Fighting Fibroids (and other women’s health issues) Futuristically

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Women’s issues are extremely important to me.  I dealt with extreme, debilitating pain; massively heavy flows where I went through a super-sized tampon in less than an hour, pain during sex, bouts of both constipation & diarrhea, and horrendous bloating from the time I was 15 until I was diagnosed with Endometriosis when I was 25.

Source: Endometriosis.org

Unfortunately, because it took so long to diagnose me, the damage was quite extensive.  One of my Fallopian tubes was 100% blocked and the other was about 75% blocked.  There was extensive scar tissue all over my colon, and attached to the interior walls of my body.  I was also diagnosed with Adenomyosis which is also referred to as endometriosis of the uterus.  It is essentially where endometrial cells penetrate deep into the uterine muscle (myometrium), causing a hardening of the uterus.  Mine was, at that time, localized to the posterior wall of my uterus.  I was told at that time that having any more children would be next to impossible for me without some serious “help”.  I mean…”help” aside from having a dude who also wanted to have children.  With me.  So anyways…My ovaries were also enlarged and upon further ultrasounds, I was also diagnosed with Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  I won’t go into it here, just know that it’s not good.  Especially if you ever want to have babies.

All that said, I thought that it would be impossible to have children down the road.  As a result, I scared a few prospective husbands off because I didn’t want to get involved with someone who wanted kids of their own if I wasn’t able to provide that for them.  Luckily, Kyle’s parents had gone through 11 years of infertility before being able to have 3 kids in 3 years and he was confident in…himself…or…his sperm…and decided that he liked me enough to continue pursuing a relationship with me despite the odds.  If you follow my blog at ALL, you know that we were blessed with 2 miracle children in the past 2 years.  Sometimes I wish we had instead played the Lottery.  Not really.  ( maybe ).

All that to say that any sort of women’s issue means a great deal to me.  I feel like we’re all in this tightly bonded uterine failure club together and it makes me feel less lonely.  I’m not the only damaged woman out there.  Even if your issues are different from mine, we can all relate with our reproductive systems gone awry.

Source: Insightec.com

So when I found out about InSightec’s equipment for MRI guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (MRgFUS), I wanted to get the word out.  InSightec is a medical device company, and developer of both the ExAblate One which is used for women’s health issues such as uterine fibroids and adenomyosis; and the ExAblate OR which is a non-invasive Operating Room for many conditions including but not limited to: breast cancer, prostate cancer, and pain palliation of bone metsastases.  These require no cutting whatsoever.

Prior to this technology, the only form of treatment was surgery that included expensive anesthesiology and extensive cutting.  Often, it ended in a hysterectomy which puts a woman in a position to never be able to birth her own children.

When I was told that I had adenomyosis, I was also told that after the age of 30, I should not have any more children because my uterus would essentially be turned into a brick and it would not sustain a growing fetus.  With this technology, that doesn’t have to be an issue any longer.  We don’t plan on having any more children but now I don’t have to feel quite so defective considering there is now a safe alternative to surgery in repairing these problems.

Source: uterine-fibroids.org

The most popular use of the ExAblate One is to dissolve uterine fibroids .  The technology uses MRI to visualize the body anatomy in real time, while also using a high intensity focused ultrasound to thermally ablate tumors inside the body non-invasively.

This is serious medical equipment, people!

If you are having infertility problems and have been diagnosed with any of the above issues, talk to your doctor about this technology.  It might not be available right in your area but you can find a location near you by going to this website .  You can also check InSightec out on Facebook for updates.  If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to see videos of how this stuff works, and you’ll want to share it with all of your infertile friends which is easy to do if you visit Uterine-Fibroid Org’s YouTube page.  You’ll find some really interesting videos there.

And once you’ve armed yourself with a little knowledge, take the initiative to talk to a friend who has been having trouble.  You never know how many lives you will change just by keeping yourself on top of this awesome technology.

Disclaimer: I was sent a fleece scarf in return for publishing this article. All opinions and diagnoses are my own. I genuinely care about this issue and want women to know that there is an alternative to hysterectomy.


        

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About Summer

*You can reach Summer at [email protected].* Born in Orlando, FL and raised in Juneau, Alaska; Summer prefers being outdoors hiking, skiing, or just livin' over being inside doing anything. She has a weakness for cheap red wine and good conversation and can always be counted on for a laugh. You won't find perfection here, just a big ole' mess and a few laughs. Feeling frustrated with your life? Visit The Dirty Floor Diaries and you'll leave feeling just a smidge better - Guaranteed or your visit's free.

Comments

  1. Thank you for being so open and honest about your health problems. So many women (and men) don’t share their story (which I completely respect!!!) but I know someone will be helped by you sharing your story and expecially letting them know of a solution. I admire your strength!

  2. Christa @ Little BGCG says:

    OMG! I had no idea you had all these issues! Thanks for spreading the word abotu this, more women need to know!

    • Thanks! Yes, I have lots of female problems. I tried to tell doctor after doctor after doctor and nobody believed me. They basically said I was just having bad cramps and to suck it up. I think my over a decade of dealing with endo cramps is the reason that labor has never been all that painful for me. When I went into labor with Styles, I felt like I was just having my normal period cramps. It took me winding up in the ER hemorrhaging for a doctor to finally refer me for a diagnosis. My endometriosis wouldn’t have been as bad if ONE doctor had listened to me 5 years prior. I try to tell everyone I know now, especially young women going through it. I would hate for someone to become infertile because I kept quiet.

  3. This is so wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!

  4. Good for you for being so honest and sharing. SO important. Thank you.

  5. Thanks for sharing Summer!! I’ve had similar issues and was actually laughed at by a doctor when I told him about PCOS. That was very discouraging and I didn’t talk to another doctor about it for years because of it. This info is very helpful.

    • Thanks, Rachelle! Some doctors are complete idiots and don’t like to know what’s changing in their field. It’s like putting someone who is still living in the 80′s in retail. It’s good to find well-connected doctors who are up to date on their information.

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  1. Fighting Fibroids & Other Women’s Health Issues says:

    [...] Fighting Fibroids & Other Women’s Health Issues Tags: bouts, Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, colon, pain during sex, prostate cancer, Other Women's Health Issues Fighting Fibroids By admin, on August 28, 2011 at 3:33 pm, under Women's Issues. No Comments Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. « Leaders debase own currency Jobs for Bloggers – ProBlogger Job Board – Blogger about Email Marketing » [...]

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