Re: Lg. Fibroid in Menapaue

[Guest guest]

Yolanda

If your primary symtom is bleeding, look into UFE. Check out the

other group, yahoo embo group (Uterine Fibroid Embolization) I

had awful bleeding and gushing putting me into a severly anemic

state. I had a UFE 1 month ago. It stops the bleeding like a light

switch. Your fibroid is big, and maybe it will shrink on it's own

now that your in menapause. I am so happy to not be bleeding

anymore! Don't let the gyno make this descision for you. You may

have another obtion. The gyno's always say hysterectomy 1st. They

don't present you with any other obtions, but UFE could be a good

obtion for you since bleeding is your main symtom. Do you have bulk

symtoms too? Check the embo group out. Jen

>

> Hello!

>

> I am new here and hope someone can shed some light. I have been in

menapause

> for about 4 years and was taking Prempo. 2.5 years ago I was

diagnosed with a

> grapefruit size fibroid. I decided to do the wait and see

approach, since I had no

> symptons. On Feb 13, I started bleeding and have not stopped. Some

days heavy,

> others just a flow. I went to my Dr., he had me stop Prempo and

perscribed Provera

> for 10 days. He did a pap smear and scheduled me for a sonagram.

At the time he

> told me the fibroid had grown to 17 cm. since last May. Yesterday,

he called to let

> me know he had the results and indeed fibroid had grown. His

advice was to have

> a hysterectomy and remove the ovaries. I am afraid of the

hysterectomy and would

> appreciate your opinions. I would also appreciate names of

wonderful Doctors in

> the Los Angeles area. I thing I want a second opinion.

>

> Does any one know if there is a chance of my fibroid shrinking,

now that I stopped

> the hormones. I have no pain just bleeding which I am sick of.

Provera did not

> stop it.

>

> Looking forward to your respone!

>

> Thank you!

>

> Yolanda

[Guest guest]

Dear Yolanda:

I am not sure if I am in menopause yet. I am 46 but I have fibroid that

measures 16cm plus about 5 small ones. There is a good website to go to get

some information on how to shrink fibroids naturally. It is called

HealingFromFibroidsNaturally. You may get some more information. Also, ask

you doctor about a UAE. That is a uterine ARtery Embolization. They do not

remove anything inside just take some particles and put them in the artery

to shrink the fibroids.

Try the natural path first and check into the UAE.

HOpe this helps

CAthy

>

>Reply-To: uterinefibroids

>To: uterinefibroids

>Subject: Lg. Fibroid in Menapaue

>Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 17:41:56 -0000

>

>

>Hello!

>

>I am new here and hope someone can shed some light. I have been in

>menapause

>for about 4 years and was taking Prempo. 2.5 years ago I was diagnosed with

>a

>grapefruit size fibroid. I decided to do the wait and see approach, since I

>had no

>symptons. On Feb 13, I started bleeding and have not stopped. Some days

>heavy,

>others just a flow. I went to my Dr., he had me stop Prempo and perscribed

>Provera

>for 10 days. He did a pap smear and scheduled me for a sonagram. At the

>time he

>told me the fibroid had grown to 17 cm. since last May. Yesterday, he

>called to let

>me know he had the results and indeed fibroid had grown. His advice was to

>have

>a hysterectomy and remove the ovaries. I am afraid of the hysterectomy and

>would

>appreciate your opinions. I would also appreciate names of wonderful

>Doctors in

>the Los Angeles area. I thing I want a second opinion.

>

>Does any one know if there is a chance of my fibroid shrinking, now that I

>stopped

>the hormones. I have no pain just bleeding which I am sick of. Provera did

>not

>stop it.

>

>Looking forward to your respone!

>

>Thank you!

>

>Yolanda

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

Click, drag and drop. My MSN is the simple way to design your homepage.

http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200364ave/direct/01/

[Guest guest]

Dear Yolanda:

I am not sure if I am in menopause yet. I am 46 but I have fibroid that

measures 16cm plus about 5 small ones. There is a good website to go to get

some information on how to shrink fibroids naturally. It is called

HealingFromFibroidsNaturally. You may get some more information. Also, ask

you doctor about a UAE. That is a uterine ARtery Embolization. They do not

remove anything inside just take some particles and put them in the artery

to shrink the fibroids.

Try the natural path first and check into the UAE.

