Yet another letter addressed to my cervix

Checked the mail and there it was. A message signed by my dashing young fibroid doctor (AKA Mighty Mouse):

I am happy to inform you that your recent Pap smear returned within normal limits.

These results are from an exam I had about 3 weeks ago. Everything is fine. My fibroids are shrinking. My symptoms have vastly improved. I feel well. In fact, I’m not scheduled for another exam by my GYN until next year.

What questions should I ask my fibroid doctor during follow-up visits after my procedure?

Received an email request for a thread on post-Abdominal Myomectomy questions to ask during a follow-up visit. I have a previous post that list questions to ask a fibroid doctor but most of those deal with information you need pre-op. I’ll tweak a few from that post and stick them here for you to ask post-op:

What questions should I ask my fibroid doctor?

Continuing my series on fibroid doctors with this final post. I am fortunate to have many contributors here who add helpful comments. A good one on questions to ask a uterine fibroid doctor was left by fibroid free. I’ve edited them slightly to apply to all surgeries or procedures.

1. What is your background or specialty (e.g. OB/GYN, GYN surgeon, Reproductive Endocrinologist, Fertility specialist, Interventional Radiologist)?
2. How long have you been performing this surgery or procedure?
3. How many have you performed?
4. How many have turned into a hysterectomy? (This, of course, if you have not chosen hysterectomy.)
5. What is the risk that you will need to do another type of procedure once the surgery starts?

How do I evaluate or rate a fibroid doctor?

This is the second post in a series on fibroid doctors. Once you find a doctor, it is vital to feel comfortable with that professional. Medical knowledge is important but never underestimate good communication skills. Medicine is both a science and an art. Make sure your doctor practices both.

PBS is airing Remaking American Medicine. I am impressed by the amount of information there including this great list on evaluating a doctor:

How do I find a good local fibroid doctor?

This is the first in a series of separate posts on fibroid doctors. Finding a good local medical professional is key to getting the best fibroid care you can. I’m the first to admit that locating a doctor can be difficult. Hopefully, this will assist in that process.

Is my Gynecologist Superman or Mighty Mouse?

Had the first of my two post-Uterine Fibroid Embolization appointments on Tuesday. I met with my Gynecologist and yes, he used the speculum…again. I was cool because I knew it would be the last time I had to experience “the Gator” for several months. YAY! Resisted the temptation to ask if he ever felt like a mechanic.

Became so excited from the thought of a Gator-free life that I forgot to ask him about fibroid weight. It seems that a lot of people are interested in an answer. I’ll work on it. I did manage to remember to invite my doctor here. I think it would be pretty funny if he visits only to see that I called him Mighty Mouse. I’m sure he’s accustomed to my sense of humor by now (Gulp, I hope).

I’m normally not one to compare doctors to superheroes but allow me to explain. Mighty Mouse was one of my favorite cartoons as a child. The best part was the theme. Hearing MM sing “Here I come to save the day!” made me grin each time. Fast forward to this year when I really needed help. The “dashing young fibroid doctor” stepped in and several times I actually thought I heard that theme from long ago. He literally saved the day.

So, I guess this is my insane way of thanking my doctor. I now sense my Interventional Radiologist cringing as he wonders how I will “thank” him.

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Related Posts:
How do I find a good local fibroid doctor?
How do I evaluate or rate a fibroid doctor?
What questions should I ask my fibroid doctor?
The dashing young fibroid doctor

I just call it The Gator

Two weeks after my Hysteroscopic Myomectomy, I had a follow-up visit with “the dashing young fibroid doctor”. Yep, he pulled out the speculum. You know that thing used during a Pap Test. I refer to it as “The Gator” although Wikipedia describes it as the “beak of a duck”. I almost started laughing because I thought:

How many more things can you stick up there? Cameras, electrodes, “Gators”. What’s next?

Yeah, I have an odd sense of humor.

Before I left his office, I asked my Gynecologist about the picture of my fibroid he had given me. He explained it was an image of one of the fibroids with a section partially shaved down. He resected two that were close together and probably contributed to my problem of large clots.

With those two fibroids out of the way, I could now meet with the Interventional Radiologist again and schedule my Uterine Fibroid Embolization.

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Related Posts:
Can’t we figure out a better way to do a Pap Test?
A letter addressed to my cervix

Memories before my myomectomy

10:00 AM surgery. Had to be there two hours early. Walked out and noticed the sky was blue and cloudless. Thought of the U2 song “Beautiful Day” because I just love U2.

