I had my surgery on June 24, 2010. The last time I wrote, I had mentioned expelling a mysterious mass from my vagina. It turns out, the doctor inserted an anti-coagulant to reduce bleeding during my surgery. The anti-coagulant was what came out of me. The nurse was supposed to tell my husband about it after the surgery. Either the nurse forgot to tell my husband, or my husband forgot to tell me about it. I'm just glad everything is OK.
It's been about 5 weeks since the surgery. I've had no irregular bleeding and no discharge. It's like I'm a new woman with a new lease on life! To stay strong and healthy, I've been going to the gym a couple of times a week. All I do is ride the bicycle for about 10 minutes and walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes at a 2.0 incline and a 4.0 pace (15 minute miles). Next week, I'll start my regular exercise routine again.
So far, I'm very happy with the results of the surgery. I hope my good fortune continues.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Fibroid Tumors
June 30, 2010
I am a 36 year old Vietnamese American woman. I have never written a blog before. Nevertheless, I believe it is important to share my experience dealing with fibroid tumors with other women. Hopefully, you'll learn something new from this blog or at least feel like you're not alone after reading it.
When I was in my teens, 20s, and even my early 30s, my period was something I hardly ever thought about. It would arrive like clock work. The first two days would be somewhat heavy with mild cramps, and my period would end two or three days later. On rare occasions, it would be off by a day or two.
In early 2008, my period became very heavy, and I started bleeding in between periods. I remember bleeding through to my pants a couple of times . Since that had never happened to me before, the experience was very unsettling and embarrassing (even though I was wearing dark colored pants, and no one knew about it). When I went to my regular doctor for my annual "well woman" exam, I expressed my concerns about my heavy bleeding and the bleeding between periods. She dismissed my concerns saying something along the lines of "Oh, that's just your middle period." I remember thinking "What the heck is a 'middle period'?" I didn't like the doctor's cavalier attitude toward my concerns, so I changed doctors.
The second doctor that I saw about my symptoms suspected that I had fibroid tumors and ordered an ultra sound. This was my first time hearing about fibroids. The ultra sound confirmed that I had a fibroid that was about an inch and a quarter in diameter. I was referred to Dr. Donna Alexander for treatment, and she gave me 3 treatment options - a myomectomy, a D & C, and birth control pills.
Of course, I chose the least invasive option first. I tried Yaz oral contraceptives for a few months. At first, the pills seemed to work a miracle. My period was light and regular! However, after about four months my cycle went completely out of whack. I then switched to Femcon. Those didn't work for me either. My period was still very heavy and irregular.
In August of 2008, I decided to try the dilation and curettage treatment option. It was considered a surgery because I would be put under general anesthesia. However, there would be no cutting involved. Dr. Alexander would dilate my uterus and scrape out the the lining. This would reduce the amount of bleeding each month. She would also examine my uterus using a hysteroscope.
After the D & C, my symptoms were better for about 6 months, and I was on my third brand of birth control, Loestrin. By February of 2010, I was miserable again. The bleeding was so profuse that I sometimes went through overnight pads every 2 hours. I was always thinking about it. "I'll be out of the house for about 5 hours today. Do I have enough pads with me?" "I last changed pads two hours ago. Can I make it another hour?" Also, a new symptom developed. When I wasn't bleeding, I was experiencing a thin, yellow discharge. The discharge was so heavy that I went through two or three pads a day.
I went to see Dr. Alexander again, and I was a prescribed my fourth brand of birth control pill. This time, it was Tri Sprintec. About a week after I started the Tri-Sprintec, I decided to try acupuncture. I had read about it in a book, and a friend of mine suggested it, as well. Before you think that I've lost my mind, let me tell you a little bit about how acupuncture works. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles in the skin at strategic points on the body. The acupuncture points stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. This stimulation boosts the activity of the body's natural painkillers and increases blood flow - which promotes healing. Acupuncturists also prescribe herbal medicines to treat pain and illnesses.
