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The Two Part Uterine Fibroids TechniqueHow I found a way to keep my uterus and quickly get back to my daily lifeBy: Hope Waltman Authors’s Note: Early in November 2008 I came upon a medical case that I felt other women and family members needed to hear about. To find out why this medical case required two separate treatments I interviewed the patient and Dr. John George (gynecologist that performed the Laparoscopic Myomectomy). To protect the patient’s identity I will be using the name Susan throughout this article. Susan’s Experience Most women view the yearly trip to the gynecologist as a normal routine visit. In Susan’s case she ended up seeing it a little differently.
“My gynecologist told me about
five years ago, during a routine exam, that she felt fibroids on my
uterus. She said they were about the size of peas. I was not aware of
them before that particular exam. They weren't causing me any problems so
there was no need to do anything about them at that time. However, about
two years ago, I started to feel a lump on my pelvic area. The lump
continued to grow. By the time I had the surgeries, I had a huge
unsightly bulge the size of an 18-20 week pregnancy,” says Susan. After you were diagnosed with uterine fibroids what was the next step?
“My doctor DID NOT give me any option other than a hysterectomy. She aggressively pushed this option to me. She even became angry when I would not go along with her "suggestion". That was totally unacceptable to me. Of course, I did not go back to her for a very long time. My fibroids kept growing so I finally went back and told her that I had heard about the UFE option and I wanted a referral. She finally relented and gave me a referral,” said Susan.
“Heavy bleeding, pelvic pressure, severe anemia, and urinary incontinence. I sought treatment because I couldn't continue to live like that anymore. The symptoms were continually getting worse,” explains Susan.
At first the diagnosis can be overwhelming. Since your doctor didn’t give you treatment options information how did you find out about uterine fibroid embolization (UFE)?
“I wanted a treatment that was
minimally invasive. I did the research and UFE seemed like a good option
for me,” Susan said. In this particular case Susan also decided on the laparoscopic procedure one week after the UFE. Is this how a fibroid case is usually handled? “As you know, not everyone is a suitable candidate for UFE. The largest fibroid would not have been suitable for UFE because of its location. I was told that a number of patients were having the two-part procedure. I wanted to avoid an abdominal myomectomy or a hysterectomy at all costs so I decided to do the two-part procedure. Hopefully, the fibroids will not return. I do not want to go through this again anytime soon,” said Susan How does a patient prepare mentally and physically for the two separate procedures? “No special preparation. Other than the fibroids, I’m pretty healthy overall. I exercise, eat right, and keep my weight down. I knew that I had the stamina to withstand both procedures,” Susan says.
“Overall, I have recovered quickly I believe. I'm not 100% back up to speed on everything but I'm getting stronger day by day. I would say that I'm 85% recovered three weeks after UFE and 2 weeks after laparoscopic myomectomy,” says Susan.
Continue to Dr. George's comments and graphic fibroid surgery photos |
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