I have a lot of background in this area now, more than I really ever wanted to have.
The reason I'm writing this blog post is because I wish I had known what the consequences were before I decided to remove my fibroids. I had some symptoms from them, but I could have lived with them had I known the result.
Diagnosis of a Fibroid Issue:
When I was on my second Reproductive Endocrinologist (RE) doctor and hospital, the doctor determined that I had a fibroid in the center of my uterine lining that was a concern. I actually had two fibroids, the worst one for me was not even the one that I was aware of having because I had no symptoms from it. The concerning fibroid was not a large fibroid, as it was approximately 1 cm wide, but it was embedded into the lining and according to my doctor was "in a location that may impact fertility." I found this out as my husband and I were about to do our first Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). After the IUI inevitably failed, the doctor suggested I have a myomectomy to remove the small (1 cm) fibroid in the center of my lining (and the larger one if it caused me symptoms) before we proceeded with another IUI. There was a chance that the location of the fibroid could prevent implantation of a fertilized embryo. I trusted this doctor, and he seemed to care on a more personable level than my first doctor, so I agreed that it was a good decision to do surgery. If it would improve our chances of getting pregnant, why wouldn't I do it? Unfortunately, he was retiring the following month (my luck), so I was informed that I had to either go to his peer who was new to the practice, or I would have to go to a different hospital. I went to a more "experienced" hospital instead.
Post Surgery Problems:
I chose to go to a doctor that was well known, the "best" to do fibroid surgery. Plus a friend of a friend went to him for fibroid surgery, and she got pregnant easily afterward healing. Everyone knew someone that did the surgery and was happy about it. So I went ahead with the surgery. The goal of the surgery was to remove a 6 cm submucosal fibroid on the left side of the uterus, and a 1 cm fibroid in my uterine lining. They were going to remove the large one via abdominal surgery (a mini c section), and the smaller lining one via the uterine cavity by doing a hysteroscopy (using a scope) to avoid cutting the lining walls and causing scar tissue. I was very adamant that I only wanted to have the doctor doing the surgery, not the pre-med students. No offense to them, but this was my fertility on the line so it was a no brainer and deal breaker to me. I said it so many times and I felt like the hospital just brushed off my feelings basically. I was so nervous, I cried before being wheeled away for surgery because I was basically having a panic attack over my fear of more issues and a bad surgery. This wouldn't be my first surgery where the doctor had messed something up that I had to live with...but I kept telling myself, this is going to be it, I'm going to be pregnant in no time and we'll have a little family so it will all be behind us and worth while.
Fast forward 6 months, the surgery is over, and I am sitting at Shady Grove (doctor number 4) 4 hours from home being told that I have a blocked left side Fallopian tube and my uterine lining was "sewed together" from scar tissue most likely resulting from surgery. "But I was just cleared from surgery less than 5 months ago, they told me I was good to conceive naturally...how can this be? Are you sure?" I cried and cried, this could not be true. Surely they made a mistake. It was like a nightmare and I couldn't breathe. I just kept thinking, this has to be some kind of mistake, can you try it again and make sure that its that bad?
I can no longer get pregnant without IVF because of the surgery:
I can no longer get pregnant naturally with the same odds as a person without a collapsed or missing tube. Having one will give me minimal success, but if you have any other factors impacting you as a couple from getting pregnant, you know that your chances are pretty slim. Even the doctors will tell you its not likely. So I wrote to the doctor that performed the fibroid surgeries because I felt strongly about telling him what my current situation was. Maybe it would help others? I also wanted to ask him why the fellowship doctor (that ended up doing most of the surgery) told me that I was good and had no issues when the hospital released me 5 months earlier.
Do you know that the "best" doctor at the "best" hospital in Pittsburgh never even had the decency to call me back and discuss what happened? Of course you basically are forced to sign away all rights before surgery, and I was so scared it was like God was trying to tell me not to do it now. I am so disgusted and enraged that they get away with this shit and treating a person so horribly. All I can do is tell others about my experience so that they have a chance that I didn't get to SAY NO TO SURGERY.
At this point I am pretty sure that I will never elect to have another surgery done again unless its to birth a baby! Another repurcussion of having fibroid surgery - you cannot give birth naturally after having a myomectomy done.
I wasn't totally into doing that, but its sad to think that you most likely will not have a choice. Anyhow - here is another link about fibroids in case you want to know more about it or suspect you have an issue with them.
Exhausting.....not sure how you do this.....
just heartbreaking reading this.....hugs