My plan was to try the acupuncture for 3 - 6 months. If it didn't work, I would opt for surgery to remove the fibroid. The acupuncturist's office is in Mobile, AL. It's about 50 miles from my house. The acupuncturist asked me questions about my symptoms and told me that I had a hormonal imbalance that could be treated with herbal medicine and acupuncture. The treatment cost $49 per visit, plus about $10 per week for the herbal medicine. During these acupuncture sessions, the Chinese doctor placed about 27 thin needles all over my body - in my ears, my abdomen, my hands, my wrists, my legs, and my ankles.
I went to the acupuncture treatments for about 6 weeks. The acupuncturist kept telling me that I had "inflammation." When I told her about the discharge, she responded "Inflammation." I never really knew what she meant by it. Unfortunately, my bleeding got progressively worse. I keep track of my "period" on an excel spread sheet. I was bleeding 20 out of 30 days a month; and when I wasn't bleeding, I had the thin, yellow discharged that required me to change pads several times a day.
Something very disturbing happened in late April of 2010, that prompted me to call my gynecologist. I was having a bowel movement one day, when I felt a strange pressure in my vaginal area. I reached down to touch the area, and recoiled in horror when I felt a mass protruding from the opening of my vagina. A couple of days later, it happened again while I was attempting to have a bowel movement. I was pretty freaked out about it, so I called my husband into the bathroom. I had not "gone" yet, so it's not as gross as you may think. He reached down and gently touched the firm mass that was again protruding from my vagina. He was very concerned and told me that it was exactly as I had described it a few days ago.
In mid May 2010, I had an ultra sound done, and Dr. Alexander examined me. She told my husband and me that the mass that I felt was actually one of my fibroids! It had moved from its original position in my uterus to inside my vagina. The fibroid in my vagina was an irritation that caused my body to produce the discharge. The ultra sound revealed that I had a second fibroid, as well. The original fibroid had grown to over 3 cm, and the second fibroid was a little over 1 cm.
I made the decision to have surgery to remove the fibroids. Dr. Alexander told my husband and me that she could definitely remove the the larger fibroid by doing a hysteroscopy and cutting the fibroid at the stalk. The second fibroid was questionable because she couldn't tell exactly where it was located by looking at the ultra sound. We decided to also do a laparoscopy in hopes of finding out more about the second fibroid and possibly removing it - if it is located in a position that was easily accessible.
I had the surgery on 06/24/2010. I didn't speak with Dr. Alexander after the surgery, but my husband did. She was able to remove both fibroids. However, she saw a suspicious mass when she examined me with the laparoscope. We'll find out more about the surgery and the "mass" when I have my follow up appointment on 07/08.
After the surgery, I didn't feel any pain. However, in the recovery room, I did get very cold and had a moment when I shook uncontrollably from the anesthesia. A catheter was used to drain my bladder during the surgery; therefore, there was some pain and discomfort after the surgery when I had to urinate. The discomfort lasted about half a day.
Dr. Alexander prescribed Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and Oxycodone for the pain. I didn't feel much pain after the surgery, so I just took 800 mg of Ibuprofen every 8 hours to reduce the inflammation and any pain that I might have.
Recovery hasn't been unbearable. The first couple days I got out of bed strictly to go to the bathroom. My abdominal muscles were sore from the two small incisions made in my abdomen for the laparoscopy. Thus, my husband had to help me get out of bed. Once I was standing, I was able to walk to the bathroom on my own.
There was very little bleeding the 2 days after the surgery. In hindsight, I could have gotten by with panty liners instead of pads. On the third day after the surgery, I was in the bathroom urinating when I expelled a rather large fibroid tissue from my vagina. It was about 2 inches long, an inch wide and a quarter inch thick. There was no warning whatsoever. It literally just fell out of me into the toilet! I actually reached into the toilet and picked up, but was quickly grossed out by it and dropped it. I can't wait to ask Dr. Alexander about it when I have my follow up appointment. After passing the fibroid tissue, I started bleeding like one would during a normal menstrual cycle. The flow is light to medium. I'm hoping this lasts only a few days.
