Re: Overwhelmed Newbie

[Guest guest]

Dear Suzanne, I'm a newbie here as well -- haven't had anything " done " as

yet, my ultrasound for suspected fibroids isn't happening for another week.

So I'm no expert either personally or professionally, and no doubt Carla

and others will have more useful feedback for you shortly. But it sounds

to me like your doctors are pushing more in the direction of the big

operation than they need to. I'm not sure why they would tell you that

it's better to have one big surgery now, rather than two procedures. Is

that better for you, or for them, or for their relationship for your

insurance company, or who? Why doesn't it make more sense for you to have

the least drastic operation -- the laparoscopic procedure for the

pedunculated fibroid -- and then if the results of that indicate that

something more is needed, have the second one later? The recovery time

from the first is not so long that there would be a big lag time if you

needed a second operation. And why would they want to take your ovaries

out as well? Unless you have a significant family history of ovarian

cancer, like a mother or sister, there shouldn't be any reason for that.

There is a possibility that you could lose ovarian function after a

hysterectomy or UAE, but if your ovaries are taken out then it's a

certainty! It sounds like the ultrasound hasn't really given your doctors

all the information they could use before proceeding; would an MRI or some

further diagnostic procedures be indicated first, to give them more

information on the abdominal mass?

I appreciate that you're scared, a lot of frightening possibilities have

been raised, and your doctors want to get on with this because no doubt

they've had patients who put off decisions for months or years with bad

consequences, and they don't want you to do that. But don't let yourself

be pushed, either. Whether it's a fibroid, cancer, or who knows what else

in your abdomen, it didn't just pop into being the day before you found out

about it -- it was there for a good long while to get to that size, and

leaving it there for another week or two or three longer is unlikely to

change the ultimate outcome. You're more than likely going to be living

with your body for another 40 or 50 years. Give yourself the time, not to

sit in a dark room with the covers over your head and agonize over all the

possibilities, but to research what your options are and take positive

action. You did part of that by finding this group. Carla's book (Sex,

Lies, and the Truth about Uterine Fibroids) is excellent, both as

information and as promoting an empowered attitude towards health care

choices. There are lots of other good ones out there too. And if you

possibly can, get a second opinion from some other doctor, even if you have

to pay for it (though some HMOs will cover them) -- if she says your

doctors are absolutely on the right track, you'll have a little more peace

of mind, if she says there are some other approaches, you'll be able to

feel less railroaded. My two cents....hang in there, Nina LT.