Re: (unknown)

July 3, 2001

Yes, I do know where it is located. It is located on

the outside of my uterous. On the left side, where i

seem to have a lot of cramping in my leg and right

where the tumor is.

--- Alison and wrote:

> > I found out that i had a fibroid a little over a

> year

> > ago.

>

> Do you know where your fibroid is located? That

> will make a difference in

> treatment. If they are submusocal, another option

> is to partially remove

> them through a hysteroscopy and see if cutting off

> the blood supply will

> cause them to die.

>

> Alison

>

__________________________________________________

July 3, 2001

Thank you for your advice. I am seeking a sceond opion

right now.

--- Presha Mustakas wrote:

> ,

>

> From most of the information I've read (and correct

> me

> ladies if I'm wrong), it's rare for a fibroid to

> become cancerous.

>

> I had a large mass of fibroids (uterus at 18mos)

> removed via myomectomy. Since you've had c-sections,

> it's understandable that you would not want to go

> that

> route. There are lots of women on this board that

> went different routes in dealing with fibroids.

> Several are into the natural herb/diet route, others

> are taking meds to shrink the fibroids, some go

> UAE...I'm sure each of them will relate their

> decisions.

>

> If a partial hysterectomy makes you uncomfortable,

> have you expressed this to your doctor? If the

> doctor

> is telling you only one route, then I'd strongly

> advise seeing a few more docs and getting their

> opinions. I chose a fertility specialist since I

> want

> one more child, but a specialist is probably more

> open

> than a reg. doc to alternative actions-at least they

> will respect the choice to keep your organs. Just

> keep

> asking questions.

>

> After I (hopefully) have my last child, I'll tie my

> tubes as well but will fight to keep all the organs

> I

> was born with until it's a problem. Since in all

> likelyhood I will have fibroids again, I would be

> interested in hearing what you decide to do.

>

> Good luck and keep us posted.

>

> Presha

> --- krystin u know me wrote:

> > I found out that i had a fibroid a little over a

> > year

> > ago. It was about the size of a golf ball then. I

> am

> > 27 years old and had my tubes tied almost four

> years

> > ago after the birth of my third son. My doctor

> > suggests for me to havea partial hysterctamy. It

> was

> > growing then it stopped, i think it is growing

> > again.

> > I just dont want to have another surgery, i had 3

> > c-sections. I just dont feel like going through

> that

> > again, without a baby..It has been giving me

> > problems

> > on and off, I was having heavy long periods, and

> the

> > birth control didnt help that. My periods are

> better

> > now, only 5-6 days but pretty heavy for about 3

> days

> > out of the 6. I have alot of preassure on my

> bladder

> > and also my bowls. my ovulations are sometimes bad

>

> > also. I just want some advice, i really dont know

> > too

> > much about these fibroids, everyone tells me it

> can

> > become cancerous... anyone that can give me advice

> i

> > would greatly appreciate it.

> > Comardelle

> > Larose, Louisiana.

> >

> > __________________________________________________

> >

July 3, 2001

Sounds like you need better drug therapy. It is rare for them to become

cancerous. Sounds like you should conform the size and location, and keep an eye

on it. I am having bowl pressure also, but watching my diet (eat healthy, get

fiber) it is managable.

(unknown)

I found out that i had a fibroid a little over a year

ago. It was about the size of a golf ball then. I am

27 years old and had my tubes tied almost four years

ago after the birth of my third son. My doctor

suggests for me to havea partial hysterctamy. It was

growing then it stopped, i think it is growing again.

I just dont want to have another surgery, i had 3

c-sections. I just dont feel like going through that

again, without a baby..It has been giving me problems

on and off, I was having heavy long periods, and the

birth control didnt help that. My periods are better

now, only 5-6 days but pretty heavy for about 3 days

out of the 6. I have alot of preassure on my bladder

and also my bowls. my ovulations are sometimes bad

also. I just want some advice, i really dont know too

much about these fibroids, everyone tells me it can

become cancerous... anyone that can give me advice i

would greatly appreciate it.

Comardelle

Larose, Louisiana.

