My Story - Visit with Dr Eric Bautrant

[Pudendo]

I previously wrote a piece on my story to date - for those who are interested you can find it at: http://www.pudendalhope.info/forum/view ... f=2&t=9675

This time round I wanted to share my experience of meeting with Dr Bautrant as well as some of the logistical details in the hope this may prove helpful.

1. Obtaining an Appointment

Dr Bautrant is based in Aix en Provenance in France however he also sees patients in a colleagues office in Paris on Saturdays.

I sent an e-mail to the following address chir.gyneco@l-avancee.fr (which I found on the list of doctors section on this website) with a very brief summary of my condition and asked for an appointment in Paris.

I wrote in French but dont worry if you dont speak the language. I suspect they will understand English and in any case with Google Translate it is easy to convert text from your mother tongue into French.

I received a response within approximately 1 week and was given an appointment approx 10 weeks later.

In comparison on contacting the team in Nantes I was told I would be waiting approximately 1 year for an appointment.

His secretary will provide you with a code to enter the building. Do not forget to bring this with you as you wont be able to access without it.

I would recommend that prior to your visit you see a urologist, orthapethic surgeon and/or neurologist and perform tests to rule everything else out as this will help Dr Bautrant in making a diagnosis.

2. Day of the appointment

The Dr surgery is located across the road from a metro stop in the 6th district so is easily accessible.

I recommend you bring a copy of the results of any tests with you so that the Dr can definitively rule out other causes.

The cost of a consultation ranges from EUR 250 - 350 and is payable in cash only so not forget to pay a trip to the bank in advance.

On arrival there is a secretary present but she doesnt handle Dr Bautrants patients and you will be told to go to the waiting room.

Dr Bautrant will call you into his office when its your turn.

3. Appointment

On meeting Dr Bautrant I immediately fell at ease with him. He comes across as a very kind and caring individual.

I provided him with a summary of my condition and he asked a number of questions.

My advise prior to going to see him would be to think about your symptoms in a lot of detail and be able to describe them, in particular when and why do you experience pain (ie is there a causal factor behind the pain or does it occur in isolation) as this can have a bearing on his diagnosis.

He then performed a rectal exam. Ive had a number in my lifetime and its not something I look forward too but Dr Bautrant is a real pro and he does this very well. It surprises me to say it but it was not uncomfortable at all.

He then went to his desk and wrote up a report which he talked me through as he was writing it.

He uses a standard template for all his patients thus ensuring the process is robust and comprehensive.

I was diagnosed as suffering from chronic sensitization of my pelvis caused by a previous accident and an extremely severe adverse reaction to an antibiotic from the quinolone family.

He outlined the treatment options but suggested we start with a conservative approach namely physio, hypnosis and finally anti-depresant medication to deal with the nerve pain

Should this not work he suggested I could return to see him to look at alternative approaches.

Overall I was very happy with the experience. Dr Bautrant is clearly very knowledgable and as good as my previous Drs were I felt Dr Bautrant in this his field of expertise was clearly a step up.

Prior to seeing Dr Bautrant I had been diagnosed by a urologist and a neurologist with PN. Both were very good Drs and I had no reason to doubt them as I had many of the symptoms of PN.

That is why I highly recommend if you believe you may be suffering from PN that you see an expert. This is an extremely rare condition that my Drs indeed most Drs see on only an handful of occasions (if ever!).

To be 100% sure in my opinion you need to see someone who has had a lot of experience and knows what to look for and Dr Bautrant clearly tick the boxes in this regard.

To those reading this I hope you found it useful and I wish you all the best.

Take care.

[Violet M]

Thanks for posting this information. I wish you all the best with your treatment regimen. I agree with you that Dr. Bautrant is very kind and caring.

Violet

[Deemac]

Thx so much for sharing your story. I would love to say I'm in the financial position to fly out to France but I am not. Ive heard so much about Dr. B. And colleagues all good so far. I wish you well on your journey.

[Chadp13]

I'm confused though, you don't have PN/PNE? Those treatment modalities sound no different than the ones given here in the US.

[stephanies]

To me, the post reads that he had been diagnosed with PN prior to seeing Dr. Bautrant and saw him for a consultation due to his experience with the condition.

Stephanies

[Chadp13]

To me, the post reads that he had been diagnosed with PN prior to seeing Dr. Bautrant and saw him for a consultation due to his experience with the condition.

Stephanies

I see you had surgery by a doctor named Campbell. Was this at St. Johns, and is it something he commonly performs?