time. . .and talking. . .

[Guest guest]

Re: on a positive note. . .

>Carla, I'm sorry but I do not want to go thru all posts. How long has it

been

>since your UAE? The reason I ask, is that I am now 6 mo post and I am

finding

>many changes. I think bodies will not return to normal function until a

year

>has passed, but this could only be determined if the doctors performing

these

>procedures were keeping more accurate records.

It has been 2 1/2 months since my UAE. I agree that there are probably many

more changes to come for me. I hope that they will be good changes--but

since the doctors aren't keeping good records or doing comprehensive studies

I really don't know what will happen anymore than the doctors do. It is

definitely frustrating. With a hysterectomy we know that, oftentimes, women

show much improvement in their health and overall positive mental condition

for up to the first year post-procedure and then seem to " crash and burn " .

Sometimes this is hormone related--sometimes it's not. The problem is, even

with all of the years and number of hysterectomies that have been performed

(we're talking 15 million+ or so!!!!--and that's just in the United States.

.. .), the research is sparse. This seems ludicrous to me.

Dr. Goodwin called me this afternoon to let me know of his progress on

writing a grant proposal for NIH submission to do a quality of life

assessment on women who are undergoing UAE. Apparently, it is scheduled to

be submitted the first week of February and will include many, many of the

questions that have been raised by women pre- and post-procedure. Including

all of my concerns/questions regarding sexual function.

Progress may be slow sometimes. . .but when the burr is put in the right

saddle, the horse does tend to move along. . .

>I was told by Dr. Kirsch's gyn after the 3 mo post op that since I had only

>gotten my period once I could just consider myself into menopause (age 47).

I

>refutted that since I didn't have any premenopausal symtoms prior to UAE

and

>wasn't having any then, either. So, I left feeling pretty let down as most

>doctors can do to you, wondering why I had this procedure when I had wanted

to

>avoid going into an early menopause. Well, 2 mo went by sans period and

then

>now I have had it for 3 months. My concern is that it seems to be getting

>heavier each month which terrifies me since I was so anemic before UAE and

was

>beginning to feel normal again.

Did you have any submucosal fibroids? Did you have a hysteroscopy? If so,

was there any hyperplasia present? If so, any biopsies done? I think the

first 3 months are extremely unpredicatable regarding so-called

" post-embolization syndrome " and all of the menopause-like symptoms. My gyn

tells me that 3-6 months is a normal adjustment period for a uterus

recovering from myomectomy and that UAE is probably similar. But, it's

important to pay attention to excessive bleeding post-procedure because

there are a host of other reasons (besides fibroids) that this can occur.

What did your pre-UAE test reports say about the condition of your uterus?

> I can't say my homelife is conducive to my

>recovery since my husband is light years away in understanding from yours.

My husband may be understanding. . .but it took 20 years and a LOT of work

to get there. Nonetheless, this type of physical issue is not one any of us

go around discussing openly with our spouses on a daily basis. . .at least I

don't think so--maybe I'm wrong--I don't know. My husband got involved

because the pain was literally killing me and our marriage--something he

says he truly didn't want. Normally he's a quiet tower of quasi-strength

that doesn't really want to know " the details " . I'm glad he decided " the

details " were more important this time than they normally are and chose to

speak up and get involved. . .

>Yet, I have been married so many years that I can successfully disconnect,

and

>I was actually feeling better, but with this last period I had the major

>headache and I passed a couple of clots. So, now I have to search again

for a

>gyn who is familiar and not too far, since they want me to go back and see

>idiot Berkowits who does the post-op for Kirsch and whom I did not like. I

am

>pressing to see the main gyn Dr. Hutchins, since I had my consultation with

>him initially. I am mainly posting so that people can see that everything

>isn't peachy rosy post UAE and that Dr. Kirsch is helpful, but the whole

team

>needs to get more " customer oriented, " if I may use the phrase and not just

be

>cooperative to drum up business.

I agree. If the gyns don't " get on board " , there is going to be a

continuing disparity over the treatment women are receiving from

interventional radiologists and gynecologists. Is Dr. Kirsch and Dr.

Hutchins really a " team " ? I know that Dr. Goodwin and Dr. McLucas are not.

That is all marketing hype by Dr. McLucas. There isn't even the slightest

indication that the 2 are a " team " anywhere but on Dr. McLucas' website and

out of the mouth of Dr. McLucas when talking to potential patients. But in

reality, Dr. McLucas is in private practice in a building next to the UCLA

Medical Center and Dr. Goodwin is a UCLA staff IR who is NOT in private

practice at all and works for the Radiological Sciences department. There

is no " team " or " UAE treatment center " at all. At least not by my standards

of what those terms mean. Is Dr. Kirsch and Dr. Hutchins any different?

Good luck on finding another gyn. Maybe you'll " luck out " like I did. .

..have you tried the infertility clinics in your area? The gyns in these

clinics seem to be the only ones that I've found that give a rip about a

woman's uterus. Not always though. . .but more often than regular gyns.

take care

Carla

mailto:cdionne@...

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