Hystrorectomy Recommended

I have a bulge in the L-5 that cause scatica in left leg. Pain increase with ovulation and menestration.I also have urinary problems heavy periods and clotsand cramping..
I have had a transabdominal ultrasonography that shows the uterus to be essentially normal in sise. uterus measures 8.5cms longitudinally and 4.7 by 5.7 transversrsely. The endometrium is normal thickness. There is a small somewhat globular area of increased echogenecity inn the posterior aspect of the body of the uterus.Most comatiable to a uterine fibroid. measures 2cms in diameter.although this abuts the endometrium it does not appear tp distort the endometrial strip.
The right ovary is essentially normal in size. There is a 3.5cm cyst on the right ovay..and the left ovary has a 1cm cyst.there is a small amount of free fluidpresent in the culdesac.
GYN recommend hysterectomy…..
Sorry this is so long. What do u recommend.

Dear Denise-
If your uterus is still within a normal size, chances are you are at the beginning of fibroid tumor disease.
The small tumor seen on ultrasound may not be the one causing you all the symptoms each month. There may be other smaller tumors buried in the muscle or you may have adenomyosis, which produces similar symptoms.
FAS can treat your problem-there is no need for a hysterectomy. You would just be trading these problems for others post hysterectomy. Please call my office if we can assist you further.

I am scheduled Sept 1st for a hysterectomy. My Fibroids were size of grapefruits. I have a few. I have had 3 shots of Lupron to shrink fibroids to hopefully have the operation vaginal. My Dr. says the uterus is enlarged and I have a problem that could lead to kidney infections etc. I didn’t get a second opinion. I’m hoping we are making the right decision

Dear Anonymous-
Your decision is based on personal preference. I would always recommend a second opinion when contemplating surgery of any kind. If you have fibroids that big and several of them, most gynecologists would probably not be able to remove them and preserve the uterus. So you would likely get a second opinion that is like the first. If the fibroids are removed from the uterus and it is returned to its original size, you would have no future problem with kidney infections.
I do not believe in lupron and I do not believe in hysterectomies for fibroid tumors. They are easily removed with our procedure, with no complications. You did not indicate your age, but you may be trading your fibroids for other problems if you consent to a hysterectomy. Please read the website section on Hysterectomy Complications-we have many patients call with these exact problems post hysterectomy. Our FAS procedure is exactly what you need-please call my office if we can help you.

Dear Anonymous:

How do you think you’d feel to open your eyes after surgery and have the feeling that you are still the same way you were born?? With your organs INSIDE your body – not discarded. It’s only last March I had FAS, and look at me now – no more problems, and a smile as big as the distance from Ohio to California. I don’t have to rationalize a FINAL decision, just enjoy my life, like I am supposed to, without remorse and other emotional problems. I have friends who had H – and it took them a good 2 years to recover, not to mention one almost lost her husband. How sad, to see a life with no options, just rationalizations. I just hope you can look into FAS as a safe and reasonable procedure which will make you feel like yourself again. You’ll like the feeling of being “cleaned up”, but entirely functional. If you need more details, look at some other posts I have on this BB, Onelist.fibroids and WEBMD. Good luck!

Mica

I’m 32 years old have no children. I have 3 fibroids golf ball size, uterus the size of a 4 pregnacy. Two of the fibroids are pressing on my bladder. Cramping, heavy bleeding, blood clots, lower back pain, swelling, leg cramps & leg numbness. Painful during sex. Some times bleeding after sex. blood levels are out of wack. My OB\GYN recommend a Hysterectomy. What do you recommend. I don’t want children. I do want my tubes tired.

Dear Anonymous-
There is no need to remove your uterus for fibroid tumors. All of your symptoms are classic for this disease!!! All you need is to have the tumors removed; our FAS procedure would use lasers to remove the disease to prevent reoccurence.
If you have a hysterectomy you take the chance that you will replace your current symptoms with those common in post hysterectomy patients ie hormone imbalance, mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and the increased potential for osteoporosis. Do not let anyone remove your uterus for a benign condition. Please call my office if we can help you.

I am schedule for a hysterectomy in October, I just got out of surgery for a removal of an ovary and tube The ovary was huge and had a massive cyst on it the other ovary also had another type of cyst on it. I was covered in a black mass all over my organs. I really want to keep at least my ovary, but was told it is causing the problem. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Dear Anonymous-
I am not sure what you mean by “black thing covering my organs.” This may be an endometrioma-which is a form of endometriosis. This is treatable with FAS and laser-we do not believe in hysterectomy for benign conditions.

