Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Hi my name is B. I've been lurking on your board for a few days now trying to catch on to the lingo here. I thought I'd share my story and get some opinions from those who feel like sharing. In 1993 I got pregnant with my son. During that pregnancy they found a fibriod which continued to grow throughout the later half of my pregnancy. If I remember correctly, it was about the size of an apple. After I had my son my uterus never shrunk down and I had horrible bleeding and became anemic. I ended up having a D & C which helped. ANd I was put on birth control pills which also helped the bleeding. We ended up moving out of state and I needed an annual and saw a new doctor. During that time, he recommended a hysterectomy (grrrr) since I was having so many complications. 18 months after my son was born, the fibriod fell out. I was having a normal period and something slid out. I freaked! And then I went fishing <G>. I scooped it out of the potty and bagged it and took it into my GYN to send to the lab to make sure it was in fact the fibriod. I had a sono to conclude the same thing. And yes, in fact, my fibriod fell out. If you've never seen one in real life, mine was white and fibrous...and I " ll never look at a chicken tender the same again. Mine was about 4 inches long and about 1 1/2 inches wide. Long and thin. My periods went back to normal. I went off the pill (I HATE the pill and how it makes me feel). We eventually conceived again, but lost the baby due to miscarriage. (unexplained). Got pregnant again 3 months later and had no signs of fibroids. I had a number of sonos and not once did anyone see one. Had a C-Section, as baby was big (9 lbs 12 oz) and wouldn't come down the birth canal. Again, no mention of fibriod while cleaning everything out. About a year after I had my daughter I started having longer and heavier periods. To the point where I'm having 12 day long periods and they're coming every 24 days. I go to my GP and we try pill after pill after pill. I was on 4 different BCP to try and " regulate " my bleeding. I had many side effects from these pills and FINALLY she referred me to my OBGYN. My GYN did a sono and found a fibriod (can't remember how big, I'll have to ask). But my uterus is enlarged to 14 week pregnancy size. Put me on one other pill called YASMIN. It's supposed to be a great pill for women who have a hard time tolerating other pills. I've been on it for 4 months. In that 4 months I've gotten more and more side effects from this pill. First it started with really sore breasts, then it moved on to I'd grow a whole cup size in the first two weeks of being back on the pill. Other side effect were: Hormonal acne (the really deep painful pimples) Started just on face, now on body too... Weight gain over the course of the month No help with PMS, possibly even worse when on this pill Heavy period even though it reduced it to 6 days NO (read NO) libido -I was basically dealing with impotency...that's how bad it got. Bad bloating didn't help with cramping in front or back. etc. I decided to not take the pill this month and see what happens...so far, I have no acne, I FINALLY had satisfying sex with my husband (after 3 months!) and I just " feel " better. So here's the dilema. I still have the fibriod. I " m sure my periods will go right back to the way they were before I started the pills almost a year ago. Am I being a big baby with these pill side effects? I'm going to be 32 this month, I'm done having kids, my husband got the Big V and frankly I should be ready to go OFF the pill, not going on at this age. The pill really wigs me out with how it messes with my body... So...do you all have recommendations for me. I kind of feel like I've exhausted my options. I've had a fibriod, so if I have a Myo (is that right? Where they take out the fibriod), chances of one growing back are good. I've tried hormone therapy, which for me is just not working. And it seems like my last option is a partial hysterectomy? What do you all think? TIA! B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 There are actually a few options, but there are things like size and location that need to be considered. I am also 32 and don't want BCPs and haven't for about 8 years now. I cringe at the idea of taking Lupron or any drug to shrink them (2 primary fibroids the sizes of a can of pop and an apple). From what I read on this board, the group concesus seams to be that a hysterectomy should be a last resort and you should seek several opinions. good luck ;-) e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 You don't say where your fibroid is located. Your last one must have been submucousal (inside the uterine cavity) since you expelled it. The submucousal fibroids are the ones which typically cause heavy bleeding, and they don't have to be very big to have this effect. The good news about submucousals is that because of their location they can often be removed vaginally with no incision. It is an outpatient procedure called hysteroscopic resection. If you do a google search you should find several sites describing the procedure. If a resection is not possible you should also investigate UAE (uterine artery embolization) There is information in the archives on this site and also at Nuff.org. Like many others I feel like hysterectomy should be a last resort. Before I alter my body so drastically I want to know that I tried everything first. You can always have a hyst later, but it doesn't work the other way around. > > So...do you all have recommendations for me. I kind of feel like I've exhausted my options. I've had a fibriod, so if I have a Myo (is that right? Where they take out the fibriod), chances of one growing back are good. I've tried hormone therapy, which for me is just not working. And it seems like my last option is a partial hysterectomy? > > What do you all think? > > TIA! > B. > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Does anyone know how large a fibroid can be and be removed by vaginal hysterectomy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 You mean vaginal myomectomy, right? I think about 3cm is the biggest they like to do in one session. My doctor told me that sometimes they go in more than once. Of course it would depend on your particular situation. Ideally the fibroid would be on a thin stalk, so there would be less risk of puncturing the uterus. > Does anyone know how large a fibroid can be and be removed by vaginal > hysterectomy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 Actually I was wondering if a fibroid can be too large for a vaginal hysterectomy to be performed and therefore it would have to be done abdominally. Re: Coming out of Lurk... > You mean vaginal myomectomy, right? I think about 3cm is the > biggest they like to do in one session. My doctor told me that > sometimes they go in more than once. Of course it would depend on > your particular situation. Ideally the fibroid would be on a thin > stalk, so there would be less risk of puncturing the uterus. > > > > Does anyone know how large a fibroid can be and be removed by > vaginal > > hysterectomy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 > Actually I was wondering if a fibroid can be too large for a vaginal > hysterectomy to be performed and therefore it would have to be done > abdominally. Yes, if the uterus is too large then a vaginal hyst is not possible. My first doctor suggested a vaginal hyst to me - before my 3cm submucousal fibroid got too big. I left him for a new doctor who removed the fibroid only in an outpatient procedure. Since then I have learned more about vaginal hysts - one drawback that I can see is that you automatically lose your cervix when the hyst is done this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 12, 2002 Report Share Posted September 12, 2002 Hi, I am scheduled for my myo on the 20th of Sept. My symptoms are similiar to yours. Heavy bleeding for days on end and bcp's really mess up my bleeding and tender, tender breasts. So I will let you know about the myo, and I would take my chances about them growing back. That is what I decided to do. I saw my doctor Tuesday and signed the informed consent form and actually felt pretty good leaving the office. I am home today due to heavy bleeding and glad to know at least I can now hope for a " normal " life after the surgery. My bleeding and anemia have controlled my schedule for a least a year and certainly had to cancel meetings and missed church for a year before that. Take care and let me know if you want any updates. It has been comforting to read the myo updates that have been posted lately. Makes me think that it won't be as bad as my imagination makes me believe. Jacque Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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