Re: Re: My surgery - Sorry...long

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In a message dated 2/13/2004 3:11:47 PM Eastern Standard Time, tmorri9898

writes:

> Hi- Hope everything goes well with your surgery on Tues. I think

> there is an anti-hysterectomy bias on this board, but it we all need

> support no matter which decision we make. I'm sure this choice will

> be the right one for you. As others have mentioned, the hyster city

> yahoo support board will surely give you a warm welcome and

> lots of

> advice. Again- best of luck! -Mindy

Okay, at this point I have to jump in...

First, to wish REGAL1D the best with her surgery which I will have to assume is

an informed one...even though she indicates that she doesn't have any of the

typical symptoms. I do realize with a larger fibroid, you may not get the

results you want from an EMBO, and may have to look far and wide for a surgeon

qualified to do a myo if you wanted a myo. I am not anit hysterectomy...just

anti uninformed-hysterectomy pushed on women by medical " professionals " that are

not providing their patients with the full information needed to make an

informed decision and by other women that say to just have it out and be done

with it.

So often we hear complaints that nobody responded, and find that sometimes it is

true. We can't all respond to every post or this board would be overwhelmed, so

we chose which posts to respond to, expecting that someone else on the list will

respond to the ones we don't. Often, I think I will see if someone else with

more direct experience on the particular question responds and mean to watch and

respond if no one does. But the post sometimes gets lost in the tremendous

amount of mail (I read via mail, not digest and not directly on the board) and I

may not remember to go back and respond. Other times, when checking, we find

that there were responses, but the individual was new to the groups and didn't

know how to find their replies on the board and didn't sign up for email

delivery. And, still other times, someone did respond, but it was not the

response they were looking for...

In this case, AZTEK gave what I consider a well thought out, detailed and

sensitive response to the post by REGAL1D in January, and there were a couple of

other posts. I didn't see any response back in that same thread from the poster,

so I would have assumed that the response from AZTEK and others was sufficient.

AXTEK asked questions that the original poster did not respond to...

I am 51 and suffered from fibroids since my 20's. Starting in my 30's, I was

told I needed a hysterectomy. No other options offered. At that time, I had not

researched much about post hysto complications, but knew I did not want a hysto,

primarily (at that time) because I was afraid of surgery, so I continued to

suffer. Looking back, I realize how much of my life was stolen from me by my

fibroids...which is why I talk about the " quality of life creep " in conjunction

with the watch and wait...I have been attacked for that, as if I am condemning

those that are watching and waiting rather than just alerting them to watch for

that gradual decline in well being that may be so gradual that you don't notice

it until you look back after finally getting treatment.

When I joined this board, I came here after reading Carla's book and the NUFF

website and many other resources and felt glad I had not jumped uninformed into

having a Hysto in my 30's. I spent hours and hours reading the archives and the

current daily posts (think I even tried reading every post from day one!). When

I started my search for someone to do a myo, and later investigating UAE, I was

constantly told " just have it out and be done with it " by many women. " Sex is

great now " was often their comment, and for many women, just being able to have

sex again after having fibroids is enough. I soon found other women that

experienced problems after their hysto. They were more reluctant to talk about

their problems as they had been given so much grief about the problems

pre-hysto, that their husbands and friends were doubting their post hysto

problems and they were feeling like hypochondriacs.

We are not anti-hysto for those that have taken the time to become informed and

are going in with knowledge, and not trusting a hysto happy gyno that needs to

make a payment on their BMW...or just unskilled and brought up in the male hysto

happy gyn educational world. Throughout the archives are horror stories of

mis-information and condescending attitudes about this " unnecessary " organ by

gyno's...including many female GYNOs. It has been astonishing to me the very

young women that come to this board being told only option for their fibroids is

hysto! Since many of us have come here looking for an alternative to hystos,

there is a lessor concentration of us on this board that have had hystos. That

is why we often refer individuals to hystosisters...not because we don't care,

but because they will more direct experience from a group that have had to have,

or chosen to have, or are considering a hysto.

I chose UAE mainly because I did not find a surgeon locally on my plan that I

trusted for a myo, and didn't want to take as much time off for recovery (and a

little afraid of surgery?). I am one of the outliers with less than perfect

results from my UAE, but, I do not regret my decision to start with UAE. I

researched it well, and am not worried about having the PVA particles inside. I

felt comfortable with my choice. Would I have preferred a better solution

without injecting particles inside? You bet! But, based on my research, and

available resources, it was the best choice for me. I can still have a myo (if I

could find a Dr. on my health plan I trust, and the $$/time) or a hysto.

To each and every women on this board, I wish you well with your research, your

decision and your prodedure...what ever route you take. We each must do our own

research and make our own decision. I would never question your right to your

own decision on your chosen therapy, but hope that members of this group

continue to question the information they receive from their Docs and from the

Internet until they are satisfied they have the information they need to make

that decision and, continue to share the information they learn along the way.

Sorry for the rant, but I am tired of this group of wonderful women being

accused of not caring...Thank you AZTEK for all of your posts...you did a GOOD

job.