HOpe this helps

CAthy

>

>Reply-To: uterinefibroids

>To: uterinefibroids

>Subject: Lg. Fibroid in Menapaue

>Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 17:41:56 -0000

>

>

>Hello!

>

>I am new here and hope someone can shed some light. I have been in

>menapause

>for about 4 years and was taking Prempo. 2.5 years ago I was diagnosed with

>a

>grapefruit size fibroid. I decided to do the wait and see approach, since I

>had no

>symptons. On Feb 13, I started bleeding and have not stopped. Some days

>heavy,

>others just a flow. I went to my Dr., he had me stop Prempo and perscribed

>Provera

>for 10 days. He did a pap smear and scheduled me for a sonagram. At the

>time he

>told me the fibroid had grown to 17 cm. since last May. Yesterday, he

>called to let

>me know he had the results and indeed fibroid had grown. His advice was to

>have

>a hysterectomy and remove the ovaries. I am afraid of the hysterectomy and

>would

>appreciate your opinions. I would also appreciate names of wonderful

>Doctors in

>the Los Angeles area. I thing I want a second opinion.

>

>Does any one know if there is a chance of my fibroid shrinking, now that I

>stopped

>the hormones. I have no pain just bleeding which I am sick of. Provera did

>not

>stop it.

>

>Looking forward to your respone!

>

>Thank you!

>

>Yolanda

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

Click, drag and drop. My MSN is the simple way to design your homepage.

http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200364ave/direct/01/

[Guest guest]

Dear Yolanda:

I am not sure if I am in menopause yet. I am 46 but I have fibroid that

measures 16cm plus about 5 small ones. There is a good website to go to get

some information on how to shrink fibroids naturally. It is called

HealingFromFibroidsNaturally. You may get some more information. Also, ask

you doctor about a UAE. That is a uterine ARtery Embolization. They do not

remove anything inside just take some particles and put them in the artery

to shrink the fibroids.

Try the natural path first and check into the UAE.

HOpe this helps

CAthy

>

>Reply-To: uterinefibroids

>To: uterinefibroids

>Subject: Lg. Fibroid in Menapaue

>Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2004 17:41:56 -0000

>

>

>Hello!

>

>I am new here and hope someone can shed some light. I have been in

>menapause

>for about 4 years and was taking Prempo. 2.5 years ago I was diagnosed with

>a

>grapefruit size fibroid. I decided to do the wait and see approach, since I

>had no

>symptons. On Feb 13, I started bleeding and have not stopped. Some days

>heavy,

>others just a flow. I went to my Dr., he had me stop Prempo and perscribed

>Provera

>for 10 days. He did a pap smear and scheduled me for a sonagram. At the

>time he

>told me the fibroid had grown to 17 cm. since last May. Yesterday, he

>called to let

>me know he had the results and indeed fibroid had grown. His advice was to

>have

>a hysterectomy and remove the ovaries. I am afraid of the hysterectomy and

>would

>appreciate your opinions. I would also appreciate names of wonderful

>Doctors in

>the Los Angeles area. I thing I want a second opinion.

>

>Does any one know if there is a chance of my fibroid shrinking, now that I

>stopped

>the hormones. I have no pain just bleeding which I am sick of. Provera did

>not

>stop it.

>

>Looking forward to your respone!

>

>Thank you!

>

>Yolanda

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

Click, drag and drop. My MSN is the simple way to design your homepage.

http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200364ave/direct/01/

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/25/2004 9:11:49 PM Pacific Standard Time,

kukalaka@... writes:

> You might want to " watch and wait " before jumping into anything. There

> should be a chance that they'll shrink minus the hormones.

Hi,

Have others had real experience with their fibroids shrinking at menopause?

What about the enlarged uterus that they have stretched out, will that always

be there?

thanks,

Cheryl in CA

[Guest guest]

Hi,

You need to check for anemia ASAP. Slow FE (slow release) iron and vitamin C

will cure anemia (can buy it at Walmart, Target, Kmart... Sam's Club is

chapest). Anemia can be very dangerous. If you do have anemia, it can add to

your bleeding problems. Look into this.

You might want to " watch and wait " before jumping into anything. There should be

a chance that they'll shrink minus the hormones. That's a good idea. You do have

other options too, UAE and myo if it comes to it. If you chose hyst, I'd keep

the ovaries for sure, cervix too. But I would not have a hyst but for cancer.