I also had to deal with constipation after the surgery. I usually have a bowel movement every morning. Since I am semi-vegan (I don't eat meat, eggs, or dairy, but I do eat seafood.), I eat a lot of vegetables and whole grains. Therefore, I'm usually very regular. I wasn't able to have a bowel movement until 3 days after the surgery. From what I've read online, this is very common. The lack of movement after the surgery and the painkillers given after the surgery tend to cause constipation. Walking and drinking lots of water helps with the constipation. Two days after the surgery I was able to walk around the block once. Three days after the surgery, I walked around the block 2 times. I made myself walk every day to get stronger and keep my bowel movements regular.
That's about all I have for now. I'll update this blog after I have my follow up appointment on July 8th.
I am a 36 year old Vietnamese American woman. I have never written a blog before. Nevertheless, I believe it is important to share my experience dealing with fibroid tumors with other women. Hopefully, you'll learn something new from this blog or at least feel like you're not alone after reading it.
When I was in my teens, 20s, and even my early 30s, my period was something I hardly ever thought about. It would arrive like clock work. The first two days would be somewhat heavy with mild cramps, and my period would end two or three days later. On rare occasions, it would be off by a day or two.
In early 2008, my period became very heavy, and I started bleeding in between periods. I remember bleeding through to my pants a couple of times . Since that had never happened to me before, the experience was very unsettling and embarrassing (even though I was wearing dark colored pants, and no one knew about it). When I went to my regular doctor for my annual "well woman" exam, I expressed my concerns about my heavy bleeding and the bleeding between periods. She dismissed my concerns saying something along the lines of "Oh, that's just your middle period." I remember thinking "What the heck is a 'middle period'?" I didn't like the doctor's cavalier attitude toward my concerns, so I changed doctors.
The second doctor that I saw about my symptoms suspected that I had fibroid tumors and ordered an ultra sound. This was my first time hearing about fibroids. The ultra sound confirmed that I had a fibroid that was about an inch and a quarter in diameter. I was referred to Dr. Donna Alexander for treatment, and she gave me 3 treatment options - a myomectomy, a D & C, and birth control pills.
Of course, I chose the least invasive option first. I tried Yaz oral contraceptives for a few months. At first, the pills seemed to work a miracle. My period was light and regular! However, after about four months my cycle went completely out of whack. I then switched to Femcon. Those didn't work for me either. My period was still very heavy and irregular.
In August of 2008, I decided to try the dilation and curettage treatment option. It was considered a surgery because I would be put under general anesthesia. However, there would be no cutting involved. Dr. Alexander would dilate my uterus and scrape out the the lining. This would reduce the amount of bleeding each month. She would also examine my uterus using a hysteroscope.
After the D & C, my symptoms were better for about 6 months, and I was on my third brand of birth control, Loestrin. By February of 2010, I was miserable again. The bleeding was so profuse that I sometimes went through overnight pads every 2 hours. I was always thinking about it. "I'll be out of the house for about 5 hours today. Do I have enough pads with me?" "I last changed pads two hours ago. Can I make it another hour?" Also, a new symptom developed. When I wasn't bleeding, I was experiencing a thin, yellow discharge. The discharge was so heavy that I went through two or three pads a day.
I went to see Dr. Alexander again, and I was a prescribed my fourth brand of birth control pill. This time, it was Tri Sprintec. About a week after I started the Tri-Sprintec, I decided to try acupuncture. I had read about it in a book, and a friend of mine suggested it, as well. Before you think that I've lost my mind, let me tell you a little bit about how acupuncture works. Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles in the skin at strategic points on the body. The acupuncture points stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. This stimulation boosts the activity of the body's natural painkillers and increases blood flow - which promotes healing. Acupuncturists also prescribe herbal medicines to treat pain and illnesses.
My plan was to try the acupuncture for 3 - 6 months. If it didn't work, I would opt for surgery to remove the fibroid. The acupuncturist's office is in Mobile, AL. It's about 50 miles from my house. The acupuncturist asked me questions about my symptoms and told me that I had a hormonal imbalance that could be treated with herbal medicine and acupuncture. The treatment cost $49 per visit, plus about $10 per week for the herbal medicine. During these acupuncture sessions, the Chinese doctor placed about 27 thin needles all over my body - in my ears, my abdomen, my hands, my wrists, my legs, and my ankles.
