More surgical "woo." Gynecological surgeons added this procedure to their repertoire

[Amaril]

130. I am a first hand "witness", if you will......

.....to the efficacy of morcellation.

I developed severe menorrhagia March 17, 2012. I didn't stop bleeding until they removed my uterus May 14, 2012. During my pre-surgery consult with my GP on the Friday before my surgery, my hemoglobin was 5.2 (normal, for women, is 12.0 to 15.5) -- my GP said that if it had been even a couple points lower -- or my surgery hadn't been scheduled for Monday -- that she would be sending me to the ER via ambulance for a blood transfusion. I was so low on blood that when they tried to take a sample post-op prior to sending me home, they literally could not get more than a couple teaspoonfuls despite trying veins in both arms in several different spots.

In my two month journey to what should have been done in the first place, they put me through numerous transvaginal ultrasounds, a failed ablation / embolization (which they should have known wasn't going to work -- based on what I have learned since -- due to the size / number of fibroids that were present), and doses of estrogen so high (at one point, they had me taking three birth control pills per day in an attempt to stop the bleeding) that I literally felt like I was going to jump out of my skin.

So, I had my hysterectomy via morcellation - or as they call it, "robotic-assisted laparoscopic" -- 1 day post-op, I was discharged home. 4 days post-op, I went for a short walk around the local craft store (looking for something to occupy my mind -- I was going stir crazy watching TV) with a cart to hold on to in case I got wobbly and my daughter in attendance to supervise. 2 weeks post-op, I was back to work, full-time. I had three small incisions and almost zero pain (except when I would cough -- for some reason that action aggravated sensitive spots). The worst complaint I had was that I developed an allergic reaction to the tape they told me to use to cover the wounds (which were glued shut instead of stitched).

A friend of mine had an "old fashioned" hysterectomy approximately 15 years ago -- she was in the hospital for 1 week post-op, no prolonged standing / walking for 3 weeks post-op (she could basically get up to go to the bathroom only, and someone had to be with her on the walk to / from) and was unable to return to work until 6 weeks post-op.

I think my experience (even with the needless procedures and prolonging of my misery) was vastly better than hers.