Hysterectomy Alternative

**HardBody** · 07-26-2011 04:36 PM

My ex-wife and I are still very close and tell each other everything. She has been having very very heavy bleeding for the past 2+ months. Her gyno has tried her on several differents medication to regulate her and despite some improvement she is still having problems. They found a uterine fibroid tumor but never positively identified that as the source of the prolonged bleeding.

On Sat she passed out and had to visit the doctor. Her blood count was 6.1. The doctor says if she bleeds heavily one more time she could die. He is wanting to perform an uterine ablation or complete hysterectomy. She is leaning toward the hysterectomy.

After reading several articles, I think that that is using an elephant gun to kill a mouse and pretty much all hysterectomy stories had undesirable endings.

There has to be a less drastic solution. I read up on myomectomy and that seems to me to be a more logical step, with the uterine ablation next and a complete hysterectomy being a last resort.

My question is has anyone had a successful myomectomy work for heavy bleeding?
She has 3 weeks before her next period and needs to decide on a course quickly.

Thank you very much for your input!

**LanaBear** · 07-26-2011 05:33 PM

I actually had an ablation this past Friday. I'm only a few days out, but so far feel great. Other than some discharge, there is no other signs that I had the procedures done 4 days ago.

I've been e-mailing back and fourth with another Mod who had an ablation done a few years ago and she has said it was one of the best things she could have done. She actually encouraged me to get it done or talk to my Dr about it a good few months ago. My mom has had one too and says the same thing.

I'm not familiar with a myomectomy but I do think it is important to look at all the options available before going for the full hysterectomy route. That was my reason for doing the ablation first. If this doesn't work the way we expect it to, then I'll talk about a hysterectomy.

All I can suggest is research, research, research. You will get the good and bad stories with all that research, so, in the end, it just needs to come down to what is the best option for her.

**JadedQueen** · 07-26-2011 05:53 PM

I went through something similar two years ago. I was having severe pain around "that time of the month" and could barely get out of bed. Well, my tubes had been tied for going on 12 yrs. and my initial concern was that something was wrong with the clamps that they put on my tubes. I went to the doctor and after several examinations they discovered 5 fibroid tumors (three the size of grapefruits and two the size of tennis balls) they sent me to an OBGYN to have it taken care of and he suggested that while he was removing the fibroid tumors he perform something called a NOVASURE. (you should google it)

NovaSure® is a quick, safe, and simple procedure to lighten or stop your periods, without the side effects of hormones or the risks of hysterectomy.
•It’s Safe: No pills. No hormonal side effects.
•It’s Effective: For 90% of women, menstrual bleeding is dramatically reduced or stopped.
•It’s Quick: NovaSure is a one-time, five-minute procedure that can be done in your doctor’s office.

They usually do the procedure in the doctors office and it's typically a 5 min. proceedure. Since I was having surgery done anyway the doctor said that he could do the procedure at the same time. After reading the pamphlets and checking it out online it sounded great to me (this is a procedure you should only consider if you don't plan on having children in the future). After the surgery to remove the fibroids and to perform the NovaSure, I had very light spotting after that which was completely normal but since then (mind you this was 2yrs. ago) I have NOT had a period since then (which is WONDERFUL). At first I could tell when it was "that time of the month" because I would still get the bloating, cravings, and very light cramps (very light compared to how they used to be). It seems like the more time that passes now I can't even tell when it would be that time of the month, no bleeding, no cramps, no mood swings, no medication to take, no worries about hormone levels etc.... You should really look into this proceedure for your wife and discuss it with her doctor to see if it would be something she would benefit from.

There are so many horrible horror stories about hysteroectomies and because the female parts are what regulate your hormone levels and hormone levels that are out of whack can really wreak havoc on someones life. I was extremely relieved that this was available and the doctor suggested it because it has been a blessing and I highly recommend it for anyone else that it may be right for. Good luck and if you have any questions or if your wife has any questions send me a message and I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

**HardBody** · 07-27-2011 03:13 PM

Thank you so much for the responses! I have been doing lots of reseach and most everyone agress with you. Ablation, although, not a perfect solution, seems to be the more preferred and recommended route. I will pass this information along to her. Again, she is my ex-wife not my wife, so my opinion may not be the deciding factor but she usally respects and likes my input.