No Date: How to pick a surgeon?

Hi Everyone,
I'm 99% sure I'm going the surgery route. My biopsy and CT scan came back clean today. But my fibroids are so big that they're affecting my breathing. I'm short and small, and they're 18cm in total and growing quickly. My doc said they're pushing in my diaphragm which is causing me to get winded easily.
Anyway, I LOVE my ob/gyn, but I'm not sure if I want her to do the surgery. I asked her if she's ever done a hysterectomy on such a large uterus and she said not since residency because most women take care of it sooner. I would have too if it didn't sneak up on me. Last year, they were barely noticible at my exam.
I also would like to mention that since my uterus is so large, she said she'd need to do the incision vertically rather than horizontally. Anyone have any experience there? Is that really necessary???
I live about halfway between Detroit and Ann Arbor, MI. Any doc recommendations would be appreciated!
Thanks,
Meghan

Hi,

You may want to get a second or third opinion. Not about having the surgery (it sounds like that has been decided), but the doctor experience and specifics of how the surgery would be performed.

Your insurance or local hospital might be able to recommend a doctor experienced with removal of very large fibroids.

There might be doctor reviews somewhere online.

Finally, you might need to call individual doctor offices and ask a lot of questions before booking an appointment.

Best of luck to you. I hope you are able to find a doctor that you can feel confident with.

goldenlife

The more experience a doctor has had the better. I wish you luck in your search. Take care

Hey Meghan-

Definitely get a second opinion...my first doc told me how huge my fibroids were and how extensive my surgery would be - that I'd need a fibroid embolization prior to the hysterectomy because my fibroid was so big. My second doc was able to remove my HUGE uterus & fibroids via daVinci, no problem.

Shop around and find the doc who is right for you!! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!!

Di

Meghan,

I can't really assist with finding a surgeon as I am not in your area, but I wanted to chime in on another issue.

I too am short, 5'1" and also very petite. I had tons of fibroids (too many to count) and some were very large, as well as fibroids on the outside of my uterus (forgot what those are called). My ob/gyn was also my surgeon and as she was measuring the fibroids during an ultrasound she mentioned that my uterus was enlarged up past my belly button so I would have to have a TAH rather than any sort of laparascopic surgery since I didn't have enough room for the instruments to fit inside. She was able to do a horizontal incision and she kept it as small as she could (about 4 inches). I thought I would mention this because I had never considered that my small size would prohibit different types of surgery depending on what instruments are used. I don't have any idea if a different surgeon will still want you to have a vertical incision, but our petite size does limit some other things.

And on a good news note, I am 9 weeks post op and feeling better all the time. Some of my insides are still resolving their issues since they had been pressed and squished for so long, but I am definitely on the mend. You'll get there too, really.

Good luck, I really hope you find a surgeon that makes you feel confortable and answers all of your questions.

I would definitely look around for a surgeon who specializes in gynecology. Most will also be gyn oncologists, but that's ok. My surgeon is a gynecology oncologist/surgeon. The really good thing is that he really knows his stuff and has way more experience with gyn surgery than a regular gyn.

Talk to friends and family in your area. Start researching surgeons online. I wish you good luck in finding the perfect dr for you