Need safest surgery option for large uterus.

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Originally Posted by BornACrone BTW, don't get freaked out by lawsuit stories -- ANY procedure has a million lawsuits associated with it I'm sure, and lots of surgeries have been done with the daVinci without incident. What matters, as Surprised said, is how good YOUR surgeons are with the thing, and how confident they are that they can manage the surgery on a uterus of your size.

Hi BornACrone,
Yes, I agree with you. I would hate to not know what to wake up to; from laparoscopy to TAH. Yes, I did hear that the robot arm may grab the wrong organ, etc. The Da Vinci doctor is said to have done over 100 procedures & the lap doctor (second opinion) seems to have done more procedures . I am scheduled for Da Vinci & I don't know if I should cancel or keep the appointment.
Thanks for your encouragement & sharing your experience. God bless you.

My uterus was up to my belly button and the largest fibroid was 14cm; my doctor didn't give me any options, she said a TAH was the safest and easiest way to deal with this situation. That way she wasn't going to start one way and end up another and we both knew the plan of attack. I go for my two week Post-Op check up today and am looking forward to good news. Yes it's the most invasive procedure, but if it gets the job done right the first time, I'm all for it,

I had a da Vinci on Nov. 25th and I feel great. I actually feel so good that I have to remind myself to rest that I am still recovering. My doctor marked a line on my belly to show me how large my uterus was. It was all the way to my naval. My surgery was very successful. I am sure that what ever option you choose, that yours will be too. *hugs*

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Originally Posted by SereneWoman Hello, I am scheduled for Da Vinci hysterectomy in 2 weeks. I was told I have a large uterus & 3 fibroids the largest of which is 8 cm. My stomach is about the size of 5 months pregnancy. I went for second opinion & was offered laparoscopy with a caution that I may end up with TAH & bigger scars if the surgeon has problem with visibility due to the size and location of my fibroids. She offered me Lupron to shrink the fibroids before surgery which I declined because of the side effects.I am so confused! I worry about the safety of the Da Vinci robot because I heard it can malfunction & I saw a class action lawsuit online about it. Can anyone please help me decide between Da Vinci or laparoscopy for a large uterus!! I want the SAFEST option. I am not too worried about post op pain or recovery time because I know it is temporary. I am not too worried about scars either. I just want a safe outcome. Any words of wisdom for me?? Thanks CU

I had a Da Vinci robotic Total Hysterectomy in March 2013. I had early uterine cancer, my uterus was somewhat enlarged, about 3-4 months gestation size. I did NOT have any fibroids, so I cannot speak to that. I had uterus, tubes, ovaries and some lymph nodes removed. So that was the procedure, let me describe my personal experience. Caveat - I have a very high pain tolerance, so I might have pain that I personally do not perceived as such, that might affect someone else.

I had my surgery first thing in the morning. Spent an overnight in the hospital. I had no perception of pain whatsoever post-op. I did take a single Lor-Tab because they insisted I take it, about 20 minutes later I threw it up when it did not agree with me, and that was the extent of my pain medication. Later, I had a substantial headache that I think was anesthesia effect, and I took a couple Ibuprofen for that.

I had surgery on March 7 and on March 25 returned to light-duty work. I do computer work and telephone customer support work, so essentially, I was able to fully function in my job. I returned to full duty, which in my job involves business travel to customer sites by plane, on May 1st. My surgery was a Thursday, I was discharged on Friday and my sister came to stay with me. On Saturday, I felt good enough that she and I went out to breakfast. They told me to do whatever I felt up to, so after breakfast, we went on a long drive around the area, stopped at a couple stores to walk around, no heavy duty shopping, but a little ramble in some interesting shops. The next day, we did this again. We spent a week together and throughout that time, I was able to be up and around, and remained pain free. No there was some minor bloating, and of course, I could tell that major things had occurred to my body, but there were 4 access points for the robotic arms that amounted to a few stitches each to close. Eventually, one leaked lymph fluid and required me to cleverly use a self-stick menstrual pad over the area to collect the clear liquid. This did not hurt, went on for 4-5 days, then resolved on its own. I did consult my doctor, but he told me this was normal and unless there was pain, redness, or bloody discharge, not to be overly concerned. I followed instructions about lifting to the letter, along with showering recommendations - even down to the type of soap recommended. I had no complications at all no infection, no pain, no significant discomfort. After the incision leak resolved, there was some minor fluid leaking vaginally, same type of fluid, went on a couple more days then resolved.

I was told the uterus itself was withdrawn from my body via the vagina, as it was too large to be withdrawn through the access ports, but that one of the access ports was used to remove the lymph glands, the one that leaked. I suspect that the uterus is probably usually removed per vagina, so I would not let that worry me too much.

I am now 9 months out from surgery. I feel terrific. I feel better than I have felt in years, and even now feel better and noticeably stronger again every now and then even above how good I already feel.

I had an outstanding oncologic surgeon with MUCH experience using the Da Vinci robot and whose primary business is doing surgeries just like I had to have done. Experience of the surgeon is the best indicator of a good outcome, I would say.

I hope this is helpful information for you. I certainly wish you the very best experience possible. Be sure your surgeon is very well experienced and has had good outcomes…that will help your confidence level to know that. My surgeon was in one of the premier surgical groups in our area, so I had complete confidence in him.

Best of luck, and Merry Christmas!!

