you give Dr. Roeder great reviews, but I don't know very much about what kind of VR pg rates his patients have? Dr. Daniels seems to have good VR pg rates, but I wonder if his patients are just more vocal? HELP!!!! ;D

You guys are all so supportive and helpful, which is great to see! So many people don't understand what it's like to want to conceive, especially when you already have children. My family isn't very supportive, since they feel like I've already got 2 children that are older, and that me and my dh are borderline too old also, so I don't really discuss the VR with them at all. It doesn't help that my sister is pg and due in May with a totally surprise pregnancy. So, I really only discuss the VR with my DH, and at this point he really just wants to pick the dr and date and schedule the surgery!
I'm really glad I was invited to this board, and I'm learning alot by reading all of your posts! Thanks so much, ladies!!!! I look forward to any advice you all might have!!!!

[shell2011]

Hi CWD! Welcome to the board and to the VR community! We used Dr. Roeder and got our first BFP on our 4th cycle, which happened to be the first cycle my DH was in town during my fertile time (all 3 of our BFPs ended in m/c, but that has nothing to do with the VR). There are no guarantees, though. All I can say is that our experience with Dr. R was a positive one. DH did not wan to go under so that was a plus. We also considered Dr D since he is closer to us (within driving distance whereas TX required DH to fly), but ultimately went with Dr. R since he does it as a ministry. I think he has raised his rate since we had our VR done, but he is still cheaper (even with airfare and hotel) than most others. You have to decide with which Dr you and DH feel most comfortable. Hope to hear when you've scheduled and look forward to getting to know you better as you embark on this crazy journey.

[hsmom24]

Welcome CWD! I think picking the right doctor is sometimes the hardest decision. I didn't use either of the doctors that you're considering, but I've heard good things about both of them.

One thing that I always advise taking into consideration is a doctor who performs VEs and not just VVs. (A VV is a traditional reversal where the vas ends are reconnected. However, often times there's a blockage in the epididymis which prevents sperm from coming through, and a VV doesn't address that issue. A VE is when the doctor actually attaches the vas tube directly to the epididymis, bypassing a blockage and allowing the sperm a passage out) Not all VR doctors do the VE. Dr. Daniel is one of the ones that does, however Dr. Roeder does not. This does NOT mean that one is better than the other, but it's definitely something to take into consideration. My DH ended up needing a VE on both sides, and we're forever grateful that we went with a DR who performs those, because with VVs we would've had a failed reversal.

Anyways, if you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. With all the ladies here, there's a wealth of knowledge at your disposal.

ETA: Sorry, I mistakenly thought Dr. Roeder didn't perform vasoepididymostomies, but apparently he DOES indeed perform them.

[Jennifer]

Hello and welcome to our group! I hope you love it here! If you have any questions at all feel free to ask away and jump right in Congrats on your new marriage too!

[cynnywd]

Thanks, you guys!!! I knew that Dr. Daniels performed both vv and ve, but I thought Dr. ROeder did, also. If that's the case, then I definately think we'll go with Dr. Daniels. he's only about a 3 hour drive from us, and even though he's a little more expensive, I'd hate to go to Texas only to find out that the VR wasn't going to be successful! Thanks for the info!!!

[shell2011]

Dr. Roeder DOES perform VEs if necessary.

[cynnywd]

Thanks, Shel! I thought I saw that he did, but wasn't sure!

[hsmom24]

Sorry about that, I was under the impression that he didn't. His home page only refers to VVs, but I did find a mention of it under the "procedure" tab.

[cynnywd]

I don't think it spefically says that he does, but it does mention it. I'm going to call his office tomorrow to double check, then start looking at airfare to weigh the cost between Dr. Roeder and Dr. Daniels. We're still really on the fence. One of the things that is pulling me towards Dr. Daniels are all of the pg testimonials he has on his website. I know that doesn't mean that we would necessarily have the same results, but it is definately inspiring.

[hsmom24]

I do find it odd that it doesn't specifically say he does the VEs, just mentions that you won't know if it needs to be done until surgery is underway. But hopefully that's just an oversight in the wording.

We went with a local doctor for our VR (we had about a 10 minute drive from our house to the hospital), and we couldn't have been happier. I think if you're able to talk to both of the doctors, you'll get a clear feeling for who you should be going with.

[shell2011]

It must be an oversight like you said, Leslie. I know for a fact that Dr. R performs VEs. That is one of the reasons we chose him over Dr. Wilson in OK who doesn't perfrm VEs. It is rare that men need VEs, but it is always a good idea to go to a doctor who will do them if they find one is necessary. We didn't want to end up needing one and then not having a dr. that could do it. You just never know.