Coping with Lupron injections

Hello everyone, I have a grapefruit size pedunculated fibroid located at rear of uterus, and sitting on my colon. Also my uterus is twice it's regular size.The constipation, backpain and pressure has been enormous.Finally, after 3 opinions, I have a good Dr. who is treating me. He gave me 3 options and I decided to go with Lupron treatment to shrink fribroid prior to less invasive treatment (started Oct. 1/01).I am not happy with all the side affects and wondered if anyone has had succesful treatment pre-surgery for shrinkage.I will be having a histerectomy (never ever want to have fibroids again), but date has not been scheduled.If I can hang in for treatment I have a good chance of having it done laparscopically, If I require it done as an emergency (I have been having a real rough time and am on sick leave) then it will be done the laporatomy way.Has anyone been on Lupron treatment for fibroids? Have you found any benefits after 2 or 3 months? I am at a point of telling him that I need the surgery now, but I really want to try to increase the chance for less invasive surgery. Do you think it is worth the pain and discomfort to wait for it?

Mary,
I was on Lupron 3 months prior to my surgery. Yes, it did work for me to be able to have a LAVH. They did shrink. The side effects that I had was hot flashes and night sweats. That was it. It was worth it. After surgery, my doctor told me that I had between 15-20 fibroids in my uterus. I looked like I was 9 weeks pregnant pre-lupron. It is about 1 year and 3 months later and all of my symptoms from my fibroids are gone!!! The constipation, the sore back, urinating alot, hurting are all gone. Good luck. It's an expensive treatment; the shots and you are going to find alot of negativity out there on them. Just take all of the information and what your doctor is telling you and make your decisions. I don't regret it at all.

Mary, so sorry to hear that you are in so much pain. I always hate to hear that. I have not taken lupron injections, but just wanted to let you know we are here to support you and help in any way we can. This is a wonderful site with many great women.

You may want to do a search on lupron injections and read past posts from other women who have had them. Just click on the search button and type in lupron. Also check out the Alternatives and Options portion of this site. You will find alot of helpful info there.

Best wishes to you and hoping the very best for you.

Love and s

Mary,
Sorry you are not doing well on Luperon. I too started Luperon 2 months ago, I'm doing great, I go for my pre op tomorrow. I think the drug has worked because some of my symtoms seem better, l hope they tell me I will be able to have a LAVH. I'm having alot of bad hot flashes and night sweats on Luperon but otherwise feel better than I did off it. The first 3 weeks my pain got worse then I got better. Feel free to e-mail me if I can answer any other questions. My big day is soon, Nov. 2 !
Jennie

Mary,
I don't want to make you apprehensive, just share that my experience was not so positive. If you have researched lupron, you may have come across the Lupron Victims Network (I believe) where it speaks of the percentages of persons who experience certain side effects from lupron. To my suprise, I had a very bad experience with lupron that placed me in the category of experiencing numerous side effects. They included the hot flashes, night sweats, and the insomnia. I also developed heart palpalations following the injections. But the two things that were odd for me were the fact that I gained 30 pounds and had three bad falls during my three month waiting and injection period. It was as if I was loosing my balance while walking and became forgetful. This sometimes makes me wonder if I am just the perfect candidate for an awful surgical menopause of if in fact it was the drug. As far as my condition, the lupron was not effective. I had one large fibroid the size of a five month fetus that was the same when my physician performed a laparotomy. Again, this was my experience which I believe doesn't happen often. The majority of lupron posts I have read only include the hotflashes and night sweats. Best of luck to you with your decision!