Aziza’s Story: 25 Fibroids Removed With Advanced Laparoscopic Myomectomy

​At the beginning of 2016, Aziza was looking to diagnose her heavy periods. During an ultrasound she found out for the first time that she had fibroids, which were in fact diagnosed 5 years prior. 

“The technician casually said, ‘Let’s check on those fibroids that you had five years ago.’ I said emphatically, ‘I don’t have fibroids. What fibroids?’ She replied ‘Here on your chart we saw them during your last emergency room visit.’ I left the ultrasound feeling angry, betrayed and victimized knowing that 5 years of ignorance let my then three fibroids grow from 2cm to 9cm, 4cm, and 5cm with an additional 3cm in the group.” Aziza said.

She wasn’t told about the fibroids when she was first diagnosed, and 5 years later they had grown. Delaying fibroid treatment can be dangerous as it can lead to anemia, and infertility.

AZIZA DID NOT WANT A HYSTERECTOMY, AND SEARCHED FOR A BETTER OPTION

Aziza started to look for fibroid removal options, which would allow her to preserve fertility. Surgical treatment for fibroids can be provided via myomectomy, which is fibroid removal with preservation of the uterus, and hysterectomy, which is uterus removal, and definitive treatment.

 “I quickly exhausted the medical expertise of the OBGYN providers in my state, each one looking relatively grim at my situation in terms of maintaining fertility. My fibroids were a mixed bag (i.e. Intramural, submucosal and subserosal). At age 34, I still wanted to have children or at least one, and was now faced with talks of hysterectomy. I said NO!”

In many cases, doctors are not comfortable removing large or multiple fibroids from the uterus due to the risk of blood loss and the time required under anesthesia to remove them. At CIGC, our surgeons are able to perform removal of fibroids any number and size via laparoscopic myomectomy, if the patient is able to retain fertility.

 “It was one thing to have been silently growing unchecked tumors out of medical neglect and ignorance, but it was another thing to face a hysterectomy because of it. So many nights I laid on the floor flooded with tears and praying to God as I searched alternative therapies online, read through countless women’s stories of battling their fibroids, surgical/non-surgical treatments and testimonials of women all across the country. I wanted to give myself a whole year of change before I decided on any surgery.  In July, I went in for a MRI which revealed 8 fibroids, (double the number the ultrasound showed) 2 of which were showing signs of necrosis. I started investigating places across the country who could do a myomectomy and still save my fertility. By God’s sweet grace I found The Center for Innovative GYN Care (CIGC).”

TRAVELING FROM NY TO DC FOR LAAM FIBROID REMOVAL

Aziza reached out to us and made the decision to travel for the advanced LAAM procedure. LAAM is a minimally invasive myomectomy surgery, developed by CIGC founders Dr. Paul MacKoul and Dr. Natalya Danilyants, to provide better surgical outcomes for patients. Only 2 small incisions are used, and women recover in 10-14 days after surgery.

“Dr. Danilyants alleviated my fears. This is all she does every week – perform and correct complicated OBGYN cases like mine. The icing on top of all this great news was that the recovery time was much faster than any other procedure. This was also a huge point of concern for me as I would primarily have to go through this surgery alone, and needed to be ambulatory as quickly as possible.”

In Aziza’s case, the imaging did not reveal all the fibroids. During the LAAM procedure, 25 fibroids and an ovarian cyst were removed.
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“The number of fibroids was more than I had thought possible. Despite the shock of the number, I was able to recover from day 1 without much assistance. This was of huge significance to me! The CO2 gas and bowel pain were significant afterwards, but lessened with rest, walking, and lots of fiber! I feel that I received the best surgical outcome possible anywhere!! A few weeks after, walking fully upright as if it didn’t happen, I returned to normal activities & work.”

​TALK TO CIGC ABOUT YOUR OPTIONS

Call 888-SURGERY or contact us online to schedule an appointment with a fibroid specialist at CIGC: Paul MacKoul MD, Rupen Baxi MD, or Natalya Danilyants MD. Women have traveled to CIGC from 46 states and 18 countries, for advanced laparoscopic GYN surgery. Out-of-town patients can find out more about the process on our travel program page.
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CIGC patients share their experience online, visit doctor review sites for feedback: Dr. Paul MacKoul Reviews | Dr. Rupen Baxi Reviews | Dr. Natalya Danilyants Reviews.