CHRISTINE (& others)- I'm CONFUSED / Was: new to group

[Guest guest]

Hi, Ladies!

Me again. I'm teetering on the brink of making the call to schedule a myo

for my nearly symptom-less (but gargantuan) 'broids.

" To myo, or not to myo " ...that's the question going through my mind non-stop,

24/7.

So, today just as I was thinking of actually picking up the phone, I'm see

's message (btw, welcome to the group, !) wherein she says:

" I had an myo six years ago for three fibroids, which were described to me

as a baseball, a pingpong ball and a marble! Now I have a uterus covered with

more fibroids, and have been advised to have a hysterectomy! " ....

So, I'm thinking- wow...what's the point of having a myo if there is a chance

the monsters will just grow back???

THEN, writes...

" Anyway, the only advice I can give you younger ladies is don't procrastinate

like I did! I'll be having my surgery after New Years. "

Please help- I'm CONFUSED! What did you mean, ??? You didn't

really procrastinate, did you??? You went ahead with the myo 6 years ago! Or

are

you suggesting that young women should have hysterectomies???? (that is NOT an

option I would consider even though I'm in my 40's).

Help! I'm SO confused!!!!!

I'd like to make a decision asap (No rush health-wise, but logistically,

work-wise and other-wise, this is a good time for me to get the surgery)

Thanks for everyone's input on my multiple questions!!

Elana

In a message dated 12/16/03 7:40:17 AM Pacific Standard Time,

uterinefibroids writes:

> Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 21:20:23 -0800 (PST)

>

> Subject: new to group

>

> Anyway I guess my only option is to get rid of them once and for all. I have

> had three opinions, so I guess that's it. I did get an acupuncture treatment

> today for the first time, and I was told that my largest fibroid was too

> large 10cm, and could be reduced to half at best. Anyway, the only advice I

> can give you younger ladies is don't procrastinate like I did! I'll be

> having my surgery after New Years.

[Guest guest]

Hi Elana,

You should just go for it. Get those unwelcome invaders out as soon as you

can. Spending time thinking about the what-ifs are just going to keep you

procrastinating. I know, I'm not too swift at dealing with my own fibroids. Like

you, mine are fairly symptomless - other than heavy, heavy bleeding for a day or

two but I've gotten used to that. And mine are pretty big - one 7.5 cm, one

4.3 cm and another one 4.3 cm plus a chocolate ovarian cyst. My goal for the myo

was to lose the belly. Since I've lost weight, I've lost the " pooch " and am

pretty happy with my reasonably flat abdomen. Without the fibroids, it would

probably be even flatter...I can dream, right? That's the only thing that keeps

me wanting a myo is a really flat stomach.

Rhonda

[Guest guest]

Hi There,

I am not suggesting anyone get an hysterectomy. I am just saying that I am

depressed because now it is my only option, and that maybe it would not have

been had I taken care of things earlier. I don't know. You are completely taking

what I said out of context, or misunderstanding what I am saying.

Elana wrote:

>Please help- I'm CONFUSED! What did you mean, ??? You didn't

>really procrastinate, did you??? You went ahead with the myo 6 years ago! Or

>are you suggesting that young women should have hysterectomies???? (that is

>NOT an option I would consider even though I'm in my 40's).

[Guest guest]

,I understand what you are saying!

Elana....you have to do what you feel is right for you. Looking in

hindsight maybe if I would have had surgery 2 years ago instead of

taking the watch and wait option...I might not be where I am today

either...but I feel that I made the best decision for me at the

time. Everyone is different.....there is no way to predict if these

fibroids will grow a lot....grow a little....shrink....or multiply

over time. Just consider all your options, do your research, and

examine how it is that you feel.

Hang in there ....don't beat yourself up for your past

decisions....even if you would have had a myo earlier....it still

might not have worked out...you just don't know....

> I am not suggesting anyone get an hysterectomy. I am just saying

that I am depressed because now it is my only option, and that maybe

it would not have been had I taken care of things earlier. I don't

know.

[Guest guest]

> I am not suggesting anyone get an hysterectomy. I am just saying

>that I am depressed because now it is my only option, and that maybe

>it would not have been had I taken care of things earlier. I don't

>know.

Why is hysterectomy your ONLY option?

[Guest guest]

I have had three opinions from different doctors, and my largest fibroid is too

large for an ablation (sp) and still growing. I have even seen an acupuncturist

who said it was too large to shrink by acupuncture, and too high up in my

uterus. I am still getting acupuncture treatments anyway so help shrink it down

some, but the acupuncturist (who is also a surgeon from Shanghai) recommends

that hysterectomy is the only way I can get rid of it.