__________________________________________________

July 3, 2001

hi my name is melissa and i am new to this group. when i first turned my

web on and saw 30 new messages, i almost died! but after reading some of

these emails, i really feel for a lot of you women out there. and i cant

believe what the doctors suggest and how they treat the fibroids! it

really angers me! it makes me think of when ive had to walk into a

garage to have my car worked on and wondering if they are going to take

advantage of me because they might think i dont know a thing about

cars(thank god for my brother)! one thing that ive noticed in some of

the emails is that the doctors prescribe birth control pills to help

with the heavy periods. doesnt estrogen feed fibroids and cause them to

grow? i recently learned about that on the brigham and womens hospital

web site. and also, the pill can be good to help prevent fibroids

before they appear. i still would like to learn more about that. does

anyone know where i can find more info on fibroids and the pill? last

year when i was pregnant, my doctor discovered a fibroid inside my

uterus. im not sure of the size, but it was a pretty good one. at the

time it was blocking the opening of the birth canal. it did move over to

the right of my uterus as my tummy grew, however, i did end up having a

c-section after all. my doctor said that i most likely have had this

fibroid for quite some time, though i didnt experience any symptoms.

ever since ive had my son, i think the fibroid has grown and my periods

are slightly irregular. i also have not lost the weight i gained during

and before pregnancy. uugh!! ive gained about 40lbs in less than 2 years

and im sure that doesnt help. ive been thinking about going to my gyn

for a check on the fibroid(i guess im a little nervous to know the

results). i still want one more child and im concerned about doing so

with this fibroid. also, im on medicaid and im not sure if it will cover

what i need. i live in georgia, is anyone familiar with them? also could

anyone out there help me with some questions that i might ask my doctor?

i lucked out with this gyn and his partner. im orig. from n.h. and didnt

know who to choose for gyn. they are both excellent drs and very caring

and informative. well, ive been going on too long. i dont want to be a

pain, so ill talk to you ladies soon! im glad i found this group, all

your emails are very helpful! goodnite!

melissa from georgia

July 4, 2001

> i live in georgia, is anyone familiar with them? also could

> anyone out there help me with some questions that i might ask my doctor?

,

I just moved from Georgia and have one of the best fibroid doctors in the

state if you want her info for a second opinion.

--

Alison

" I'm not clumsy,

I'm chlorinated! "

July 4, 2001

where in georgia is your doctor at alison? i would like her info if she

is close to me. i live in the south central part not far from the

florida line. what were her suggestions for treatment for you?

thank you,

melissa

July 4, 2001

> where in georgia is your doctor at alison? i would like her info if she

> is close to me. i live in the south central part not far from the

> florida line. what were her suggestions for treatment for you?

> thank you,

My doctor is in Atlanta. I used to drive 2-3 hours (depending on traffic)

to see her. As for treatment, she did 2 partial hysteroscopies but neither

worked. Now that I have moved across the country, I'll probably be having a

myo in about 6 weeks by a doctor that was trained by the Atlanta doctor.

Alison

July 6, 2001

thanks alison for letting me know about your previous doctor in atlanta.

if she werent four hours away id consider her as a second opinion if i

needed one. good luck with your procedure in 5 weeks. if it feels

anything like the after effects of a c-section i empathize with you

totally. have a good night and thanks again.

melissa

July 6, 2001

>good luck with your procedure in 5 weeks. if it feels

> anything like the after effects of a c-section i empathize with you

> totally. have a good night and thanks again.

Thanks. When I had a tumor removed last July it was considered a c-section

so I kind of know the pain that I'll have.

Alison

July 15, 2001

Dottie please tell me about Carla's experiences which

changed your mind about the hysterectomy. Or tell me

how to get more info. THANKS

--- dottie_123@... wrote:

> Wow Carla, I wish I had read of your experiences

> before I posted the

> request about hysterectomy. I was ready to just

> let them do the

> surgery. Now I am totally changing my mind. Does

> anyone know of

> good doctors in Arkansas?

>

__________________________________________________

July 15, 2001

I am not sure exactly how I found it, but Carla has a journal. I know it

was a link from this group somehow. Good Luck

>

>Reply-To: uterinefibroids

>To: uterinefibroids

>Subject: Re: (unknown)

>Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 15:12:16 -0700 (PDT)

>

>Dottie please tell me about Carla's experiences which

>changed your mind about the hysterectomy. Or tell me

>how to get more info. THANKS

>--- dottie_123@... wrote:

> > Wow Carla, I wish I had read of your experiences

> > before I posted the

> > request about hysterectomy. I was ready to just

> > let them do the

> > surgery. Now I am totally changing my mind. Does

> > anyone know of

> > good doctors in Arkansas?

