“Life has been so much better since my surgery!” said Tonya A., (Washington, DC)
Tonya suffered for years with fibroids and adenomyosis, and progressively got worse until she had a DualPortGYN minimally invasive hysterectomy with Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD at The Center for Innovative GYN Care.
“I knew I had fibroids. In 2009, I had to started taking iron pills. The results of my physical then showed that I was extremely anemic. For over 2 years, my cycle was getting heavier and heavier. I started passing clots, and those were starting to get larger and larger, to the point I thought I was having a baby. My cycles were always long, they were always 7 days, but then they would linger for an additional 3-4 days.”
Tonya’s menstrual cycle started taking over her life.
“As it continued to get worse, I would have to use a super tampon and an overnight pad as a liner. That would work initially, but in the last year before I had my surgery, I would have to change that every hour. Closer to the surgery, it got to the point where I couldn’t wear tampons anymore because the pain was too much.”
Tonya discovered that in addition to fibroids, she also had adenomyosis.
“It was like having a baby, birth pains, every month. I had some 800 mg ibuprofen left from a dental procedure, and a Tylenol and that would stop the pain. Nothing else worked. I would have to stay home from work. A supervisor doesn’t understand that, and I didn’t want to be graphic.”
EXTREME ANEMIA CAN CAUSE FATIGUE, DIZZINESS
“One month, I was hemorrhaging, and then all of a sudden, the bleeding stopped but the pain didn’t. I remember being in the house, and I was very weak. I was very anemic. I walked across the street to a Starbucks, I thought I needed something to eat. As soon as I was in Starbucks, I had to sit down, because I was feeling really dizzy, and really shaky. I ordered food, but I couldn’t wait it. I went next door to an urgent care and they had to put me into a wheelchair because I couldn’t stand any longer. After all of the tests, they determined I was dehydrated from losing so much blood. When I finally went to my doctor, she asked me if I was planning to have any more children. My daughter was 24 then, so that was nowhere on my mind. She referred me to Dr. MacKoul. I had gone through a 2-year process of having an ultrasound, and trying to manage the problem. It was unmanageable.”
Paul MacKoul, MD and Natalya Danilyants, MD developed the minimally invasive technique DualPortGYN for hysterectomy and other gynecological procedures. DualPortGYN makes it possible to remove even large uteri, large fibroids, endometriosis and ovarian cysts using just two tiny incisions. A minimally invasive hysterectomy is recommended for women who have abnormal bleeding and pelvic pain due to adenomyosis and who are finished with child bearing. While fibroids can be removed with a minimally invasive myomectomy, that will not treat the adenomyosis, and additional fibroids are likely to grow. The only cure for both adenomyosis and fibroids is a hysterectomy.
“I had a hysterectomy at CIGC with Dr. MacKoul. It was so easy! I liked the private facility, because I had one-on-one kind of care. When I came out of the surgery, there was minimal bleeding, minimal pain. I came home the same day and I only took the heavy painkillers the first day after. I just took ibuprofen the rest of the days. You can’t even see where the stitches were.”
Two 5 mm incisions are used for DualPortGYN. One at the belly button, and the other at the bikini line. These incisions go through the midline, not through muscle, so recovery is faster.
“I took off the week to recover, but probably could have gone back after 3-4 days. They ended up having to move my appendix, they saw that it was inflamed. The doctors wanted the stitches to heal a bit more before I went back, but I felt great. I’ve never had surgery other than having my tonsils out as a child. I felt like the downtime was short. I had a friend who had a fibroid the size of a football, and her doctor performed the old type of surgery with a large incision. Her recovery was three months, and she still isn’t feeling right.”
“I got my life back. I don’t have to plan my life around my cycle anymore. I don’t have to be afraid that I’m going to mess up my clothes anymore, and be embarrassed and miss work. I don’t have to take iron anymore. One of my friends also had surgery with Dr. MacKoul and she’s also doing great. She’s vibrant and has her life back.”
The myths about having a hysterectomy can prevent women who are suffering from getting relief from their GYN conditions.
“With one of my friends, I really had to talk to her about having a hysterectomy and my experience. She felt like she was giving up her womanhood. Many women don’t realize that if you keep your ovaries, you won’t go through menopause. Even though I don’t have my cycle, I still have the emotions that come with it. If I had known that I could keep my ovaries, and not be forced into menopause, I would have had this surgery such a long time ago. There are so many myths around it. Sex has been better for me. My fibroid was the size of a grapefruit. Until the surgery, sex was very uncomfortable. Now it’s great.”
GYN conditions can hold you back from living your life to the fullest, including interfering with relationships, exercising, traveling, school or work. Now, Tonya has more freedom than ever.
“I travel a lot more now, and my destinations have changed. I can go to more beaches which I love, and not worry about wearing a bathing suit or when I can go swimming. Now, my locations are the Caribbean and islands, warmer climates. I’m not missing days at work. Before I would have to take off 2-3 days per month. I have more confidence and feel like my life is my own now.”
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.
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 or Natalya Danilyants MD.
Dr. Paul MacKoul Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | Wellness | UCompare
Dr. Natalya Danilyants Reviews: Vitals | RateMDs | Google | Wellness | UCompare
Schedule a consultation to learn more about how we can treat your condition today.
