Dr. Paul J. MacKoul
The Center for Innovative GYN Care’s Patient Spotlight: Juliet Anderson
Patient: Juliet Anderson
Doctor: Paul J. MacKoul, MD
Procedure: Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Hysterectomy via DualPortGYN technique, removal of 20 lb fibroid
From: Bowie, Maryland
A Bowie, Maryland schoolteacher who lives to see her students blossom and thrive had lost all faith in doctors and the medical world. After several years of anxiety related to her mother’s death, and her own abnormally heavy bleeding and a descended stomach – it was time to take control of her health. Juliet Anderson turned to a close friend to help her find the best care possible for her fibroid condition, and she was introduced to Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD. Juliet credits Dr. MacKoul with achieving “the impossible” and turning her life around completely.
Q: What issues were you having?
A: I was experiencing extremely heavy cycles every month for 7 years. Not only that, but my stomach was sticking out so much due to the size of the fibroid. I was sick and tired of people asking me if I was pregnant! I appeared to be 9 months pregnant at the time. I was also terribly afraid to visit a doctor because my mom had died recently of stomach cancer, and she also had fibroids. I didn’t want to hear any awful news; I just wasn’t up for it and avoided doctors like the plague.
Q: Whom did you see initially?
A: Several years before finding Dr. MacKoul, I had visited a surgeon in the south where I lived. For whatever reason, I didn’t trust that doctor at all, and felt like he wasn’t knowledgeable enough to perform my difficult surgery. I don’t think that doctor had the resources or the expertise. It was a bad experience and I didn’t start the search for a doctor again for a long time. I tried to eat well, and treat my body right—but the symptoms did not disappear.
Q: So how did you get in touch with Dr. MacKoul?
A: I believe people come into your life for a reason. I had a close friend who I relied on to help me find a doctor who was a true specialist, and who could handle my very extreme case. This friend came into my life to introduce me to Dr. MacKoul who would go on to improve my life in so many ways. I had very low self-esteem and I was crying all of the time. I felt so alone. People kept asking me when the baby was coming, and I had to keep explaining that I wasn’t pregnant – that it was only a fibroid . . . I didn’t want to go on this way any longer.
Q: When you went to see Dr. MacKoul, what did he tell you?
A: I remember it was a Saturday morning, and my friend drove me over to the Bethesda office for my consultation with Dr. MacKoul. I was so scared that I went into the bathroom and cried and prayed before meeting him. I was thinking that the outcome would be the worst possible scenario. I kept thinking about how my mother had passed away from stomach cancer. The moment I met Dr. MacKoul all of my fears melted away. He saw the fear in my eyes and he was able to take away all of that fear by explaining to me exactly what was going on inside of me. He drew me a sketch of my anatomy, and he showed me the size of the fibroid. Dr. MacKoul told me that he would perform a hysterectomy with his innovative technique called DualPortGYN. I couldn’t believe that he could take my 20 lb fibroid out through two tiny 5mm incisions. The other doctor I’d visited had told me I would need an open surgery that would have required a huge incision across my entire stomach. Dr. MacKoul is not even from this world, he is so amazing – he is God’s gift.
Q: So how was the day of surgery? How did Dr. MacKoul and his staff make you feel?
A: I’ve never met a person like Dr. MacKoul, he is such a wonderful person. He consoled me and made me feel better before entering surgery. I woke up from my surgery crying, and the entire staff including the nurses and the anesthesiologist were so kind. They put me at ease. The best part was that I walked into that surgery a size 18, and I walked out a size 10 with my stomach flat as a pancake!
Q: What was the recovery process like?
A: Would you believe that after having a 20 lb fibroid removed and a hysterectomy, I was back on my feet the next day? In 4 business days I was back at the office, and no one could believe it. Not only that but I have no visible scarring at all. That is nothing short of a miracle. Everyone else I know who had hysterectomy surgeries now have huge scars on their stomachs.
Q: How did your life change after the surgery?
A: I was a size 10, so I went out and bought expensive clothes. My self-esteem was so much better, and I regained my confidence. I would recommend Dr. MacKoul to any young woman who is scared or afraid about their GYN health. He is such a loving and caring doctor with a true gift, who will change your life for the better.
See what other former patients of The Center for Innovative GYN Care had to say about their experience with GYN surgery: Dr. Paul MacKoul reviews | Dr. Natalya Danilyants reviews. Book a consultation with Dr. Paul MacKoul, MD or Dr. Natalya Danilyants MD, the doctors of CIGC here.
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