But check the anemia for sure.

Ku

yolanda_mascorro yolanda.mascorro@...> wrote:

Hello!

I am new here and hope someone can shed some light. I have been in menapause

for about 4 years and was taking Prempo. 2.5 years ago I was diagnosed with a

grapefruit size fibroid. I decided to do the wait and see approach, since I had

no

symptons. On Feb 13, I started bleeding and have not stopped. Some days heavy,

others just a flow. I went to my Dr., he had me stop Prempo and perscribed

Provera

for 10 days. He did a pap smear and scheduled me for a sonagram. At the time he

told me the fibroid had grown to 17 cm. since last May. Yesterday, he called to

let

me know he had the results and indeed fibroid had grown. His advice was to have

a hysterectomy and remove the ovaries. I am afraid of the hysterectomy and would

appreciate your opinions. I would also appreciate names of wonderful Doctors in

the Los Angeles area. I thing I want a second opinion.

Does any one know if there is a chance of my fibroid shrinking, now that I

stopped

the hormones. I have no pain just bleeding which I am sick of. Provera did not

stop it.

Looking forward to your respone!

Thank you!

Yolanda

[Guest guest]

Thank you for your respone Cheryl:

I have an appt. for a second opinion next Friday with a woman Dr..

Hopily

she will have better news.

[Guest guest]

yolanda_mascorro wrote:

> I am new here and hope someone can shed some light. I have been in

> menapause

> for about 4 years and was taking Prempo. 2.5 years ago I was diagnosed

> with a

> grapefruit size fibroid. I decided to do the wait and see approach,

> since I had no

> symptons. On Feb 13, I started bleeding and have not stopped. Some

> days heavy,

> others just a flow. I went to my Dr., he had me stop Prempo and

> perscribed Provera

> for 10 days. He did a pap smear and scheduled me for a sonagram. At

> the time he

> told me the fibroid had grown to 17 cm. since last May. Yesterday, he

> called to let

> me know he had the results and indeed fibroid had grown. His advice

> was to have

> a hysterectomy and remove the ovaries. I am afraid of the hysterectomy

> and would

> appreciate your opinions. I would also appreciate names of wonderful

> Doctors in

> the Los Angeles area. I thing I want a second opinion.

>

> Does any one know if there is a chance of my fibroid shrinking, now

> that I stopped

> the hormones. I have no pain just bleeding which I am sick of. Provera

> did not

> stop it.

Yolanda,

Welcome to the group. You've written a couple of things in your post

that I think I need some clarification on so that I can have a better

picture of what's really going on with you right now. A few questions:

1. How old are you?

2. Could you clarify the sequence of events regarding your hormone

use? Prempo since entering menopause, provera when you started bleeding

heavily....when did you actually stop taking hormones? Give us a

timeline of your hormone use since entering menopause that accounts for

all 4 years -- I had just a wee bit of a problem following it with your

description above.

3. Have you had an endometrial biopsy?

4. What were the results of the pap smear?

5. Were your ovaries " normal " on sonogram?

With a 17 cm fibroid, shrinking away to any real significance is not

very likely. However, without more information it would be hard for

anyone to second guess what's going on here. Have you checked the

physician database for this group to see if there are other LA doctors

listed? It would seem you DO need a second opinion as soon as possible.

Carla Dionne

[Guest guest]

Yolanda, because your fibroid was only discovered post-menopause, you are at

a somewhat higher risk that this might not be a fibroid tumor but rather a

cancerous tumor called a leiomyosarcoma. The overall risk of this tumor,

which can mimic a fibroid on ultrasound and other examinations, is VERY VERY

small compared to the odds that a woman has a regular fibroid tumor. For

post-meno women, however, the risk does increase somewhat. This is probably

why your doctor is recommending a total hysterectomy with ooperectomy. He

doesn't want to see you take that risk.

Your tumor has grown rapidly since its discovery, however, that could be due

to the HRT you were taking. But it does need to be checked out further. I

would not advise " watch and wait " as your first choice.

There now are a couple tests which together can predict without the need for

surgery with a very high degree of certainty whether or not your tumor is a

fibroid or a leiomyosarcoma. If it turns out to be a fibroid, as the odds

favor, you can then safely watch and wait to see if stopping the estrogen

causes it to shrink, proving your symptoms are not harming your health.