> >

>

>__________________________________________________

>

July 17, 2001

I don't know if they are common but I can tell you

that I have muscle spasms in my lower back (which we

are working on)and have woke at night my right leg

being kind of numb...

--- dottie_123@... wrote:

<HR>

<tt>

I have just decided that I have been in lala land and

ignoring <BR>

symptoms that I just associated with getting

older. & nbsp; I have some <BR>

tingling in one leg and dull lower back pain. & nbsp;

Are these symptoms <BR>

common with fibroids?<BR>

<BR>

</tt>

<br>

<tt>

July 27, 2001

Penny:

This is a tough one to comment on but I want to try. I believe removing

the asymptomatic fibroid is based on " right reasons " if it is right for

you. Your doctor sounds very good and seems to be letting you control your

decisions. I am one that had terrible bleeding so the decision was very

easy for me. Of course any surgery carries some degree of risk and it is

natural for you to feel nervous. I was extremely nervous about the surgery

even though I knew it was the right decision for me. Even with all that

bleeding, my doctor was perfectly happy for me to leave it in if I wanted

to. The decision was TOTALLY mine, based on what I could live with.

Waiting and watching is also an acceptable method and can also cause

risk--Marilyn here can comment on that as hers became such a problem that

her options narrowed because of waiting. However, most women do fine with

this approach.

So I hesitate to recommend any particular course of action to you because

no one really knows what is in store for you. Since you might want

children, UAE as an option is not a good one for you--surgery would be the

only fertility preserving method.

It seems like you don't really have to be in a hurry to decide this,

though. One thought might be to live with it for 3 or 6 more months. I'll

just say first that if you don't like it there, I think you should take it

out--that's your right. Possibly if you waited you might still decide to

do that. Possibly, it doesn't grow, and you decide to wait a little

longer. Maybe some years down the line you decide you definitely don't

want children, then you also have the choice to do UAE. Or maybe you

decide to go ahead with children, so you have it removed to help your

pregnancy.

I think the only advice I can really give is to maybe slow down to think

about it and then do what feels right to you.

I hope this helps a little.

Sydney

At 07:56 PM 7/27/01 +0000, you wrote:

>I am a new member to the group.

>I have a baseball sized fibroid that is well attached to my uterine

>wall. I was told by my general practioner 3 yrs ago that my

>uterus seemed big. After a negative pregnancy each year, she

>dropped the issue. I sought out a gyno because I hadn't had a

>period in over a year and was concerned. I have been on birth

>control pills since the age of 19 and am presently 31. My new

>gyno said due to the legnth of time I have been taking oral

>contraceptives my periods have basically thinned out and

>almost cease to exist. I don't have an issue with not having a

>period but my concern was, is this harmful. His response was

>that it is not. He also said my uterus was large. He discovered

>my fibroid by ultrasound (external & internal). By the postings I

>have read, its sounds like most women have major symptoms

>from their fibroids. My only recent discover has been discomfort

>during sex.

>I am schedulded for an abdominal myomectomy in a few weeks.

>My gyno recommended two options in his opinion 1) to monitor it

>every 6 months or 2) have a myo. Which he will perform. His

>reasoning for the myo is the size of my fibroid and the fact that I

>don't have any children. My husband and I are not trying to have

>children right now. I'm not 100% sure that want children. My

>gyno did not push either choice. He was comfortable with both

>options and left it up my husband and me. I guess I'm choosing

>to have the myo because of a few reasons: I don't like the idea of

>carrying around a baseball, (I thought my pants were getting

>snugger because of all of our going out to eat.); I am starting to

>get discomfort during sex (nothing unbearable); if we do decide

>to try to get pregnant I would have to have it removed anyway; and

>if it did start to grow suddenly my gyn would also want to have it

>removed. So my concerns are this....am I have surgery for the

>right reasons? As my surgery date approaches, I'm getting more

>nervous and questioning myself. I'm curious to know if there is

>anyone else out there who has not had major symptoms and

>still chose to address their fibroids? And the bleeding issue...it

>sounds like so many of you are bleeding....is their anyone who is

>not? I'm get scared. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks,

>Penny

>

July 27, 2001

Hi Penny,

I'm 34 and my fibroid is approximately 11 x 9cm (17 week uterus). Like you,

I don't have very many symptoms and I don't have heavy bleeding. I use a

max of 2-3 tampons per day, even on my heavy days. Some women go through one

an hour. In that regard, I am incredibly lucky.

