Michelle of Chicago, Illinois
While working as a staff nurse, Michelle reported to work one evening only to have one of her physician colleagues remark, “You look terrible, and your eyes are yellow!” Although she attributed her fatigue to working nights and generally felt fine, Michelle had some blood drawn and found that her hemoglobin and hematocrit levels fell well below the recommended ranges.
My doctors asked me if I was having normal periods,” recalls Michelle. Even though she often changed her super and super plus sanitary protection every 30 to 45 minutes during her three-to-four-day menstrual cycles—and with no basis of comparison—she replied, “Well, yes.”
An ultrasound soon revealed fibroids for Michelle, who at that time was in her mid-30s. “I never had any irregular bleeding or pain associated with fibroids, but during my menses, I would experience excessive bleeding,” she says. “I would bleed like a river.”
Michelle underwent two hysteroscopies and briefly tried hormonal treatment, which gave her uncomfortable menopausal side effects such as hot flashes. However, none of these therapies helped stem her bleeding. “My physician gave me three options: myomectomy to surgically remove the fibroids, a hysterectomy, and uterine fibroid embolization [UFE],” explains Michelle. “I chose the latter, even though UFE was new and being studied for its effectiveness at that time. I figured why not try it? It’s the least invasive and if it doesn’t work, I have the other two options.” Additionally, Michelle still hoped to have children in the future and didn’t want to compromise her fertility or uterus in any way.
Fortunately for Michelle, her physician’s affiliation with Northwestern Memorial Hospital led to a referral to Northwestern Radiology. “I had a lot of faith in my physician, who believed that UFE might work for me,” she recalls. “Knowledgeable and comforting, he explained the procedure to me in a manner that evoked my trust in him and for UFE.”
In October 1999 Michelle underwent the UFE procedure offered by Northwestern Radiology. While she did need to take pain medication for a week afterwards, Michelle soon received the first signs that she had finally found a solution to her fibroids. “During my next period, the bleeding was significantly decreased,” she says. “And I have had normal periods, using regular absorbent tampons and pads, ever since!”
More important, UFE allowed Michelle to regain control of her life. “Not only was the bleeding affecting my lifestyle but it also was making it difficult for me to work,” she shares. “As a labor and delivery nurse, there would be many times when I was helping an expectant mom to push and couldn’t leave the patient’s room for an hour or more. Unfortunately, if I had my period, I might have an ‘accident’ or two.”
More than happy with the results of her UFE procedure, Michelle encourages women looking for a noninvasive and effective treatment for fibroids to do their research and broach the subject with their health care providers. “UFE certainly needs to be an option that you discuss with your physician” says Michelle. “While more and more patients today are learning of the procedure, women should make sure it is part of the discussion.”