I went to the acupuncture treatments for about 6 weeks. The acupuncturist kept telling me that I had "inflammation." When I told her about the discharge, she responded "Inflammation." I never really knew what she meant by it. Unfortunately, my bleeding got progressively worse. I keep track of my "period" on an excel spread sheet. I was bleeding 20 out of 30 days a month; and when I wasn't bleeding, I had the thin, yellow discharged that required me to change pads several times a day.
Something very disturbing happened in late April of 2010, that prompted me to call my gynecologist. I was having a bowel movement one day, when I felt a strange pressure in my vaginal area. I reached down to touch the area, and recoiled in horror when I felt a mass protruding from the opening of my vagina. A couple of days later, it happened again while I was attempting to have a bowel movement. I was pretty freaked out about it, so I called my husband into the bathroom. I had not "gone" yet, so it's not as gross as you may think. He reached down and gently touched the firm mass that was again protruding from my vagina. He was very concerned and told me that it was exactly as I had described it a few days ago.
In mid May 2010, I had an ultra sound done, and Dr. Alexander examined me. She told my husband and me that the mass that I felt was actually one of my fibroids! It had moved from its original position in my uterus to inside my vagina. The fibroid in my vagina was an irritation that caused my body to produce the discharge. The ultra sound revealed that I had a second fibroid, as well. The original fibroid had grown to over 3 cm, and the second fibroid was a little over 1 cm.
I made the decision to have surgery to remove the fibroids. Dr. Alexander told my husband and me that she could definitely remove the the larger fibroid by doing a hysteroscopy and cutting the fibroid at the stalk. The second fibroid was questionable because she couldn't tell exactly where it was located by looking at the ultra sound. We decided to also do a laparoscopy in hopes of finding out more about the second fibroid and possibly removing it - if it is located in a position that was easily accessible.
I had the surgery on 06/24/2010. I didn't speak with Dr. Alexander after the surgery, but my husband did. She was able to remove both fibroids. However, she saw a suspicious mass when she examined me with the laparoscope. We'll find out more about the surgery and the "mass" when I have my follow up appointment on 07/08.
After the surgery, I didn't feel any pain. However, in the recovery room, I did get very cold and had a moment when I shook uncontrollably from the anesthesia. A catheter was used to drain my bladder during the surgery; therefore, there was some pain and discomfort after the surgery when I had to urinate. The discomfort lasted about half a day.
Dr. Alexander prescribed Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and Oxycodone for the pain. I didn't feel much pain after the surgery, so I just took 800 mg of Ibuprofen every 8 hours to reduce the inflammation and any pain that I might have.
Recovery hasn't been unbearable. The first couple days I got out of bed strictly to go to the bathroom. My abdominal muscles were sore from the two small incisions made in my abdomen for the laparoscopy. Thus, my husband had to help me get out of bed. Once I was standing, I was able to walk to the bathroom on my own.
There was very little bleeding the 2 days after the surgery. In hindsight, I could have gotten by with panty liners instead of pads. On the third day after the surgery, I was in the bathroom urinating when I expelled a rather large fibroid tissue from my vagina. It was about 2 inches long, an inch wide and a quarter inch thick. There was no warning whatsoever. It literally just fell out of me into the toilet! I actually reached into the toilet and picked up, but was quickly grossed out by it and dropped it. I can't wait to ask Dr. Alexander about it when I have my follow up appointment. After passing the fibroid tissue, I started bleeding like one would during a normal menstrual cycle. The flow is light to medium. I'm hoping this lasts only a few days.
I also had to deal with constipation after the surgery. I usually have a bowel movement every morning. Since I am semi-vegan (I don't eat meat, eggs, or dairy, but I do eat seafood.), I eat a lot of vegetables and whole grains. Therefore, I'm usually very regular. I wasn't able to have a bowel movement until 3 days after the surgery. From what I've read online, this is very common. The lack of movement after the surgery and the painkillers given after the surgery tend to cause constipation. Walking and drinking lots of water helps with the constipation. Two days after the surgery I was able to walk around the block once. Three days after the surgery, I walked around the block 2 times. I made myself walk every day to get stronger and keep my bowel movements regular.
That's about all I have for now. I'll update this blog after I have my follow up appointment on July 8th.
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