Does All This Testing Seem Necessary? Female Issues....

Sometimes testing seems like a lot, but makes more sense once you know why. I would have the OB explain what she is looking for on each test. You could even say point blank that you are concerned about the expense. She might tell you that you could wait for the results of one test before doing the next.

Good luck! I hope everything ends up okay.

I wish my best friends doctor had been this thorough.

Not to frighten you, but she died last year after about 8 months of her having to beg her doctor to figure out why she felt so bad, even though the tests showed everything was fine. He kept telling her, they did not see anything.

She found out she had a type of cancer that was hard to find and it had spread to her lungs.. then her brain.

I went through the same testing when I had excessive and irregular bleeding. The biopsy was the worst part (that may cause quite a bit of cramping and may make you a little woozie). They determined I had fibroids which led me to have an endomitrial ablation. Unfortunately because of the fibroids (and endomitriosis that wasn't determined at the time) I ended up having a hysterectomy.
Don't be overly concerned, it sounds pretty standard. It is overwhelming, but they're ruling out the major stuff and can then figure out treatment, if any, that you want to do. Good luck!

If your period is just irregular every once in a great while, it's not a problem.
But if it becomes a regular thing, it might be a symptom of other problems.
My friend had a period that gradually got more frequent and longer and longer until she was almost bleeding continuously.
She was starting to get anemic.
It turned out to be an early symptom of breast cancer.
She's fine now and has been cancer free for over 20 years.
The testing would ease my worries.
If a problem is found early enough it's easy to fix.
If the testing reveals no problems - that's great too!

She is being proactive with your health and sounds very good. I would be thankful she is doing the testing! Nothing to worry about---its part of how they diagnose you! Good luck and see if you can take OTC med before the biopsy. Its not comfortable.

I would be glad that she's doing the testing, I would rather know that things were okay (test results) then have the doctor just assume. I would flat out tell the doctor that you are concerned about the costs of all the tests. I truly don't believe that most doctors are in the business of trying to run up people's insurance by ordering unnecessary tests. She can at least better explain to you why she wants to have these tests done and why you should or shouldn't put them off.

Doctors don't even think about how much any of it is going to cost you.

I am really starting to not trust the medical industry at all. Customer service is becoming nonexistent, and they don't even contemplate what is truly necessary and what isn't. They just want to test, test, test, and charge, charge, charge.

I'd get a second opinion.

if you're not on the pill which has caused me break through bleeding a lot, this does sound like something at your age that should be investigated. So the bloodwork and ultrasound don't sound over the top at all. A biopsy of your uterus isn't actual surgery like it may sound so it also seems reasonable. I think you could ask her to do the first two which really do seem necessary and then see what the results are before the biopsy. To be fair, if it's something serious and the dr didn't do enough tests, people would be on here crucifying doctors saying they don't care, they just push you out the door etc. So mention your deductible and if there's a way to stage this to make sure it's all needed. Perhaps you want to wait for 2013 too at this point.

It does seem like a lot of testing.

Have you considered getting a second opinion before you embark on all this invasive testing? I would. Doctors are just "people mechanics." When you're not fully trusting of what your mechanic says, you find another mechanic to take a look under the hood.

Call your insurance company and find out if they will cover you so you can get a second opinion. They may prefer that to the expensive tests you will need.

Out of curiosity, have you changed birth control? I know that can affect me.

Those symptoms are not the kind of symptoms that should go untested. You don't need a second opinion, because you do want to find out what is behind the irregular bleeding.

Maybe you could tell the doctor about your financial status, and see if you can do the tests one at a time, to see if maybe you can be diagnosed with just one test. You can ask her which is the most important test. Maybe you could start with bloodwork and work from there.

The first thing I do when a doctor suggest tests is to ask them how much each one of them will cost. They of course don't know, but I think it is important to stress to our doctors that every time they suggest a test, it costs me hundreds of dollars.

My clinic now has a phone line to call to get the price on each procedure based on my insurance coverage. Like you I have a very high deductible ($6000) so I pay for everything.

The ultrasound and bloodwork seem reasonable, I'm not so sure the reasons to jump right to a biopsy. I would suggest calling your doctor back, asking the price of each procedure, and her reasons for suggesting each one. Then you will have more information to go on before deciding what actions to take.

We are in charge of our healthcare, not the doctor. If you have issues or disagreement with one, seek a second opinion.

Rosemud is right. It is important to find out. There are some precancerous conditions that show these symptoms. Catching them early can be a lifesaver.

Hopefully this is nothing. But you don't want to go without finding out...

Dawn

That doesn't sound abnormal to me. Just sounds like she is a very thorough doctor and since you are a new patient, probably wants to establish an initial history with you. I wouldn't be too worried. Sounds like standard procedure to me. I have had friends that had problems with periods like you describe and usually going on the pill helps to get them back on track.
Good luck with that deductible. Those are painful to pay when you don't have much put toward them.
Hope this helps!
A.

Ditto Dawn. I had the same symptoms and found out I had the very beginning stages of cancer. Get the tests done!