I have known about my fibroid for about three years, and have been watching

and waiting (going for visits every six months). I was going to try to wait

as long as possible for a myomectomy, figuring that the closer I am to

menopause when it's done, the less chance I have of needing multiple

myomectomies to take care of any new fibroids that might pop up over the

years.

Lately, I'm starting to rethink that. The main reason is that I just don't

feel well a lot of the time. I get incredibly bloated during my period and

my cramps are getting worse and worse. While I don't bleed a lot, my period

is starting to last longer (was five days on the pill, now it's gotten up to

9 days off the pill). My stomach protrudes and can be sensitive when

anything presses against it. As with you, there is mild discomfort during

sex.

I feel fatigued and I have trouble controlling my weight (and I exercise

regularly). I only wear loose clothing. I'm to the point where I just don't

feel right a lot. I want a myo to see if I'll feel better (and it wouldn't

hurt my self-image. I'm tired of looking pregnant). I'm also worried now

about the damage I may be doing to the ligaments holding my uterus in place

by carrying around this large tumor. I'm afraid that by waiting, I may be

increasing my risk of a uterine prolapse somewhere down the road.

The whole thing is scary, but we can count ourselves lucky that we don't

have too many symptoms. For that, we can be thankful. It's not something to

be worried about. Location of the fibroid is often what controls whether or

not you bleed heavily.

The good thing about it is that it buys us time to decide our preferred

treatment, who we want our doctors to be, etc. We don't have the urgency

that some other women do. I was orinally being pushed into a myo by my first

gyn. I had it scheduled, then found out from some nurses that he has a bad

reputation in the OR (for nicking the bladder, that sort of thing). It made

me step back and take my time, ask questions, etc.

Anyway, welcome to the group. There are a lot of very experienced,

knowledgeable, supportive, kind women here. Keep us posted,

B.

(unknown)

I am a new member to the group.

I have a baseball sized fibroid that is well attached to my uterine

wall. I was told by my general practioner 3 yrs ago that my

uterus seemed big. After a negative pregnancy each year, she

dropped the issue. I sought out a gyno because I hadn't had a

period in over a year and was concerned. I have been on birth

control pills since the age of 19 and am presently 31. My new

gyno said due to the legnth of time I have been taking oral

contraceptives my periods have basically thinned out and

almost cease to exist. I don't have an issue with not having a

period but my concern was, is this harmful. His response was

that it is not. He also said my uterus was large. He discovered

my fibroid by ultrasound (external & internal). By the postings I

have read, its sounds like most women have major symptoms

from their fibroids. My only recent discover has been discomfort

during sex.

I am schedulded for an abdominal myomectomy in a few weeks.

My gyno recommended two options in his opinion 1) to monitor it

every 6 months or 2) have a myo. Which he will perform. His

reasoning for the myo is the size of my fibroid and the fact that I

don't have any children. My husband and I are not trying to have

children right now. I'm not 100% sure that want children. My

gyno did not push either choice. He was comfortable with both

options and left it up my husband and me. I guess I'm choosing

to have the myo because of a few reasons: I don't like the idea of

carrying around a baseball, (I thought my pants were getting

snugger because of all of our going out to eat.); I am starting to

get discomfort during sex (nothing unbearable); if we do decide

to try to get pregnant I would have to have it removed anyway; and

if it did start to grow suddenly my gyn would also want to have it

removed. So my concerns are this....am I have surgery for the

right reasons? As my surgery date approaches, I'm getting more

nervous and questioning myself. I'm curious to know if there is

anyone else out there who has not had major symptoms and

still chose to address their fibroids? And the bleeding issue...it

sounds like so many of you are bleeding....is their anyone who is

not? I'm get scared. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks,

Penny

July 27, 2001

ahhhhhh, the cockiness of immaturity. someone said that once. I liked it. I

think most women have

symptoms from fibroids. I thought I didn' until I had mine out and in hindsight

discovered I had a

panapoly of symptoms that I thought were unrelated, but were resolved

immediately. duh. gg

" L. Donnelly " wrote:

> FIrst of all, most women actually don't have major symptoms from their

> fibroids. This list just seems to attract those that do, probably because

> their fibroids have such a big impact on their lives and so many doctors

> recommend hysterectomy for symptomatic fibroids. I have a fairly

> asymptomatic fibroid and most of what symptoms I have could just be due to

> my reactions to estrogen (irritated bowel problems, migraines). I have

> minor sexual discomfort, but nothing too bad as long as we don't get too

> creative My periods aren't bad. They tend to last about 5 days and are

> no where near as heavy as some of the ladies on this list experience. I

> really only have one heavy day and I've never had anemia. I am on the pill

> and have been for about 8 years, although I recently went to a lower

> estrogen variety to try to reduce the severity of my migraines.

