I've spent the better part of several days looking into these doctors, who by the way, are all over the country. These doctors specialize in internationally adopted children. It is highly recommended that we secure their services to evaluate our referral, so we will. (I am really coming to detest that word, "referral." It sounds so cold, so institutional like. I need to come up with something else: cowboy...buck-a-roo...or simply, baby. I'll work on that.) Any way, these doctors see hundreds of children from all different countries and are able to diagnose and treat those things not seen in our country. We don't live any where near an international adoption clinic, so we won't be using them as our primary care physician by any means. What we will use them for is to look over the medical records we get before we travel and then anything we receive once we get to Russia. They are able to decipher the nuances of the Russian medical community and let us know what the Russian diagnosis really means in the Western world. Our pediatrician has graciously said she would be more than willing to look over our "cowboy's" information, but I also know she doesn't see a lot of Russian children in these here sparsely populated parts.
We have several avenues in which we can choose. (A) a doctor in the US who will need the medical records translated, (B) a doctor in the US who wants the medical records in the original Russian language--obviously they've graduated passed the first two CDs in the Pimsleur language courses (C) use a western trained doctor in Russia who will travel to the orphanage.
Here's my short list: (Don't I sound like I'm a presidential candidate narrowing my choices down for vice-president? Sounds so official doesn't it!)
- Dr. Aronson (wants translated records)
- Dr. Davies or Dr. Bledsoe~Center for Adoption Medicine in Washington (wants translated records)
- Dr. Gordina~Global Pediatrics (original Russian medicals)
- Dr. Benikova~International Adoption Medical Center (original Russian medicals)
- in country western trained medical doctor in Russia. --Not sure of the specifics here, but it an option from our agency.
- Dr. Bruce Eckel~North Texas International Adoption Clinic (wants translated records)
Everyone is $400-500 for the referral evaluation; for an in country doctor it will costs around $1500. Those of you who have had experience in this, please give me your recommendations. I'm all ears! I've heard of several PAPs using two IA doctors, others using one IA doctor AND having a doctor travel to the orphanage, and any combination thereof. Sounds a bit like overkill to me, but I'm new at this, so advice is welcomed.
Oh, yes, the planner is coming out in me. I'm wanting to have this IA doctor chosen and have my plan of action when "the call" comes. I already know that I'll be in panic mode then, and with everything we'll have to get done before we leave, I'll have this already worked out.
Please be in prayer this week. The US and Russian delegation is to meet the 29th and 30th to iron out a bi-lateral adoption agreement. Some 50,000 Russian children have found wonderful caring homes in the US; common sense and cool heads shall prevail. Then we can get this show back on the road!
It's definitely important to have 1 or 2 IA docs lined up... typically agencies want a quick "yes" or "no" to your referral.
ReplyDeleteWe were very, very happy with Dr. Gordina. She is very blunt (she is Russian!), so that may turn some people off. We wanted to hear the worst case news, and she assumes everything is wrong with the child until proven otherwise :) We used her for 3 referrals... and we valued her deep understanding of Russian medical terminology (she was a pediatrician in Moscow before moving to NJ) and understanding of how the Russian orphanage doctors think/their mindset. She made us laugh, telling about her own bio son's medical birth report. She did not drink during pregnancy and had a very easy delivery, but her son's medical included lots of the common diagnoses seen in adoption :) She is available to talk pretty much 24/7, even while you are in-country. Her prices drop for a 2nd, 3rd referral, etc.
I know many of the other doctors you listed are very highly recommended. Our agency also recommends Dr. Bledsoe. I don't think you can go wrong choosing any of these doctors!
Dr. Dana Johnson of University of Minnesota. He does not charge a fee but asks for a $250 donation to his clinic. I don't know if he requires translated documents but we know people who have used him and really liked him. He is available before and during your first trip for consultation. His # is 612-624-1164
ReplyDeleteWe used two doctors - Dr. Heidi at Texas Children's Hospital and Dr. Johnson at Univ. of Minnesota. We got some basic information in English and both reviewed the information and looked at photos/video while we were over there. I thought Dr. Heidi was more accessible and easier to work with. With Dr. Johnson everything is uploaded via a template on the website so you don't have a lot of direct contact.
ReplyDeleteI have used Dr. Johnson at Univ of MN twice so far. After uploading medical information and photos of the child he reviews and will call you for a consultation. He called me while I was in Russia as well. Very informative, kind and sets you at ease. Good luck!
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