Below I quote from a post regarding these tests to this list from Dr. Bill

, a member of NUFF's Board of Directors and a researcher at UCLA and

clinician in private practice in Los Angeles.

" ..there is a better way to diagnose sarcoma now, using MRI with

gadolinium and a blood test for LDH isoenzyme 3. Here is the reference:

International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, Volume 12 # 4, Page 354, July

2002 Usefulness of Gd-DTPA contrast-enhanced dynamic MRI and serum

determination

of LDH and its isozymes in the differential diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma from

degenerated leiomyoma of the uterus. Author- A. Goto. "

I strongly recommend that you see Dr. for a second opion about this

tumor before agreeing to a total hysterectomy. He is not a participant in

insurance plans but if your insurance allows you to go out of network, his

office will help you with the paperword. Dr. is not only an

excellent doctor but a very caring person. I do hope you can see him.

Personally, I would pay out of pocket if I had to to see him. He has a

website at http://www.parkermd.com/. His contact info is:

H. , M.D.

1450 Tenth Street, Suite 404

Santa , California 90401

Telephone: 310/451-8144

Please do keep in touch here and let us know how things are going.

Best,

Leonie

Hello!

I am new here and hope someone can shed some light. I have been in menapause

for about 4 years and was taking Prempo. 2.5 years ago I was diagnosed with

a

grapefruit size fibroid. I decided to do the wait and see approach, since I

had no

symptons. On Feb 13, I started bleeding and have not stopped. Some days

heavy,

others just a flow....

_________________________________________________________________

Get fast, reliable access with MSN 9 Dial-up. Click here for Special Offer!

http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/

[Guest guest]

Carla thank you for your reply.

I am 54 years old. I started taking Prempo 4 years ago. I stopped it 11

days ago when I had the very heavy bleeding and went to see my Dr.

On that day, he perscribed Provera. I have been on Provera 11 days. I

have an appt. for second opinion next week. I have copies of my 2

ultrasound exams, to take with me. The latest ultrasound taken 2/20/04

reads my uterus measures 15.4 cm in length and 9.0 posterior uterine

mass

consitent with a fibroid. My pap smears have been normal and so have my

ovaries. On 5/24/01 my uterus measured 13.2 cm. and fibroid was 9.6

in length. So I guess when my Dr. talked 13 cm he meant the uterus and

not the fibroid. I am now totally confused and know I definitely need a

second opinion. The day of the heavy bleeding he checked me and unless

i misunderstood he said the fibroid was 17 cm., unless he was taking

uterus.

I will keep you posted.

[Guest guest]

Carla thank you for your reply.

I am 54 years old. I started taking Prempo 4 years ago. I stopped it 11

days ago when I had the very heavy bleeding and went to see my Dr.

On that day, he perscribed Provera. I have been on Provera 11 days. I

have an appt. for second opinion next week. I have copies of my 2

ultrasound exams, to take with me. The latest ultrasound taken 2/20/04

reads my uterus measures 15.4 cm in length and 9.0 posterior uterine

mass

consitent with a fibroid. My pap smears have been normal and so have my

ovaries. On 5/24/01 my uterus measured 13.2 cm. and fibroid was 9.6

in length. So I guess when my Dr. talked 13 cm he meant the uterus and

not the fibroid. I am now totally confused and know I definitely need a

second opinion. The day of the heavy bleeding he checked me and unless

i misunderstood he said the fibroid was 17 cm., unless he was taking

uterus.

I will keep you posted.

[Guest guest]

Carla thank you for your reply.

I am 54 years old. I started taking Prempo 4 years ago. I stopped it 11

days ago when I had the very heavy bleeding and went to see my Dr.

On that day, he perscribed Provera. I have been on Provera 11 days. I

have an appt. for second opinion next week. I have copies of my 2

ultrasound exams, to take with me. The latest ultrasound taken 2/20/04

reads my uterus measures 15.4 cm in length and 9.0 posterior uterine

mass

consitent with a fibroid. My pap smears have been normal and so have my

ovaries. On 5/24/01 my uterus measured 13.2 cm. and fibroid was 9.6

in length. So I guess when my Dr. talked 13 cm he meant the uterus and

not the fibroid. I am now totally confused and know I definitely need a

second opinion. The day of the heavy bleeding he checked me and unless

i misunderstood he said the fibroid was 17 cm., unless he was taking

uterus.

I will keep you posted.