Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we?

Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (Full Version)

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NuevaVida -> Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/27/2011 10:40:41 PM)
Anyone experience one? It's being offered as an alternative to a hysterectomy, but I'm not convinced. I've heard it's mostly a temporary fix, and women start experiencing their problems again within a few years. My issue is uterine fibroids and horrible awful monthly cycles that I won't get into detail about, other than to say they often require Vicadin and time off work. The solution is "partial" hysterectomy (keeping ovaries in tact) or ablation. So...anyone? Plusses? Minuses? Recovery time? Affect on sex, if any? Happy with it? Wish you didn't do it? If you don't want to answer here, feel free to PM me on the other side. He reads the mail there, but if I tell him I'm going to get descriptive mail about burning out my uterine walls, he'll take a pass on reading them, I guarantee it. [8D] Thanks!

0ldhen -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/27/2011 10:43:08 PM)
OMG......go for it! I had the Nova Sure one done.....it stopped all the cramps...days...weeks of bleeding....the pain. Now back to my regular monthly monthly that is so easy that I hardly notice.

NuevaVida -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/27/2011 10:46:23 PM)
Hey thanks, Oldhen. It just seems so much less drastic than full on surgery. But then if it doesn't work, it just seems like more to put my body through, unnecessarily.

0ldhen -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/27/2011 10:48:56 PM)
Honestly, it is such a simple procedure.....asleep, check, a wee bit of dilation, they slide the nova net into your uterus, hit the electric cautery, slide it out and done. I was out at the yard sales the next morning, no pain, nothing...just blessed relief.

NuevaVida -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/27/2011 10:56:52 PM)
Wow. Awesome. I've read about bleeding and cramping after, and women who ended up having hysterectomies the next year anyway. Then again, I figure the women who wrote into those discussions (women's health discussion groups) were the ones who had problems. Those who had great success were out living their lives, no longer needed to focus on the procedure. So I thought I'd pose the question here. [:)]

wandersalone -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/28/2011 9:24:46 PM)
I had it done about ten months ago and the relief is just fantastic. I still get some of the cramping and the hormonal mood swings but I am not bedridden for two out of every four weeks any more. They also wanted to perform a hysterectomy on me but wanted to give this a try first. They actually weren't able to do the novasure procedure on me as they found that my canal or something was too short and they would have risked perforating my uterine wall (or something) so the first procedure was canceled while I was on the table and I then went in a second time and they did the ablation manually rather than with a laser. I was in hospital overnight, a bit sore for the next few days and then was fine. I now don't need to use anything apart from my normal panty liners, even when having my period as it is so minimal.

NuevaVida -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 6:24:35 AM)
Thank you for sharing, wanders! I'm feeling more hopeful. [:)]

hlen5 -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 11:15:48 AM)
I know a woman at work who had this done and she was very happy she did.

JstAnotherSub -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 2:24:09 PM)
A friend of mine had it done 3 years ago and she is thrilled. She had it done on Friday and was back at work Monday with no problems. She is a construction worker.

kalikshama -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 2:29:46 PM)
How close are you to menopause? Your hormones are in flux when you are pre-menopausal, which can make fibroids go crazy. I don't have pain, but I do have crazy bleeding, and I'm attempting to hold out for no-surgery, although I am rather young for menopause so it might take a while :( Christiane Northrup's "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" has a good chapter on fibroids and was available in my library. (In the latest addition, she did have surgery for hers.)

MistressEllen444 -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 2:30:42 PM)
Go for it! I had horrible pain every moment for over a year - this in addition to a lifetime of horrible female issues. I woke up in the recovery room and the pain was gone - just vanished - like a miracle. It was an outpatient procedure - out by 5:00 pm and running around having fun with friends for breakfast the next morning. Mine was not as successful as others may have been, it seems I have a heart shaped uterus (I know I had a heart somewhere) and some tissue was not removed. So I still get periods although not the cramping or heavy flow as before. Was a little bummed because I wanted to be done with periods forever, but will take these results any day.

mnottertail -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 2:36:53 PM)
you don't seem like a horrible female. are your issues put to rest?

NuevaVida -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 3:21:15 PM)
I'm appreciating the experiences shared, thank you very much. I could be in peri- menopause. I'm 45 and they've gotten much worse in the last couple of years. The volume is ridiculous and at times the pain so much it makes me vomit. I really didn't want surgery but was skeptical about ablation. Now I'm not so skeptical. [:)]

kalikshama -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 5:04:34 PM)
I have anemia from years of heavy bleeding...was doing ok on an iron supplement from Whole Foods...switched to one from the VA that was several times the strength but turned out to be a different form of iron that my body was not able to absorb...my hair started falling out and I was really tired...once I made the connection, I switched to taking blackstrap molasses daily (1 T has 20% of the RDA) and my hair stopped falling out abnormally and I no longer fight to stay awake in the afternoons. I take additional iron supplements and eat red meat during my period.

