Time Off

I'm going to be taking some time away from the blog starting on Friday. On Monday the sixth, I'll be having a medical procedure done and it will require at least 7 to 10 days of serious bed rest.

For years, I've been growing fibroid tumors. They were first discovered when I was in my mid twenties. At the time, they were the size of a dime and a nickle. Now they are the size of a tennis ball and a baseball and my uterus has grown to accommodate them. I look as if I am four months pregnant.

Rather than opting for a hysterectomy, I've chosen to have a Uterine Artery Embolization done. This procedure will cost approximately the same as a hysterectomy -- but the recovery time is much less and it isn't invasive. I also get to keep my uterus and cervix. I'll be out of work one week instead of six.

I'm posting about this because the amazing developments in the field of radiology have meant I have more options than my mother ever had. She had a radical hysterectomy at the approximate age of 40 and suffered from extreme osteoporosis. I hope to avoid that fate.

Embolotherapy is sort of the reverse of angioplasty. Rather than clearing out an artery, an Interventional Radiologist inserts small pellets that block the blood flow. This is done in the uterine artery feeding the tumors, accessed via the femoral artery in the hip. The tumors lose their nourishment an oxygen supply then die rather quickly. Once dead, they shrink. The amount of shrinkage can't be predicted, but I am being optimistic that they'll reduce at least by half. I'll be in the hospital over night and then experience extreme fatigue as the tissue dies. That's what will keep me in bed for about a week. A cousin who had this done reported that she slept 20 hours a day for the first week. The pain, however, should be minimal after the first day or so.

A less drastic approach has been developed where a radiologist aims highly focused ultrasound at the tumors from various angles. The temperature of the beam attacks the tissue and it dies. The tissue dies at a slower rate and there is less shrinkage than with a UAE. There is little or no recovery time and minimal side effects. That was the procedure I'd hoped to use -- but one tumor is obstructed by other organs so there would not be a clear or safe shot at it. Three radiologists unanimously concluded that they would not want to use this treatment on me.

In the end, I might have to resort to a hysterectomy. I am 47 and my hope is that the tumors will shrink and no new ones will grow. Once menopause comes along, they generally stop because of the drop in estrogen. Due to my age, there is an increased chance that messing with the blood supply of my uterine artery could lead to a sudden onset of menopause. I don't expect that.

I've been working very hard to keep my weight down and concentrating on abdominal exercises. I have wanted that region to be able to handle the procedure as efficiently as possible and also be ready to bounce back once it's done.

I'll be gone for about a week, but everything should be just fine!