Re: New Member in Need of Support /To Deborah /To

[Guest guest]

To peachyqueen27 " peachyqueen27@...,

Hello my dear. Try not to worry yourself too much. I know you have been

through " the ringer " these last few weeks. But you are in the right place

here with all of us who have been there. I was in your shoes many times: ER

visits followed by transfusions, fertility worries, avoiding surgery at all

costs, and living with horrific bleeding.

I too had submucosal fibroids. The good news is, they are much easier to

treat than intramural or subserosal fibroids. There is a new surgical

procedure that can remove your fibroids with very little pain and discomfort

and will leave your uterus fully functional and fertile!

It is called a hysteroscopic resection. This is a day procedure. This is

definitely a surgery you should ask your fertility specialist about when you

see him/her this Monday.

I had a large crop of submucosal fibroids for many years. They started

giving me bleeding problems, pain, and anemia when I was about 25 years old.

I am now 30, am seeing a RE (reproductive endocrinologist) who specializes

in fertility, and am now TTC (trying to conceive) with my husband. I was

not able to get pregnant before the resection because of the position of all

my submucosal fibroids. The resection procedure was performed not only to

eliminate my bleeding problems but also to increase my chances of conceiving

and carrying a full-term baby. I have never been pregnant.

You are on the right path, seeing a fertility specialist is the first step.

Inform yourself as much as you can about your type of fibroids. Ask as many

questions and do as much research as you can before you make any decisions

about treatment.

I was where you are last summer. I chose to go see a fertility RE and

decided on the resection surgery. I had several of these surgeries because

I had multiple fibroids. But now I am free of them, totally off of my bc

pills, have incredibly light periods, no more anemia, and am currently

hoping to get pregnant! I will see my doctor again in June. If I'm not

pregnant by then he will make sure I am ovulating. But for now, we are TTC

the natural way thanks to the surgeries and the expertise of my new doctor.

He has given my health back to me.

Make sure you are taking iron supplements if you are still anemic. I had

your blood levels and my doctor put me on 1300mg of ferrous sulfate tablets

a day. This is not how much iron you absorb, it's just a high enough dose

so you get over the recommended daily allowance of iron. It was amazing how

quickly my hemoglobin levels rose after taking this high dosage. Be sure

you ask your doctor about iron supplements. Some people take iron in liquid

form because it's more readily absorbed and does not cause constipation side

effects. Others take it intravenously if they cannot absorb it through

their intestine. But many women do fine on the basic ferrous sulfate, this

is very cheap. You can purchase 100 tablets for only $3 a box.

Try not to worry, you have lots of options. Below (in the e-mail to

Deborah) is a brief description of a hysteroscopic resection surgery.

Please don't hesitate to e-mail me off the list if you have any more

questions.

greenvu @ epud. net

Leave out the spaces.

Keep your chin up!

:)Sonja

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------

Dear Deborah,

Yes, there is a difference between a hysteroscopy and a resection. But the

term is used for both procedures by many people.

A hysteroscopy usually refers to the office exam. Saline solution is

injected into the uterus followed by a small scope that is inserted through

the cervix. The physician can view the endomettrial cavity with this test

better than an abdomnal ultrasound or a intravaginal/sonohysterogram

ultrasound.

A hysteroscopic resection is the surgical procedure. It is usually referred

to as " a resection " so not to confuse it with the office exam. The patient

is under either general or epidural anesthesia. It is a noninvasive procedu

re performed vaginally. Fluid is circulated inside the uterus to keep the

surgeons' view clear and to remove tissue that has been cut away. A small

instrument uses electrical impulses to shave the fibroids down to their

blood supply. This procedure is a day surgery leaving the patient with very

little bleeding and minimal pain (if any.) This surgery is only used for

submucosal fibroids, endometrial and cervical polyps, or growths that are

distending into the uterine cavity. It is not appropriate for intramural

and subserosal fibroids.

No, your fibroid is not too large for a resection. I had several submucosal

fibs measureing over 10cm each that were completely removed via resection.

Though I did have to have more than one resection for my doctor to get

everything out, this is possible when you have multiple fibs or very large

ones. Make sure you find a doctor who has performed numerous resections.

If your doctor has not, find one that has. A fertility reproductive

endocrinologist may be your best choice. They will treat you even if you

are not currently trying to conceive or if you are done with having babies.

Feel free to e-mail me off the list if you have more questions about this

procedure.

greenvu @ epud. net

Leave out the spaces.

Good luck to you my dear,

:)Sonja

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------

Dear ,

Thank you for your supportive words. Your suggestion that maybe high levels

of progesterone can take time to decrease in the body after stopping the

therapy makes a lot of sense to me. I have been reading about liver

function and bc pills, and have found how taxing high levels of the pill can

be on the liver's breakdown of the hormones. It may take me up to a year to

completely rid my liver and my body cells of the synthetic estrogens and

progesterones. I am looking into trying some cleansing/detoxing liver and

gall bladder diets.

I'm sorry to hear that you are living with high blood pressure. Glad that

you are keeping a close watch on it. You might be on to something relating

chronic anemia to high blood pressure. Yes, living with severe anemia for

many years (from uterine bleeding) may be linked to your high blood pressure

once your anemia was resolbed. Your body adjusts itself to low hemoglobin

so that the brain has enough oxygen to keep you upright. So the heart has

to pump faster and harder and the blood vessels have to adjust their walls

to react to the increased amount of blood that is pumping through the body.

Makes sense to have the symptom of higher blood pressure after the anemia

disappears and you are left with a body that has been running on " low " for

so long. The more red blood cells you have, the more viscous your blood

becomes making it pass through your blood vessels at a slower rate. This

can elevate the vessel pressure.

Has your doctor suggested reasons for your BP rise?

Good luck with your treatments. And I hope you can continue to enjoy your

sex life once you get your BP under control.

My best,

:)Sonja