>

> I am also considering a myomectomy at some point, since I do want kids, but

> not for a few years. As for having surgery for the " right " reasons, only

> you can really decide that. If you feel your life would be improved by it

> and it would be worth it, I say go for it. Your fibroid is somewhat large

> and may be causing strain on your insides just from that and getting it out

> may be better for the rest of your body. The mental relief you feel from

> getting it out of there might be worth it alone. I often think about

> getting mine removed, but can't afford the time off at this time because

> I'm just starting my PhD and have lost a ton of work time to my

> migraines. If I weren't so stressed for time, I probably would have mine

> out. I hate having it there and wonder if my other symptoms would go away

> if it were.

>

> Hope some of this is helpful,

>

> At 07:56 PM 7/27/2001 +0000, you wrote:

> >I am a new member to the group.

> >I have a baseball sized fibroid that is well attached to my uterine

> >wall. I was told by my general practioner 3 yrs ago that my

> >uterus seemed big. After a negative pregnancy each year, she

> >dropped the issue. I sought out a gyno because I hadn't had a

> >period in over a year and was concerned. I have been on birth

> >control pills since the age of 19 and am presently 31. My new

> >gyno said due to the legnth of time I have been taking oral

> >contraceptives my periods have basically thinned out and

> >almost cease to exist. I don't have an issue with not having a

> >period but my concern was, is this harmful. His response was

> >that it is not. He also said my uterus was large. He discovered

> >my fibroid by ultrasound (external & internal). By the postings I

> >have read, its sounds like most women have major symptoms

> >from their fibroids. My only recent discover has been discomfort

> >during sex.

> >I am schedulded for an abdominal myomectomy in a few weeks.

> >My gyno recommended two options in his opinion 1) to monitor it

> >every 6 months or 2) have a myo. Which he will perform. His

> >reasoning for the myo is the size of my fibroid and the fact that I

> >don't have any children. My husband and I are not trying to have

> >children right now. I'm not 100% sure that want children. My

> >gyno did not push either choice. He was comfortable with both

> >options and left it up my husband and me. I guess I'm choosing

> >to have the myo because of a few reasons: I don't like the idea of

> >carrying around a baseball, (I thought my pants were getting

> >snugger because of all of our going out to eat.); I am starting to

> >get discomfort during sex (nothing unbearable); if we do decide

> >to try to get pregnant I would have to have it removed anyway; and

> >if it did start to grow suddenly my gyn would also want to have it

> >removed. So my concerns are this....am I have surgery for the

> >right reasons? As my surgery date approaches, I'm getting more

> >nervous and questioning myself. I'm curious to know if there is

> >anyone else out there who has not had major symptoms and

> >still chose to address their fibroids? And the bleeding issue...it

> >sounds like so many of you are bleeding....is their anyone who is

> >not? I'm get scared. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks,

> >Penny

> >

July 29, 2001

Hi Penny, i have 3-4 fibroids that I know about, from the many ultrasounds

my RE and another doc have taken. none of them are as big as yours, but all

together my fibroids add up to the size of a grapefruit and my uterus is the

size of a 16 wk pg. i just wanted to answer your question on bleeding. i do

not suffer from extra bleeding during the month, just a heavier period,

which is 6-7 days long. the first 2-3 days i bleed very heavily, going thru

a super tampon (and pad usually too) about every 1-1/2 hrs. i started

noticing this increase in flow about 3 yrs ago and i think that's probably

when my fibroids started to grow.

i suffered a m/c on 6/21 and during the m/c and for about 10 days

afterwards, i was feeling fibroid pain and pressure on my bladder also. now

that my body is over the m/c both those symptoms have pretty much gone away.

i am still waiting for my 1st period post-m/c.

Beth

>From: wolf54944@...

>Reply-To: uterinefibroids

>To: uterinefibroids

>Subject: (unknown)

>Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 19:56:27 -0000