Positive Support and Limiting Negativity

[Guest guest]

Cheers, and Carla for addressing the SUPPORT part of a support group.

I am in the information-seeking stage, and lately I have wondered if I could

really get a broad spectrum of information from this group, as it seems to

have a strong bias that hysterectomy = bad. Now I, too, feel there is strong

reason to check out all available options before major surgery. But

truthfully, it would help me to hear from women who were considering or

already had hysterectomies to hear some of their points of view. Different

treatments are right for different people.

Please don't misunderstand -- I'm glad I subscribed here, because I was

leaning towards having a laparascopic hysterectomy until I learned my

fibroids were too big (22 week uterus) for laparascopy. My original major

concern with a standard hysterectomy was the big incision, loss of muscle

tissue and nerves, and the long recovery, which I can't afford. But now,

thanks to this group, I am realizing that even though I'm not having kids,

maybe plucking out this organ I've had all my life isn't the right way to

go...

So I'm certainly not trying to invade the group with a hysterectomy

cheerleading session. But I suspect there are some women out there who could

enlighten us on the pros and cons if we were willing to hear them without

being judgmental. Dr. Wasserman might have had good information to share,

even though his point of view might not have been shared by many. I felt,

initially, that perhaps Carla had been too negative with him, but I was glad

to hear how she followed up by phone. And my respect for her increased when

she posted his apology to her to all of us.

So I say good luck to EVERYONE with these fibroids, whether they choose UAE,

or myomectomy, or diet/nutrition, or lupron, or even hysterectomy. And keep

the information flowing!!

Thanks for hearing me out.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/6/00 1:00:56 AM US Mountain Standard Time,

morg@... writes:

<< Please don't misunderstand -- I'm glad I subscribed here, because I was

leaning towards having a laparascopic hysterectomy until I learned my

fibroids were too big (22 week uterus) for laparascopy. My original major

concern with a standard hysterectomy was the big incision, loss of muscle

tissue and nerves, and the long recovery, which I can't afford. But now,

thanks to this group, I am realizing that even though I'm not having kids,

maybe plucking out this organ I've had all my life isn't the right way to

go... >>

Dr. Glen Bradley has a friend in Atlanta who could do your surgery,and there

are a couple of world famous gyn's in Nashville who could. Just in case you

have the ability or desire to go...I wanted you to know you are not too big

for them. And they say that 70% of their patients go home the same evening

as surgery, the rest the next morning. I am considering this myself. We

could be roomies!

-Candace

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 3/6/00 10:19:11 AM US Mountain Standard Time,

FMnme@... writes:

<< Dr. Glen Bradley has a friend in Atlanta who could do your surgery,and

there

are a couple of world famous gyn's in Nashville who could. >>

I should have specified I was talking about Laparoscopic Supracervical

Hysterectomy....these guys can still do it even at your 22 wk size.

-Candace

[Guest guest]

I'm actually not opposed to a woman choosing hysterectomy as a way to treat her

fibroid problem -- PROVED THAT she has been presented with all her options and

has had an opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of each, and the decision to

go with hysterectomy is her own. What I object to most vehemently is when a

doctor tells a patient point-blank " You have a fibroid uterus over 12 weeks in

size and you need a hysterectomy. " end of consult. Unless s/he adds " and while

we're in there, we'll take out your ovaries. Ovarian cancer is deadly and this

way you won't have to worry about it. "

We have had women on this site who chose hysterctomy and I supported them and

their choice and will continue to do so.

It's possible for someone to have good intentions and still do harm. I believe

GYNs like Dr. Wasserman are in that category. From what we've found out about

him since his initial posting, he seems like a well-meaning guy. And given that

we as women have been trained to be " nice " , my post concerning women being

offered the best that medicine had to offer a quarter of a century ago may have

shocked or offended women in this group. But for someone as set in his ways as

Dr. Wasserman seems to be, shock therapy might be the thing to wake him up so

that he thinks, " you know, I AM practicing the way they did 25 years ago. " But

to me, the bottom line is, he is, unintentionally or not, harming at least some

of the women on whom he is performing hysterectomies. And that is not

acceptable to me no matter how " nice " a person is. And I am going to call him

on it.

If Dr. Wasserman had been open to dialoguing about treatment for fibroids, I

could see making an effort to keep him as a member. But he clearly indicated

that he was not. Best regards, Leonie

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