A Minimally Invasive Approach to Women’s Health
Kate’s Experience with Fibroids
When a hearing-impaired patient needs surgery, Kate, is the person to translate important information to them via sign language. She loves her work as a medical interpreter so, when uterine fibroids were limiting her ability to be at work, she felt a loss of purpose that her career gave to her.
“There were a good five months when I would have long stretches of such heavy bleeding that I would have to be in the bathroom constantly away from my patients. Most doctors were recommending open surgery with a C-section size incision, because of the size of the fibroids and complexity of the surgery,” Kate is 28, and fibroids of this size are rare at her age. After nearly a year of hormone therapy, IUD intervention and scans, Kate decided that a myomectomy (removal of the fibroids) could restore her quality of life, while preserving her potential to have children.
Kate said. “But I’ve worked in medical translation long enough to know that minimally invasive surgery is usually the better approach.”
Kate’s uterus was three times its normal size and the fibroids were growing in the uterine wall….one the size of a grapefruit. To perform the surgery in a minimally invasive way, large fibroids would need to be broken up in order to remove the tissue through small incisions.
Utilizing the Olympus contained tissue extraction system, her surgeon felt confident performing the surgery in a minimally invasive way, while removing the tissue safely from her uterus. Although she would require one more surgery due to one complex fibroid on her cervix, Kate was able to be released from the hospital the very same day.
In just five weeks after her procedure, Kate was back to the work she loves. She no longer experiences heavy bleeding, limiting the number of interruptions with those who depend her most at the hospital—her patients. Tough fibroid cases like Kate’s often have recurrence, the hope is that she can get obtain relief from her abnormal uterine bleeding for five to seven years and resume her quality of life doing what she loves best – helping others.