I am a 43 year old- 4 year breast cancer survivor who now has been told that I should have a hysterectomy for fibroids. I have had pelvic ultrasounds which reveal..normal ovaries and
normal endometrium. Also had a d and c last year which showed no cancer.
Although my fibroids are said to be 5 month size….they are not causing me heavy bleeding, cramps, or other symptoms.
My gyne says I should have a hysterectomy while my oncologist says if I am not having symptoms…then wait it out.
What do you think????
Thank-you so very much

Dear Di-
This program does NOT advocate organ removal for benign conditions. We also do not recommend the typical “wait and see” approach. Your fibroids will only continue to grow with each menstrual cycle until you reach menopause, possibly 10 years from now. If you elect not to remove them, you may become symptommatic, post menopause, with hormone replacement therapy; fibroids often begin to grow again and can produce bleeding.
The longer you wait the more difficult it will become to remove them with the traditional gynecological approach. Our FAS laser procedure is safe, thorough and very effective. We can remove your tumors, and give you the option of keeping your uterus for normal hormone regulation and sexual function.

Do you have any suggestions for women that have already had a hysterectomy and are having post hysterectomy problems. I had a hysterectomy and also had my ovaries removed and I have had one problem after another one. It’s to late for women that have already had a hysterectomy??? There is nothing that can be done to rid the pain that your in all the time?? Also is it common to have bladder problems and Thyroid problems after a hysterectomy?

Dear Anonymous-
This is the classic picture for many post hysterectomy patients. We have a section on the website dedicated to this topic to educate women prior to this life changing procedure. Bladder problems are common after hysterectomy. Pain may be associatd with abdominal or pelvic adhesions. Although there is not much that can be done, I would recommend that you see a physician to assess your thyroid and other hormones-you may be helped with supplements and replacement therapy. Adhesions can sometimes be addessed via an outpatient surgery-if this is the problem. Please help to educate other women about the negatives of hysterectomy-it should be the last option considered.

I have been suffering with excessive bleeding and clotting for the past 5 years. I have periods lasting 10-12 days. i had a D and C and hysteroscopy in October which found nothing too abornormal, a few endometrial polyps including onethat had pushed thru the cervix. At that time my periods were lasting 14-20 days. My hemoglobin is 6.2 and i am scheduled now for a transfusion and hysterectomy (uterus only) in two weeks. i have an irregular heartbeat now after my long bout with anemia. My doctor tried hormone therpay and many birth control pill combinations after the D & C and feels hysterectomy is all that is left due to my extreme iron deficiency. i am anxious to feel better, but don’t want unneccesary surgery. I am 47, otherwise good health. I had a second and third opinion that confirmed the need for immediate hysterectomy before another period makes me seriously ill. any opinions from you would be appreciated! Thank you so much.

Dear Cherie-
I do not advocate hysterectomies as the treatment of choice for hemorrhaging. You did not indicated that your doctor actually discovered the cause of your bleeding. Did they do an ultrasound or some type of pelvic scan to determine if you have intramural fibroids or possibly an enlarged uterus which might indicate adenomyosis? If you have either of these diagnoses, repeated D&Cs are useless in treating the problem. They will scrape away the endometrial lining, but once that has built up again the hemorrhaging will begin again. The source of the bleeding must be discovered.
I do not like to see women have life altering surgery, like hysterectomies, if it is not necessary.
Your immediate health should of course not be endangered-consult your gyn and get a definitive diagnosis and make sure they do not have another option that is less irreversible.

It was discovered that I have a fibroid about 2 1/2 years ago. I am 47. I started taking Medroxprogesterone 10mg the 1st thru the 12th every month because of heavy bleeding. I did this for about three months and than I stoped taking it because I read it can cause certain types of cancer if taken long term. that was three months ago and I have been bleeding for over thirty days with light to heavy bleeding at this time. The sizes of it is as if I am 5 months. I have had all the test that need to be done.
I have had two c-section and I have a low cut. My doctor told me that if I had a hysterectomy that it would have to be an up and down cut. Is this true? I know several people that have had hysterectomies and c-sections and the doctor has used the same scare line. Her reason was it was to big. It couldn’t be bigger than a 9 pound baby.
Thank you for listening,
Terry

Dear Terry-
Many physicians feel they must use an “up and down” incision for adequate access into the abdomen, due to the size of the uterus. Our FAS program uses the “bikini cut” approach. We would enter your abdomen through your previous c-section incision, remove your tumors and reconstruct your uterus. I do not believe in removing the uterus for benign fibroid tumors. There is too high an incidence of post hysterectomy complications.
Please do your research carefully before surgery.
I know our FAS procedure can help you.

I am scheduled for a D&C and thermal ablasion next Thursday due to my heavy periods. I have read alot on the ablasion process but I am not sure what a D&C involves. Is that just the first step they do before the ablasion?

Dear Emily-
A D&C stands for Dilation and Curettage…they are going to dialate your cervix, then scrape out the endometrial lining from your uterus. They can then send the lining for pathology to get a diagnosis and make sure there is no malignancy.
Before you consent to the ablation..you should ask what they are treating. Most often ablation is used to treat symptoms….like heavy bleeding…but this procedure does not treat the underlying disease. If you are having heavy bleeding due to fibroids or adenomyosis, these conditions will continue to grow and spread, even though your uterine lining has been destroyed. You will only have a temporary, solution to your problem.
Find out what they are using this treatment for…it may save you an un-necessary surgery.