Hello - wrestling with having a hysterectomy to remove a large fibroid

My name is Kimberlee and I am new here I am wrestling with having a hysterectomy to remove a large fibroid because it is currently causing me to be anemic and my cycles are difficult to deal with but I am confused and nervous I have read a lot about alternative procedures but none were offered to me What questions should I ask my Doctor? I am 39 years old and have no children I have had surgical procedures before but this one is making me extremely nervous Any advice would be appreciated

Hi Kimberlee,
Have you sought a second oppinion?
I can't give advise on fibroids & alternatives as my hyst was due to cervical cancer, all I can offer you is best wishes & hugs..
I do understand not knowing what to ask you doctor, my op was done within 3 weeks of diagnosis so I was in a terrible confused & panicked whirlwind! I found this brilliant community of Hyster Sisters and read all the articles & many many threads.. Doing that gave me some idea of the road ahead & I was less stressed.
I wish you the best of luck, and please stay connected to this site as there is so much wisdom & support here..
Im sure there are sisters here that have also dealt with the same issues you are..
((Hugs))

I have battled fibroids for over 20 years. In 2006, I had a myomectomy to remove them. I went the myomectomy route because I wanted to have children at that time. Having children did not work out because of other fertility issues. Now at age 48, I am having my hysterectomy tomorrow as the fibroids returned.

Before deciding on the hysterectomy I met with two different doctors to discuss options. For me, hysterectomy was the way to go.

Myomectomy vs. hysterectomy, both doctors said if I did not want children, hysterectomy was the way to go, because the surgery is similar regarding stress on the body, recovery time,etc.

Also discussed with both doctor's was uterine artery embolization (UAE) and medication. With the UAE, I was not comfortable with it, basically the UAE stops the blood flow to the fibroid but it is fairly new and the long term effects are not known (will fibroids develop in other areas, etc)

Medication can shrink the fibroids but I read the side effects and it was not for me.

Hysterectomy is the only way to permanently remove fibroids and to stop them from coming back. Which is the right decision for me.

Why some doctors don't offer all alternatives is beyond me. I was offered only hysterectomy too until I sought second opinions. I figure I was only offered hysterectomy because I was in my late 40's but you're so much younger. Do you want children some day?

If you might then myomectomy is the answer. Here only the fibroid is removed. The key is finding an experienced surgeon as not all surgeons are skilled or experienced enough, hence an explanation as to why it wasn't offered as an option. Reproductive specialists typically have the highest skill levels.

Many of us who are beyond childbearing age or have ruled out children get embolized. Embolization, also known as UAE or UFE, stops blood flow to the fibroid. The fibroid seizes up and begins to die immediately. The uterus remains in place. This procedure is performed by Interventional Radiologists, so outside the field of gynecology which may be the reason it was not offered as an option.

Embolization was a great choice for me. My fibroid has shrunk over 90%, the anemia resolved over time and the bleeding stopped immediately after the procedure. The field of interventional radiology is an advanced science. Even though it is a relatively newer treatment for fibroids it has been used to control bleeding in surgery since the 1940's. It has been miraculous for me.

I would tell the doctor hysterectomy is too drastic an option to start with and ask him to list ALL your options.

My options were to wait, try BCP or hysterectomy. It was my second opinion where UFE was offered as an alternative. My GYN said it worked wonderfully and this is true. I was very confused too but was adamant to keep my uterus as I think it's important to at least try. My fibroid was terrible but today you would never know it even existed.

Let me know if you need more info. I have posted many times of my experience and so have many others in the options category of this board. Medscape the doctors website exposes an 85% satisfaction rate with UFE so it's something to consider. I have been praised by other doctors outside the field of gynecology for my commitment to save my reproductive organs. They think it's as important as I did.

Keep us posted.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by KimberleeBorden My name is Kimberlee and I am new here I am wrestling with having a hysterectomy to remove a large fibroid because it is currently causing me to be anemic and my cycles are difficult to deal with but I am confused and nervous I have read a lot about alternative procedures but none were offered to me What questions should I ask my Doctor? I am 39 years old and have no children I have had surgical procedures before but this one is making me extremely nervous Any advice would be appreciated

UAE aka UFE is not a "new" procedure for fibroid treatment. It's been actively used since the 1990s for fibroids (and way earlier than that for other medical conditions). It is done by an interventional radiologist (not a gynecologist), so many gynecologists are sadly not that familiar with it and instead steer people towards what they know... hysterectomy and myomectomy.

At least get a second opinion about your options. It will make you feel better no matter what you decide. Good luck!

I am going through the same thing! I have 1 large fibroid, over 10 cm. I am 41, nothing else is wrong. Cervix and ovaries are fine. I am having an embolization procedure where they block the blood supply to the fibroid to kill/shrink it.
Your doctor probably does not offer this procedure. It is light anesthesia, 1 night in hospital, just a few days recovery. Lower complications and risk than hysterectomy.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Riometz I am going through the same thing! I have 1 large fibroid, over 10 cm. I am 41, nothing else is wrong. Cervix and ovaries are fine. I am having an embolization procedure where they block the blood supply to the fibroid to kill/shrink it. Your doctor probably does not offer this procedure. It is light anesthesia, 1 night in hospital, just a few days recovery. Lower complications and risk than hysterectomy.

Thank you for sharing I feel kind of alone in my decision to pursue alternative procedures my family is just like do the hysterectomy and be done with it but I am not comfortable with that as my first option. I have discussed many procedures with my Doctor Unfortunately my Doctor doesn't believe emblazation will work well for me because of the size and location of my Fibroid it is 14cm and petruding into the uterine cavity I have decided to try Lupron to see if it will shrink the Fibroid slightly and then try ablation of the uterus I will keep you posted again thank you so much for sharing your experience I truly appreciate it Please keep me posted on your procedure I have heard very good things about and hope it works well for you
Kimberlee I

14cm is a very large fibroids. Mine were max 8cm. It's probably true that yours is too big for UAE to provide significant enough shrinkage fast enough to help you. There are plenty of surgeons who do myomectomies on large fibroids (my surgeon said size doesn't matter, unless there are certain other complications).

If you're not ready for a hysterectomy, then please get a second opinion. At least it will help you feel better about your choices.

Hello, This is my first post on this forum. I am 53 years old and I have 4 fibroids the largest is 14 cm and my uterus has enlarged to 16.5 cm.I don't have any bleeding and have been in menopause for about 2 years but my fibroid is pressing on my lower back, causing pain and smashing my bladder also my other organs are being pushed upwards and in the morning when I get up I feel as though I'm carrying a bag of cement around my waist.

I had a UAE performed in June 2016 and was excited to get rid of these things, only to find out that the Doctor could not successfully catheterize my arteries on the right side and was only able to partially embolize the left side. Due to my arteries having limited flow. I was really disappointed afterwards.
Now I am contemplating having a hysterectomy, I would most likely have to have an abdominal one due to the size of mine. I have an appointment tomorrow with my regular GYN.to talk to him about it. I really don't think I can go on like this indefinitely. supposedly fibroids will shrink as menopause goes on but how long would that take, I could be like this for years! But the risk's involved with this type of surgery scare the heck out of me.

Hi there- have they looked at Lupron or other drugs to shrink? I know the sometimes grow back if you aren't in menopause, but maybe an option for you?
Good luck. It's not an easy decision!