Fibroids

jellybean - the ONLY reason i had my hyst was for fibroids. They were not as large as many women have, but it got to the point that i could not endure my lifestyle ... being out in public in white pants gushing ... sometimes less than an hour to soak thru and leak. Any doctor who says that fibroids should not be an issue . well....... i have news for him/her. It was mentally and physically debilitating. I am glad u r seeking a second opinion. Indeed, there are many options in dealing with them. For me, my symptoms being so bad.. i just wanted it to be done once and for all. I think you need to decide how much it has infringed upon your well being, with the knowledge that only a hyst removes them forever. Many women find relief thru alternative procedures - and many do not. One thing I did learn is that when they say "fibroids shrink with age/menopause" - i ultimately discovered that they only shrink about 10%. I woulod love to hear from anyone that has learned differently, as I could not believe this fact after reading over and over the benefits of waiting it out.....
Long story short - u r the keeper of your body and there are docs that will listen and respond to your concerns/questions and help you make the best decision. I wish you luck.
just FYI - there is a website by William Parker, MD in california that gives good info for different options. He also views hysts as last options, but i found the info valuable.
GOOD LUCK !!!!! You know u have a great resource of info here!

Thats exactly how I felt. I had one dr that wanted to try the Her Option procedure on me which is an ablation therapy. That was only going to solve the bleeding but not the pain.

I went to a second dr who spealizes in gynecological oncology and gynecological surgeries. He confirmed the the fibroid was causing all my problems (the 1st dr try to say the fibroid could'nt cause problems)
It turned out that the fibroid was so large that is was pressing on my bladder and causing leakage and urgency. I was also having sharp pains becuase my uterus was four times the normal size and the fribroid was pushing on the side of my bladder.

It was nice to know I'm not crazy, Unfortunately, I had to have a TAH because everything was so large and the dr was concerned abut cancer so I was not a canidate for Laproscopic surgery. Recovery is slow but I'm so glad I did it and its over.

Good luck

JellyBean,
I'm glad you are getting that second opinion...hopefully it is a dr that will spend the time with you that you need.
I RAN from my first gyn before even having another one chosen yet...I requested copies of all my records so I'd have them ready and when I read them I saw that they actually had INCORRECT information! How's that for listening....writing down the opposite of things I was saying!
My second one was SO caring and concerned. She treated me immediately to get me out of danger(I became severely, dangerously anemic) and then she discussed all the possible treatments and why they would or would not work for me and we decided together the best choice for me.
The ex-gyn was mainly concerned that I schedule before he moved to Florida, and his method for the hyst was one of the methods that my new gyn explained may not be the best choice because...yadda yadda...
It does pay to see a second and even third...don't forget to ask trusted girlfriends who they use & like for gyn and why. These are our lives in our hands so I now feel it's acceptable to give the 'spanish inquisition'. Good luck tomorrow...

I also have a history of breast cancer and couldn't take hormones which would usually reduce the size of the fibroids for most woman. I had my menstrual cycle for long periods of time and 2 or 3 times in a month with lots of pain. I had to take Advil repeatedly and found out that I also have Barrett's essophugus so the Advil is the last thing I should be taking for the pain. I had fibroids and an enlarged uterus also. The GYN said I could do whatever I would like and so I asked my surgical oncologist since he knew me very well and he said that I should definately have the hysterectomy so that I don't need to take the Advil any longer since that was very bad for the other condition that I have. The GYN felt if it changed the quality of life then surgery should be done since there was no other way to treat the fibroids. I would for sure get a 2nd opinion since this Dr. doesn't want to do anything for you. With my surgery I kept the ovaries and just had the uteris removed along w/ a fallopian tube later after I got an infection. Please let us know how it goes and good luck.

Hugs,
Janet

Well second opinion is in. I do have a retroverted uterus. I do have a golfball size fibroid. I am bleeding but only enough to wear protection. If I weren’t a smoker they could do low dose BC pills. I need to lose weight and exercise more. Yes, I feel so much like exercising with cramping and backaches…Let me get right on that. A hysterectomy was mentioned and I am a good candidate for a vaginal. Why do I not feel better about this? First of all; he told me that he did not normally see patients of his colleagues. I live in rural WV and we do not have a large selection of OB/GYN’s to start off with, four at the most, no big choice so yes I guess they are colleagues. Second and most importantly (my opinion) is I have military health (husband is disabled veteran-Vietnam) insurance[MONEY] and very few will accept it in the civilian world because it is about like Medicare. Now with so many of our guys coming back from Iraq the V.A. Hospitals are focusing more on their needs as they should, and getting help there is more and more difficult. It may be that I will have to travel 5hrs or more away if I can even get into one that has a surgeon that can perform a hyster. So I have resigned myself to let nature take its course for now, continue eating Motrin and see if things will just clear up on their own. No big choice here. I will continue to check in and see how everyone else is doing though and I want to thank each and every one of you that wrote and gave me your support. It meant a lot believe me. May God Bless each and everyone!

Hi Jelly Bean. I too have the lovely pleasure of fibroids. Apparently I've been complaining of the side effects for 3 years now, unbeknownst to me, but monitored by my GP. The fact that they don't take any action until you absolutely insist that your symptoms are affecting your life is absolutely insane. I was finally diagnosed in Februrary and I finally had reasons for a lot of the stuff that I had been going through. I have very similar syptoms to you. I was offered the embolization, but first they go in and shave the fibroid down so that it doesn't distort the shape fo the uterus and then they caterize the inside of the uterus. The other option was the hyst. My OB/GYN has been doing this for over 30 years. While I was offered the embolization he said that he didn't think it was a good treatment for the fibroids, that the only definitive answer to fibroids is the hysterectomy. So I'm in heaven thinking that this will all soon be over. I'm scheduled for May 27th and I'm looking forward to July when I'll be getting back to a regular routine.

If you have questions about your best options, definitely get a second opinion. When you have no doubts then you're on the right track.

Best wishes.

Jellybean-I suggest you get a 2nd opinion. I would see if there is a gynecologic oncologist in your area. They specialize in gynecologic issues and if the results are malignant, they now how to treat you properly. They can maybe come up with other alternatives such as abulation for the fibroid. Good luck. My prayers are with you.

Jellybean,
I had the terrible backaches, pelvic pressure etc. I had a tipped uterus, twice the size it should of been and a golf ball size fibroid, I had a TVH, and a transvaginal sling done two weeks ago. Let me tell you if you can get your hysterectomy done while you're still a canidate for the vaginal, that is the way to go!!!, I had pain in hospital stayed on pain meds total of 3 days, and tylenol and ibprofen for 1 week, if you wait till your fibroid gets bigger and you have to have a TAH then its a tougher recovery.
I lived with this for a couple years not knowing what the problem was, try and persue it now. you'll be in my prayers

Oh Jellybean54! I am so sorry you are going through this!! I can so relate to your frustration! On your question of bleeding after a D&C, my last D&C, I still had bleeding about a week after the procedure. Keep us posted!