Sunday, April 6, 2008

Gitchyer Scalpel the Hell Off My Uterus: Alternatives to Hysterectomy

Oh HELL YES, I Kept My Uterus! And it should not be exceptional. Until recently, however, doctors would routinely remove uteruses, reckoning that once a woman had had children, the uterus was merely occupying space -- useful only to the odd roving cancer, seeking a place to take hold.

That's right ladies, according to traditional practitioners of patriarchal medical science, once your uterus stops making babies, it becomes either excess baggage or a ticking time bomb -- regardless of your family history or personal risk of developing cancer.

PHUQUE THOSE A-HOLES!

As soon as I was diagnosed with fibroids, I researched the hell out of treatments for it, and I learned that there are several techniques for removing fibroids that leave your uterus and ovaries intact.

I had a vaginal myomectomy. That is, the gynecological surgeon went in through the vagina and dilated my cervix to gain access to the inside of my uterus and removed the offending fibroid from there. The surgery was performed under general (maaaan, that was sweet -- pure oxygen ROCKS), and I went home the same day.

This is a COMMON procedure. I got a surgeon who had performed MANY of these surgeries, so she was very experienced with it.

There is also a procedure where they go in, surgically, through a small incision in your abdomen. Also a common and uncomplicated procedure.

A couple weeks before surgery I was given a hormone that shrinks the fibroids, making it easier to remove them.

I was hellbent on keeping my reproductive organs and my fertility intact, so *I* could decide whether and when I would have children.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/forums/?ID=88019809

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Any woman who's told she needs a hysterectomy should visit the following website and watch the video “Female Anatomy--the Functions of the Female Organs.” If you can’t view the video online, click on the link to the left of the viewing screen to read the text: http://hersfoundation.org/anatomy/index.html.