Arrived at the hospital, registered, and received the coolest pager gizmo thing. It alerted me when I could go back and prepare for my fibroid surgery. It also alerted my husband when he could come back and sit with me.

Once in the back, I changed into a hospital gown but refused to put on that shower cap-looking head covering until the last possible moment. Would somebody please design some better hospital gear? The look is just not cool.

Got into bed and the adventure started. The nurse inserted my IV (didn’t feel a thing). Anesthesiologist arrived, checked my chart, and explained the whole “knocking me out” process. He had a good sense of humor which I always interpret as a positive sign.

My husband appeared and since he considered Methuselah immature, I thought I should warn him about my Gynecologist. Told him that the doctor looked really young but was very good. When my Gynecologist arrived, my husband started making faces and then mouthed the question “how old is he?” with such exaggeration that extraterrestrials circling the Earth in a spacecraft could read his lips. Of course my doctor, only a few feet away, had no problem and answered, “30 almost 31″. I just could not stop giggling after that.

The Anesthesiologist came over and gave me something that he said would probably make me giddy. Yeah. Like I needed encouragement on that front. Still chuckling to myself, I was wheeled into the operating room.

What do I remember right before the Hysteroscopic Myomectomy? Keep in mind that the drugs were starting to work.

1. Seeing my doctor and asking him about a video. He told me he would make sure that I got a picture of the fibroid.
2. Two people discussing the surgical equipment.
3. Moving onto the operating table.
4. Someone securing my right arm.
5. A voice (I think my Anesthesiologist’s) asking to do the same to my left arm.

That was all. After that, out like a slow baseball player approaching home.

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Related Posts:
Is there such a thing as minor fibroid surgery?
No longer freaking out over my fibroid surgery tomorrow
Memories directly after my myomectomy
How are you feeling after your Hysteroscopic Myomectomy?

Hemoglobin level high enough for my myomectomy

I posted previously about my first fibroid surgery. It was a D&C and a Hysteroscopic Myomectomy using the Versapoint system. Although it involved my Gynecologist knocking me out cold, sticking a camera up there, and using electrodes to “shave down” a couple of fibroids, the actual surgery was not bad.

Visit these sites for more detailed information:

Fibroid doctors spring into action

My fibroid team (“dashing young” Gynecologist + “debonair” Interventional Radiologist) met to discuss the surgery I would need before the Uterine Fibroid Embolization.

Now, I had a treatment plan:

1. Iron Pills to treat my iron deficiency anemia before surgery
2. Lupron Shots for 3 months to also treat the anemia
3. Hysteroscopic Myomectomy to “shave down” two problematic fibroids
4. UFE for the other fibroids

The plan started back in February. Now, we are in July and I have completed Phases 1-3. Phase 4 is right around the corner. It is working!

Before I post about each individual stage, I’ll blog a bit about medical treatments in general.

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Related Posts:
How do I evaluate or rate a fibroid doctor?
What questions should I ask my fibroid doctor?

A letter addressed to my cervix

No, not really but it could have been. While waiting for the scheduled MRI appointment, I received a letter through the mail from my Gynecologist’s office. I opened it and there were the results of my Pap smear. Not some long scientific report. Just a statement that indicated that everything was fine.

That simple piece of paper was spiritually uplifting. Symptoms from fibroids can be varied and far-reaching. At times, you think nothing about you is OK. Reading the words “within normal limits” was such a sign of hope. There were so many things going on with my body that felt so wrong. It was great to know that, at the same time, there were things that were right.

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Related Posts:
I just call it The Gator
Can’t we figure out a better way to do a Pap Test?

I’ll take Uterine Fibroid Embolization for $200 Alex

After going over the treatment options, my Gynecologist asked if I had a preference. Since I practically lived on the Web, I knew my answer. I had previously viewed an actual Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) procedure over the Internet and felt most comfortable with this choice. My doctor then explained that would require an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and I would then be evaluated by an Interventional Radiologist to determine if I was a candidate. This sounded fine. So, the plan was set into motion.

Just a note about how I make medical decisions. Realizing that it is not always feasible to know exactly what is wrong, I was fortunate, in this case, to have a diagnosis. I visited web sites and viewed video until I arrived at my conclusion. I did my homework and had a ready answer. The second component here was a good doctor. It was important to have someone who asked my opinion, listened to my answer, and followed through with a plan of action.

Definitely a part of that whole mind/body/spirit concept. My body required healing but my mind and spirit had to be OK with any decision. For me, that decision was Uterine Fibroid Embolization.

View an actual UFE procedure

Get more information on UFE