Dealing with Fibroids Again… and Again… and Again
It could be frustrating to have to go through the same uterine fibroids symptoms over and over again even after going under the knife to have the tumors removed. Wanting to get rid of your fibroids as soon as you can is understandable especially if they are already affecting your quality of life. However, not all procedures can guarantee that you will never have to deal with fibroids symptoms again. To manage your expectations, you have to make sure that you are fully aware of the possibilities of fibroids growing back again after procedures like laparoscopic or robotic myomectomy.
Growing Fibroids
Fibroids grow in the uterus from muscular tissue. Although is not known exactly what causes them to grow, hormones and genetics are believed to have something to do with it. Diet and lifestyle are also believed by health experts to ‘encourage’ the growth of fibroids.
These dense tumors do not usually cause serious symptoms. In symptomatic cases, surgical removal is presented as an option when the patients feel unbearable pain, when the symptoms prevent them from living a normal life, or when the tumors present a threat to the health and longevity of the patients.
Getting a Myomectomy to Remove Fibroids
Not all doctors will recommend fibroids removal especially if the patient wants to preserve her fertility. There are doctors, however, who prefer to get rid of the fibroids before they cause further damage to the uterus and compromise other surrounding organs. A laparoscopic or robotic myomectomy is a minimally invasive procedure that’s preferred over a full hysterectomy.
A myomectomy is a surgical procedure done to remove just the fibroids in the uterus. It has been found to be a good solution for smaller fibroids or fewer fibroids that cause heavy bleeding. The tumors are removed in one of three options: abdominal myomectomy, hysteroscopic myomectomy, or laparoscopic myomectomy.
In a laparoscopic myomectomy, the surgical tools are inserted through small slits on the stomach to extract the uterine fibroids. A more modern procedure is a robotic myomectomy where the surgery is performed using a surgical robot. Either way, the procedure is supposed to leave the uterus intact. While this is so, the risk of damaging the uterus during the procedure cannot be discounted. There are also cases when the urgency of a hysterectomy is eventually discovered while the patient is on the operating table.
Recovery and Regrowth
The duration of hospitalization for a myomectomy is about two to three days. Full recovery can be achieved in about a month. What women who opt for this procedure need to understand, however, is that fibroids can grow again after laparoscopic or robotic myomectomy. It is estimated that about a quarter of patients who undergo this fibroids removal surgery go back for a repeat procedure for new growths.
Frustratingly difficult and painful as the symptoms of uterine fibroids could be, no patient should make a quick decision on any surgical solution. Being free from symptoms could mean being trapped in the consequences of a choice made in utter desperation. Information about possible side effects and prognosis for recovery and regrowth are just as important as knowing how the procedures are going to be done so you do not have to deal with fibroids again and again.
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