NuevaVida -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/29/2011 5:22:37 PM)
That sounds rough, but I'm glad you found a solution. I'm not anemic but I do eat red meat and lots of fresh spinach when I'm on it. So far so good.

seleya -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/30/2011 9:19:16 PM)
I had an open abdominal myomectomy May 20th. Ablation was suggested as my first 4 ob/gyns were happily trying to kill me or get me to agree to a hysterectomy. After ending up in the ER due to dr # 1 and 2's negligence, I finally sought out the surgeon who could help me. He specializes in minimally invasive surgery but the previous doctor's idiocy took most of my options off the table. He was glad I hadn't had the ablation because of the location of one of the fibroids in particular. Have you considered either UFE, which is really great for those with only a few fibroids, or myomectomy [preferably laproscopic, which is usually possible even with really huge fibroids]? Have you had an MRI to show exactly what you're dealing with? i know far too many doctors look upon uterii as simply baby factories and anyone over the age of forty to simply be lucky no one in the medical establishment hasn't plucked them yet, but there's no need for hysterectomy for a benign condition such as fibroids. There are options, but you often have to push to find doctors who will offer them and even more for competent treatment. Try www.fibroidsecondopinion.com I am the same age as you and am really glad I had the surgery. By the time I had surgery, I was in constant excruciating pain and dangerously anemic [went from somewhat lumpy but perfectly healthy to nearly bedridden in 6 months of medical mismanagement] My periods since the surgery have both been normal - no clots, no double protection, no cramps, no hassles!!! Good luck with whatever you choose.

outhere69 -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/31/2011 4:07:30 AM)
I had the thermal balloon endometrial ablation, and needed some pain meds after. It was a godsend for me. I had "the world's falling out of my uterus" type of periods; they'd always been heavy but just got ridiculous in my early 40s. However, if you have fibroids (I had a polyp that was removed at the same time as the ablation), you may want to explore the myomectomy or that procedure that cuts off the blood supply to the fibroids. Your gyn (or another, for a second opinion) should know the acceptable approaches.

kiwisub12 -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/31/2011 8:48:17 AM)
Uterine ablation won't take care of fibroids, which are in the muscle layer of the uterus. Polyps on the other hand may well be destroyed by ablation depending on which type of ablation used. There are several using different types of technology. Most docs won't guarantee you to have no periods after an ablation, because any normal tissue not ablated will probably bleed, but will tell you that the period will be less. I'm thinking the percentage of people with no periods after an ablation is 10% but don't quote me on that - that is what i seem to remember from conversations with docs. Its not an alternative to hysterectomy, but definitely can take care of nasty periods.

NuevaVida -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/31/2011 12:15:17 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: seleya Have you considered either UFE, which is really great for those with only a few fibroids, or myomectomy [preferably laproscopic, which is usually possible even with really huge fibroids]? Have you had an MRI to show exactly what you're dealing with? i know far too many doctors look upon uterii as simply baby factories and anyone over the age of forty to simply be lucky no one in the medical establishment hasn't plucked them yet, but there's no need for hysterectomy for a benign condition such as fibroids. There are options, but you often have to push to find doctors who will offer them and even more for competent treatment. Try www.fibroidsecondopinion.com I am the same age as you and am really glad I had the surgery. By the time I had surgery, I was in constant excruciating pain and dangerously anemic [went from somewhat lumpy but perfectly healthy to nearly bedridden in 6 months of medical mismanagement] My periods since the surgery have both been normal - no clots, no double protection, no cramps, no hassles!!! Good luck with whatever you choose. Hi seleya, thanks for your post. What is UFE? I'll look up myomectomy to see what that is. My doctor isn't pushing for a hysterectomy; I'm the one who asked for it, and she said if she does it, it would be partial, keeping the ovaries in tact. Every woman I know who has had one has said it was life changing and they wish they had done it sooner. My doc is actually pushing for Mirena, which I won't do. Nor can I be on hormone therapy, due to some severe complications I had from it in the past. So ablation was the "middle ground" option. Seriously, I'm just DONE with all the issues and hassle, and want some relief. So I'm weighing options. I'll look into your suggestions, though. Oh and to answer your questions - no MRI, but a uterine ultrasound and a uterine needle biopsy (which was ridiculously painful).

NuevaVida -> RE: Let's talk uterine ablation...shall we? (7/31/2011 12:16:42 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: outhere69 I had the thermal balloon endometrial ablation, and needed some pain meds after. It was a godsend for me. I had "the world's falling out of my uterus" type of periods; they'd always been heavy but just got ridiculous in my early 40s. However, if you have fibroids (I had a polyp that was removed at the same time as the ablation), you may want to explore the myomectomy or that procedure that cuts off the blood supply to the fibroids. Your gyn (or another, for a second opinion) should know the acceptable approaches. Yeah, she's talking about the thermal balloon with me, too. I describe my periods as, "There's an alien clawing it's way out of my uterus." So fun. I'll ask about myomectomy - thank you!

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