I am reading a book about FRS (female reconstructive surgery)..Does anyone out

there know anything about this procedure?

Thanks,

terricecile@... wrote:

Why is hysterectomy your ONLY option?

[Guest guest]

Hi

Like you I am 47 and have no children. I have large fibroids and was

told I must have a hysterectomy, no other options possible. I sought

a second opinion but he agreed totally with the first one. I was

devastated. I won't go into the whole story, but now, almost 2 years

later, I have been told by yet another gynae that I am in fact

suitable for either myo or UAE. My uterus is the size of a full term

pregnancy and so packed with fibroids that they cannot be seen

individually on an ultrasound. If I am a candidate for these

procedures, I am sure that you are too. Maybe you have objections to

myo and UAE, they are not without drawbacks, but you certainly do

have more choices than just hysterectomy.

If you are worried about further regrowth after a second myo, bear in

mind that in 6 years' time you will be past the average age of

menopause, so you would be unlikely to face this problem again. But

UAE has much less risk of regrowth anyway, so may be a better choice

for you. Has anyone discussed it with you? Many gynaes are ill-

informed about or even prejudiced against UAE, so you really need to

see an IR to find out if it would suit you.

It doesn't matter if you have 3 opinions or 33, if they are all from

gynaes who favour hysterectomy over other treatments. I very nearly

had a hysterectomy last month, but changed my mind just days

beforehand. If I hadn't, I would never have known that there was a

gynae willing to give me other options. Please take the time to make

sure that you really know what is possible for you. Cancelling or

postponing now does not rule out having a hysterectomy later if that

is truly the best option for you, but you will not be in a position

to know if it is or not unless you find out more for yourself.

Please don't be depressed on your own, there is a very wide range of

experience in this group. If you tell us a bit more about yourself,

your symptoms, what area you live in, there may be someone who can

suggest other doctors to approach.

Take care and please keep in touch.

phine

-- In uterinefibroids , Nordquist

<christine_capitola@y...> wrote:

> I have had three opinions from different doctors, and my largest

fibroid is too large for an ablation (sp) and still growing. I have

even seen an acupuncturist who said it was too large to shrink by

acupuncture, and too high up in my uterus.

[Guest guest]

, you're welcome! As I live in the UK I can't help with

recommendations for Santa Cruz, but hopefully there are some

California Girls in the group who will point you in the right

direction.

No, I'm not waiting for the menopause. That was my plan when I was

first diagnosed, but at that time I actually thought my fibroids were

asymptomatic. Since then I've realised that many seemingly little

things (backache, varicose veins, bowel and bladder problems) which I

had been putting down to my age, lack of fitness, etc, are really

caused by the fibroids. Some of my symptoms have got worse this

year, which is why I agreed to have the hyst. Fortunately, having

now seen a different gynae, I have been admitted to a trial set up to

compare UAE and surgery. It is randomized, so I don't yet know which

I will have, but it will be either UAE or myo. This suits me as I

feel both have advantages and disadvantages, so I'm happy to leave it

to chance which I get. Not that I'm recommending other women to make

their choice on the toss of a coin! It's just that the size of my

fibroids makes it difficult to say which is right for me. I'm

waiting for an appt for MRI right now.

It's true that fibroids usually shrink after menopause but this

doesn't always happen - the research nurse attached to the trial told

me that they do sometimes perform UAE on post-menopausal women,

including one lady aged seventy! Do you have any idea whether you

are likely to reach meno early/late? Age of mother at meno is

supposed to be a good guide. Have you tried any herbal or

homeopathic remedies for the bleeding and cramping problems? Some

women find them helpful and it could make life easier while you work

out what to do next. A good site with relevant info and discussion

is HealingFromFibroidsNaturally also on Yahoogroups.

Although you are already a myo veteran, you will probably find that

there have been quite few new developments in fibroid treatment since

your op. Lots of gynaes and IRs have websites which give good

information about new techniques - of course, they all have a sales

pitch too, so just use them for information purposes to start with.

Pat's post of yesterday (#43633) really says everything a woman

needs to know to get started, so I won't repeat it here: print it

out, read it over a few times, make it the basis of your own 'to do'

list.

Good Luck!

phine

> Thank you phine!

>

> I am not in pain from the fibroids, just during my period when I

have extremely heavy bleeding and horrible cramping. Are you going to

wait until you go through menopause? I have been told that the

fibroids will shrink at that time. Thank you for your encouragement

and support! I live in Santa Cruz, CA.