Men & Family
Just the
FAQs
Case/Analysis
Comments
Contact Form
Contact Us
Media
Research
Bibliography
Legislation
Other Sources
Uterine Artery Embolization
A Local Woman’s Success Story
By Hope Waltman
On July 9,
2001, just before my 45th birthday, I learned that "something was growing
inside of me". My OB/Gyn was quite
surprised, since my uterus and
fibroids had grown significantly in only one year’s time. I was
emotionally taken aback when the doctor briefly mentioned the option of
Myomectomy while I was still on the examination table, and if the tumors
were small enough “cutting the fibroids out and pulling them through the
vagina”.
The OB/Gyn immediately setup an ultrasound . The results indicated that my
uterus was about the size of a 14- week pregnant woman’s, and that
I had one fibroid the size of a
Clementine orange and another the size of a regular orange.
Thinking back over the year, I considered the increase of spasms and cramps
as a normal progression in a woman’s life cycle. I was embarrassed to let my friends
know I was having pain, and kept my fears a secret. At night, I spent hours walking the
floor, because my pain control prescription wasn’t working anymore. I had gained quite a bit of weight
and my mid-section was looking more like a pregnant woman’s. This mentally
disturbed me, because 25 years ago I had a stillborn child. Every time I looked in the mirror,
my shape reminded me how much I missed my daughter, Joy Marie. (We were never blessed with another
child.) I became more depressed
every time I had to change the size and style of my clothing. I felt I
was losing the person inside of me and that a stranger was taking her
place.
At my OB/Gyn consultation, my doctor presented all of the standard surgical
options, and casually mentioned Uterine Artery Embolization (UAE)- an
alternative some of his patients had utilized. I (and my health care provider)
wanted a second opinion, and luckily a dear friend gave me a pamphlet
describing UAE. The pamphlet
included the name of another OB/Gyn with whom I immediately made an
appointment.
After an examination, this OB/Gyn sat down with me and explained every
available option. I mentioned my interest in the UAE, and he agreed it
would be a good choice for me.
After some research, I decided on Uterine Artery Embolization and on
Dr. Robert Worthington-Kirsch.
Over the next three weeks, I was fearful and angry, and had a hard time
accepting that my body was letting me down.
I felt I had two aliens growing inside of me, detached from my
mid-section and as though I couldn’t talk to anyone but my husband about my
problem.
I
set up a consultation with Dr. Worthington-Kirsch in August 2001 and
immediately felt comfortable talking with him about my fears and concerns. I was thrilled when he said he felt
UAE was right for me, and that he would perform the procedure.
As I left his office, a huge mental burden was lifted. I now accepted that
I was a “fibroid disease sufferer,” and could open up to others about my
problem. To my surprise, I
found that there are many of us who hide-afraid to talk about fibroids and
the effect they have on our lives.
Shame and fear hold us back from getting help.
Dr. Worthington-Kirsch, a subspecialty board-certified Interventional
Radiologist, works out of Roxborough Memorial Hospital in
Philadelphia. A pioneer in Uterine Artery Embolization, he was the second
physician in the USA to perform the procedure. As of January 1, 2002,
he has treated more than 1,150 women with UAE, is
dedicated to the research and advancement of treatments for fibroid
disease, and is one of the designers of the CIRREF FIBROID Registry, which
is obtaining data on many women having the procedure. I volunteered to
be part of this study.
On September 6, 2001, the day of the UAE procedure, an ultrasound showed
that my uterus had grown to about the size of a 16-18 week pregnancy in just
two months.
The UAE was done in an angiography suite.
The doctor sterilized the skin on top of the large artery in the
groin area and numbed it with a local anesthetic. He then inserted a needle into the
artery and exchanged it for a plastic catheter about the thickness of a
piece of spaghetti. While
watching under X-ray, he maneuvered the catheter into the main arteries
leading to the uterus and injected small plastic particles to plug up the
blood vessels supplying the fibroid.
Injected dye helped to show the vessels.
Because immediately after the procedure the fibroids no longer have blood
supply, I experienced some cramping, but medication kept it under control. I had the procedure done on Thursday
and went home Friday. Dr.
Kirsch called me on Saturday to see how I was feeling and to answer any
questions, and I went back to work on Monday.
At one month, Dr. Kirsch called to see how I was doing and to inquire about
my symptoms at this stage of recovery.
There were sizeable improvements:
no bulk feeling, no night urination and urine spotting, fewer cramps,
I had started to lose weight, the shape of mid-section changed, my clothes
were looser, I was in a happier mood, I had less sexual pain, and I was
using less pain medicine.
At my two-month check-up, my ultrasound results were impressive! My uterus volume was
reduced by 31%, the volume of the fibroid located at top of my uterus
was reduced by 68%, and the volume of the fibroid at the neck of the uterus
was down 46%.
I’m very pleased with how good I feel physically and the mental relief of
knowing that the fibroids are reducing.
I have more energy and can do things I couldn’t before. My husband (my biggest supporter
throughout this experience) can see my great physical and mental
improvement, and is very pleased to have his healthy, happy wife back.
Perhaps even more impressive than the results of the UAE procedure is the fact that Dr. Worthington-Kirsch personally answered every phone call and email to allay my fears and concerns throughout my recovery process-even from a medical seminar in Sweden. I’ve never met a doctor so in touch with how a women feels and her concerns.
At my six-month checkup I’ll get another ultrasound, as it’s normal for reduction to continue for up to one year. I’ll also continue completing questionnaires from The Registry, hoping my responses will help other women with fibroid problems. If you have any questions check out www.fibroidcorner.com or write Dr. Robert L. Worthington-Kirsch, MD, e-mail kirsch@igsapc.com.
It’s comforting to know someone understands what you’re going through…
Copyright: Today's Woman February
2002 Issue, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
|
|
|
Hope Waltman |
| Founder of Hope For Fibroids, Inc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My Journey: Post UAE 1 Year to 20 Months |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
