Dr Blackwell always answered my questions,even if there were tons and put my mind at ease. Even when I have questions at an appointment that wasn’t scheduled to see him; he always popped in and answered them. He gave me realistic expectations and was there every step of the way. ... He will only do 3-4 IUIs before referring to IVF. ... The first scan measured smaller follicles than he would have liked so the next month we added ovidrel.
Strengths: Quick to respond ... Clean Online portal was always updated ... Explained every visit/procedure thoroughly ... ... My opinion mattered ... Check in was easy Weakness: Appointment sometimes took a while Didn’t see the actual doctor much but I understand ... The nursing staff [UAB] was always amazing. They really made me feel like I mattered and answered any questions I had.
How was your experience with Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham?
He was very responsive to any questions I had and set out a realistic time frame and expectations. The onlt thing that bothered me a little was not seeing him as often as I liked but he would pop in if I ever needed questions answered. I will say that he always made an effort to schedule as many things in one day as possible and get medications to me quickly since I travel 90 minutes one way so I appreciated that.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham?
Pray
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham?
Dr Blackwell always answered my questions,even if there were tons and put my mind at ease. Even when I have questions at an appointment that wasn’t scheduled to see him; he always popped in and answered them. He gave me realistic expectations and was there every step of the way.
Describe the protocols Richard (Dick) Blackwell used in your cycles at University of Alabama Birmingham and their degree of success.
I started out with just taking letrozole I believe (after the initial bloodwork and consult of course) and measuring follicles around day 11-12. After no pregnancy; he quickly resorted to IUI so we continued with the follicle measuring,letrozole,and added Gonal-f. The first scan measured smaller follicles than he would have liked so the next month we added ovidrel. We continue this until i decided to take a break in October. It became a lot financially and emotionally. He will only do 3-4 IUIs before referring to IVF.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at University of Alabama Birmingham.
The nursing staff was always amazing. They really made me feel like I mattered and answered any questions I had.
Describe your experience with University of Alabama Birmingham.
Strengths:
Quick to respond
Explained every visit/procedure thoroughly
Clean
Online portal was always updated
Check in was easy
My opinion mattered
Weakness:
Appointment sometimes took a while
Didn’t see the actual doctor much but I understand
Describe the costs associated with your care under Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham.
Co-pays and some lab work that was covered
Describe Richard (Dick) Blackwell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Alabama Birmingham.
He [Dr. Blackwell] was kind, explained things honestly, which I appreciated....he set things in motion fast. My mom went with me and thought he was hilarious. She’s always thought I might have endometriosis. He said I didn’t.... He used letrozole instead of clomid, because he said that clomid can cause problems (I honestly don’t remember what those were but made sense to me). We did sperm analysis, then track cycles, then iui, then if that didn’t work the last step would be ivf.
They [U of Alabama] are helpful answering questions but you have to ask. The nurse practitioner, Courtney, was much warmer after I got to know her. At first, not so much.... They were fast to get meds called in and answered questions quickly. But sometimes I had to ask because questions weren’t anticipated and things weren’t explained before hand... Pills were pretty cheap, like $5. We paid $60 the sperm analysis and $120 for each ovidrel shot.
How was your experience with Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham?
He doesn’t do procedures anymore, because he’s getting up there in age. But he was honest, and even told me i should have already had my husband checked because he’s older than me! And he set things in motion fast. My mom went with me and thought he was hilarious. She’s always thought I might have endometriosis. He said I didn’t. He told me what to expect, and so far it’s tracked along with that.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham?
Write down your questions!
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham?
He was kind, explained things honestly, which I appreciated.
Describe the protocols Richard (Dick) Blackwell used in your cycles at University of Alabama Birmingham and their degree of success.
He used letrozole instead of clomid, because he said that clomid can cause problems (I honestly don’t remember what those were but made sense to me). We did sperm analysis, then track cycles, then iui, then if that didn’t work the last step would be ivf. Nothing has worked yet, but we haven’t tried ivf yet.
Describe your experience with your nurse at University of Alabama Birmingham. (Assigned nurse: Nurse practitioner- )
They were fast to get meds called in and answered questions quickly. But sometimes I had to ask because questions weren’t anticipated and things weren’t explained before hand
Describe your experience with University of Alabama Birmingham.
Know that you need to ask the questions to find out what to expect. They are helpful answering questions but you have to ask. The nurse practitioner, Courtney, was much warmer after I got to know her. At first, not so much.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Richard (Dick) Blackwell at University of Alabama Birmingham.
My insurance covered the first visit. And ultrasounds. Pills were pretty cheap, like $5. We paid $60 the sperm analysis and $120 for each ovidrel shot. Also, iui was $295
Describe Richard (Dick) Blackwell's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at University of Alabama Birmingham.
I can’t comment. This never came up. Although because of my age, I believe we would transfer at least 2