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Originally Posted by BornACrone I had a 13cm, 2.75lb fibroid and was scheduled for a TAH. During my consult with the surgeon, he did tell me that he'd gotten others the same size out through lap incisions, but he wasn't completely confident that he could do it with mine since it was really quite large (up to my navel and the size of a 21wk pregnancy). He told me that he could try it that way if I wanted him to, but that if it appeared at all unlikely, he'd convert to a TAH immediately. The way he put it was, "We don't do Wild West stuff here," where they give something a go and see if they can manage it. No chance-taking. I was more interested in knowing precisely what I would wake up to, so I wouldn't have to ask, "Were you able to XYZ?" upon waking up. I wanted to know EXACTLY what I would be like upon waking up, and I did not want my surgeons to have to make decisions in the middle of the procedure. I wanted us all to know precisely what would happen, to be able to envision to whole procedure start to finish. I also would rather awaken to ONE Pfannenstiel (bikini) incision as opposed to a bunch of lap entry points or a bunch of lap entry points plus a Pfannenstiel. So for me the certainty was much more important. I'm into my 7th week now, and feeling like I never had surgery, really. When I lie in bed and really have a good stretch, I can tell that my fascia are still a little tight but overall, I'm glad I made the decision I did. Everyone has to make the decision in a way that makes sense for them.

My experience was very similar to yours. My fibroid was also so big the my uterus was over my belly button. My Doc tried the DiVinci method but because of scar tissue (from a c-section) and my uterus being so large she couldn't see behind it. I had a SAH! She said my uterus was larger than her head. People used to think I was pregnant. I looked like I was 8mths!! Since surgery my stomach has gone down a lot, and I no longer have heart burn and have lost about 10lbs. I'm still having complications (developed a blood clot), but I feel a lot better than before.

I had the Da Vinci surgery for removal of uterus, ovaries, tubes, and cervix which the doctor took out through my vagina. The doc said my uterus was large before surgery and after surgery he said it was well over the size of a 12 week pregnant uterus. He said they had trouble removing it so he cut it into pieces to remove it vaginally. Hope this helps you. Many ladies say their doctors told them this couldn't be done using the Da Vinci but I am proof if the doctor knows what he is doing it can be done. He told me before surgery that he didn't have any talents and couldn't do anything well except he was an expert on getting large things out of small areas. Good for me he was lol. Good luck.

First of all, you have to comfortable of your surgeon, and able to trust him or her. I did not have DaVinci available through my insurance, but did have a total hysterectomy via LAVH and did fine. I had an enlarged uterus (5 mo size like many others posting here) along with fibroids, endometriosis and stage one uterine cancer. My surgeon said there was only a 30% chance he could do the surgery laparasopically, but he did it! It took 4 hours, but I was oh, so happy when I woke up and found that I had not been cut open. It was not easy for him but he is not one to give up. It was easy for me because I was asleep the whole time. I was prepared for either eventuality, though.

Even at that "easier" surgery, it took me about 8 weeks to recover. Now it is a year and a half later and I barely notice I had this major surgery - not even scars from the holes. The biggest changes are I am no longer in constant pain, no longer incontinent (that was from the fibroid pressing on my bladder all the time), no longer bleeding all the time and I remain cancer free. My anxiety over anticipation of the surgery was far worse that the actual event.

I wish you all the best as you go through this. Everybody is different and you just have to make the correct choice for you and be prepared for either outcome for your surgery.

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Originally Posted by pamsue First of all, you have to comfortable of your surgeon, and able to trust him or her. I did not have DaVinci available through my insurance, but did have a total hysterectomy via LAVH and did fine. I had an enlarged uterus (5 mo size like many others posting here) along with fibroids, endometriosis and stage one uterine cancer. My surgeon said there was only a 30% chance he could do the surgery laparasopically, but he did it! It took 4 hours, but I was oh, so happy when I woke up and found that I had not been cut open. It was not easy for him but he is not one to give up. It was easy for me because I was asleep the whole time. I was prepared for either eventuality, though. Even at that "easier" surgery, it took me about 8 weeks to recover. Now it is a year and a half later and I barely notice I had this major surgery - not even scars from the holes. The biggest changes are I am no longer in constant pain, no longer incontinent (that was from the fibroid pressing on my bladder all the time), no longer bleeding all the time and I remain cancer free. My anxiety over anticipation of the surgery was far worse that the actual event. I wish you all the best as you go through this. Everybody is different and you just have to make the correct choice for you and be prepared for either outcome for your surgery.

Peeing for me was so hard before surgery! After surgery I had to get use to the larger and stronger flow of urine! I wish I could've had the Di Vinci surgery, my doc tried but wasn't successful . Vaginal wasn't a option for me because my cervix was so small, which is the same reason I had to have a c-section with my son. I'm so envious of others who was able to have laparoscopic or vaginal surgery. Their recovery seemed less painful than my SAH!

I had a robotic assist laparoscopic procedure done. My uterus was about the size of a small watermelon. I was probably 18 week size (on the pregnancy standard). I had a very experienced doctor who had done thousands of these procedures. Still my surgery took longer. The key is that you need a surgeon who is experienced. If you have a person who is relying too much on the machinery, then there is room for error. A larger open procedure carries the risk of incision infections and the presence of drains.

Thank you so much ladies for sharing your experiences & your words of encouragement. Your positive results give me hope.

I am leaning towards Da Vinci . I am not too sure how experienced my surgeon is. She has done up to 100 of the procedure & I don't know if that's enough experience. Yes, I am worried about the procedure because it is major surgery & anything can go wrong. I am scheduled for it and will probably go through with it..
I am hoping for the best. I have kids who need me. Wish me luck. HUGS to you all! CU