Bleeding. Weighing the options is hard !!!

February 27, 2004

Had appt with my gyn this morning. My fibroids are small (first

diagnosed in 2001), but I now have too much bleeding for me to take.

14-day long periods, 23 days apart, with one really bad day of a

soaked pad every 30-60 mins (this is what has increased and is now

motivating me to do something).

It's so hard to know what to do. He said embolization would be a

good option for me. Or Lupron (1 injection /month for 3 mos) - he

thought it may reduce bleeding by itself, or if I want to go the ab

myo route (he does this kind of surgery) then he would want me to

have 2 months of Lupron to reduce thickness of endometrium. I asked

about hysteroscopic resection - he said since I have multiple fibs,

it would only be a partial solution, and that I shouldn't

underestimate the severity of this procedure (requires general

anesthesia, uterus can rupture, etc.) He gave me recs to 2 docs he

knows who do resections, but he said they would also probably want me

to do 2 months of Lupron prior to the procedure, if they felt I was a

good candidate for that procedure at all.

After the discussion, he concluded by saying he thought I should

try the Lupron. I'm scared of Lupron - too many horror stories. I

told him my concerns and he said it helped 80% of his patients, and

that side-affects are temporary.

So, I guess I will go for a 2nd opinion with someone who does

hysteroscopic resections. Even with the general anesthesia and

problems that can occur, it seems like the best option to my mind

right now. I haven't really looked into UAE - I had kind of ruled

it out 'cuz it was so new and the long term effects aren't know, but

I guess I will go back and give it more serious consideration.

I just can't live my life with the current level of bleeding - it's

just not right - about 30 tablespoons of clots came out in five heavy

hours last time. (It calms me down to keep track, so I started

estimating the size and number of clots!)

Thanks for listening.

Any thoughts on how to decide are appreciated. (I want to preserve

uterus and fertility even tho there is very little chance I'll have a

child.)

Jean

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