A few years after being diagnosed, Katrina began experiencing difficult fibroid symptoms. Initially, her fibroids were small and her gynecologist advised that she watch them rather than have surgery. The advice was that if they didn’t grow, they wouldn’t need to be removed.
“When I turned 30, all of a sudden, I started to notice my belly. I’ve never had a big stomach, but it was starting to protrude a little. In 2015 is when I started having problems with my period with horrible cramps and clots. Heavy bleeding and pain during intercourse.”
It started to affect her life at work as well.
“I was literally sitting on newspaper at work. I’ve bled all over chairs in the office. Our office changed to open seating, which meant I didn’t have a regular seat and couldn’t keep sitting on newspaper. I really felt like I needed to do something. I was using the really big pads, changing it frequently. I’ve had to buy new mattress covers and of course, trying to plan vacation time around my cycle. Then my cycle started coming more frequently to the point where it was every 2 weeks.”
Anemia often is a result of the heavy bleeding from fibroids, which can cause symptoms that mimic heart conditions.
“I started getting exhausted just walking. I have three floors in my townhome and I would have to take a break on the 2nd floor. I thought it was odd that I didn’t have any energy. I knew something wasn’t right. I started feeling that I was having heart palpitations. I went to see a cardiologist, and they didn’t see anything wrong with my heart. It was time for me to get my annual GYN check-up. My doctor said my uterus was really large. I thought it was a bone or fat, but it was a fibroid I was feeling in my stomach. It was a round ball. My doctor scheduled new sonogram pictures, and the fibroids had grown significantly. My uterus had grown to about a 20 week pregnancy.”
Delaying treatment for fibroids can negatively affect women’s health, depending on where they are located and how large they grow.
“I had no idea how much my life was being disrupted by fibroids. My doctor called me the day after my check-up and asked me if I was feeling okay and that I needed to go to the emergency room because my blood count was so low.”
Fibroids often run in families. They affect African-American women more than other women, including larger fibroids, and recurring fibroids, and they often begin sooner.
“My mom had fibroids, but she didn’t have to get them removed. My grandmother had to have a hysterectomy at 40 years old, but she said she waited as long as possible, so it definitely runs in my family.”
The Center for Innovative GYN Care (CIGC) specialists have treated thousands of women with complex GYN conditions. Paul MacKoul, MD and Natalya Danilyants, MD developed the exclusive techniques used at CIGC. Katrina met with Rupen Baxi, MD, a CIGC-trained laparoscopic surgeon for a DualPortGYN hysterectomy.
“Dr. Baxi is amazing, Dr. MacKoul and his team are the best. They are so knowledgeable and patient. Dr. Baxi drew me a picture to help show me what was going on. I had no clue that Dr. MacKoul was my family’s doctor. He did my grandmother’s surgery, and both of my aunt’s. He popped in to say hi and he remembered them. It was so nice.
“Dr. Baxi called me the day after my surgery to tell me that there were some larger fibroids. I was having back problems, so it wasn’t surprising when Dr. Baxi told me that he found the fibroids towards my back. When he called me, he stayed on the phone for a while, and talked me through a few things, and it was comforting. That extra mile really helps.”
“The incision at my navel was really small, and the incision at my bikini line is about an inch. My cousin’s wife fibroids were removed through her stomach like a c-section. She was out of work for over two months, and she was just starting to feel better right after my surgery. I’ve only been down for about 2 weeks, and I feel almost back to normal. I felt very pleased with the surgery and my recovery time.”
“I’m looking forward to being in a bathing suit and playing in the water the entire time on my vacations. Before I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do when I went away. Just be free and not have to think about my period.”
The CIGC state-of-the-art specialists are available at three locations in the DC metro area. Virginia patients can visit the Reston, VA location, and Saturday appointments are available. Maryland offices are located in Rockville, MD and Annapolis, MD.
CIGC is dedicated to providing information and materials for women to help navigate the complicated healthcare system. The CIGC founders, minimally invasive GYN surgical specialists Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD and Dr. Natalya Danilyants, MD, developed their advanced GYN surgical techniques using only two small incisions with patients’ well-being in mind. Dr. Rupen Baxi, MD is a CIGC-trained minimally invasive GYN specialist with extensive fellowship training and a respected speaker and researcher.
Their personalized approach to care helps patients understand their condition and the recommended treatment so that they can have confidence from the very start. Our surgeons have performed over 20,000 GYN procedures and are constantly finding better ways to improve outcomes for patients.
Book a consultation today with Paul MacKoul MD, Natalya Danilyants MD or Rupen Baxi, MD.
Dr. Paul MacKoul Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | Wellness | UCompare
Dr. Natalya Danilyants Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | Wellness | UCompare
Dr. Rupen Baxi Reviews: RateMDs | Google | HealthGrades | WebMD
Even if you are not from the DC area, many patients travel to The Center for Innovative GYN Care for our groundbreaking procedures. We treat women from around the world who suffer from complex GYN conditions.
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