Things you can do to prepare yourself for the prospect of surgery that I found helpful

* Meditate on it -- I walked a labrinth, a type of meditational maze, and thought about my fibroid. After a while I was able to work through what I was afraid of and see that I was going to be okay. It was pretty amazing for me.

* Read Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster -- this book is very soothing and helps you see how to look at the surgery and put yourself in a good mental space for healing. I wish I would have read it sooner.

* Watch a webclip of the surgery being performed -- this alleviates a lot of stress about this unknown. You can also read about it in What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Fibroids

* See what the scar looks like. I posted photos after my surgery to my blog and to the NUFF board and people have written back how helpful it was for them to see. This is my first post after my surgery to my blog, you can see more in the archives before and after that date -- about my decision-making to have the surgery and the healing afterwards.

Those are my best suggestions. The only other thing I might add is that you aren't the only one to have those conflicted feelings. It's our uterus and we're trying to have a baby -- having surgery on that part seems to be in total conflict with having a baby. But, as many of us here have seen, fibroids can also equally be damaging to our plans for babies, and if having them out will help us to get our babies than so be it. In 18 months of being on the NUFF board where there are thousands of members, I only recall one woman having a hyst and she had a cancerous tumor -- which isn't what you have. Everyone else still has theirs and more and more are having babies and getting pregnant all the time.

Advice to someone trying to build their iron stores before surgery...

I've been working on building my blood over the past months, I had some bleeding problems related to my miscarriage that have left me anemic once again.

Here's a totally wacky suggestion but since I was just up in the Andes you should know that your body will produce more red blood cells at higher altitudes. You could plan on spending the next month up at a higher elevation.

I don't have it in front of me but the book Healing with Whole Foods (Pitchford) had suggestions for what to take for anemia. You might check it out at a book shop if you have time; I love this book as it provides information on how to correct illness and various conditions through diet. B6, B12, Magnesium, Vitamin C and of course Iron work together to bolster blood development. There was some other theory about transmutation or something where one other nutrient turns into iron into the body but I don't remember what it was you have to read the book.

There are also blood building herbs you can take, from what I recall these are yellowdock, nettles, and dong quai but I wouldn't use them on my own -- better to work with an herbalist, naturopath or chinese medical specialist than dabble. Also, since surgery is so close at most you might be able to use them for a couple of weeks.

If you are still bleeding in the meantime Potassium is supposed to help control bleeding so make sure you are getting enough in your diet. Also, things like garlic and onions are blood thinners so you will want to be careful of that.

I just wanted to show you this quote that I just found which explains from a chinese medicine perspective why just eating iron rich foods might not help treat anemia:

"Of course, knowing that a patient suffers from a specific type of anemia may influence the treatment strategy as a whole, i.e., if a patient suffers from iron deficiency anemia, iron rich foods and possibly iron supplements should be consumed. However, even in such a scenario, if the patient suffers from the spleen and stomach vacuity weakness pattern of blood vacuity, iron supplementation plays only a secondary role; the fortification of the spleen and stomach are primary. As long as foods are not absorbed correctly, no iron supplement will be of any help. This explains why certain iron deficiency anemia patients fail to improve even though they are on megadoses of iron." (from A Clarification of Andrew Gaeddert’s Article Key Blood-Building Strategies)

I've been eating lots of iron rich foods, even more so since I've been back from vacation and I'm still ailing -- pale gums, pettichae (little red spots on my breasts that are associated with anemia in Western medicine). When I went to see my acupuncturist yesterday he said I had blood stagnation and qi depletion and already after one treatment I'm feeling a bit better though we still have a ways to go. He's going to treat me with herbs after this period (which started today) is finished. Hopefully I'm not going to be hemorrhaging again, so far so good.

"We can rebuild her. We have the technology.
We have the capability to make the world's first Bionic uterus.
This uterus will be that womb. Better than she was before.
Better . . . stronger . . . more fertile."

Fibroid leaving on a metal tray (sung to the tune of Leaving on an Airplane)

So my bag is packed, I'm ready to go
I'm sitting here, making another post
Already I'm looking forward to the change
So cut me and dissect me
Tell me that how much better I'll be
Help me get back on the fertility road

My fibroid is leaving on a metal tray
Don't expect to see it ever again
Oh 'Roid its time to go.

So, anyway... Friday is my big day, I've got gum and granny knickers, a maternity belt, arnice pellets, purple socks of courage etc., etc. -- all courtesy of the generous sharing of info by the fibroid ladies on the NUFF group. I'm feeling pretty relaxed and this will all be over and I'll be on my way to recovery within the next 24 hours.

I don't need to take phosphosoda or any laxative so that is good. And my doc thinks the d&C and myo should only take 2 hours. My RE will be assisted by another RE, a fellow, so I'm in good hands. I check in at the hospital at 1:30 tomorrow and the surgery is scheduled for 3:30.

Please send good thoughts and prayers if you can tomorrow.

Meditatations

Most of the alternative medical practitioners have recommended meditation to me and it is refererenced in a lot of information about infertility as well as for fibroids. Here are some links to info that I've found along the way.

MEDITATION

Anji - highly praised relaxation CDs
http://www.anjionline.com/

Guided Imagery
http://www.guidedimageryinc.com/guided.html

What is Guided Imagery?
http://www.healthjourneys.com/what_is_guided_imagery.asp

Learning Meditation - Meditation Room
http://www.learningmeditation.com/room.htm

Cultivating Positive Emotions to Optimize Health and Well-Being
http://journals.apa.org/prevention/volume3/pre0030001a.html


SELF HYPNOSIS

Hypnosis Downloads
http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/
Low cost MP3 files you can use to do self-hypnosis. My friend recommended this site to me.


LABRINTH - Walking Meditation
A labrinth is a type of maze that you walk for medidation. I found that if I walked and thought about a particular thing, like my fibroid or my miscarriage, my mind would show me truths and I could release fear and accept hope. Here are a couple of links to learn more about them:

The Labrinths of Grace Cathedral
http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/

Worldwide Labrinth Locator
http://wwll.veriditas.labyrinthsociety.org/



QI GONG - Chinese Meditation/Movement
Qi Gong (pronounced chee gong) was my real favorite while I was on my health spa retreat, the thing I did every day except for the one day where the instructor had off. It was amazing and helped me feel open, relaxed, stronger, and peaceful. I had never done it before but I could completely feel the energy flowing through my body on the first time. It also helps you to open up and use the whole of your lungs in a way like I've never felt before -- most of us do only shallow breathing normally. What was even cooler was that I found out that the sequence we were doing was developed by a buddhist pristess named Kwan Yin and that she is also a goddess of fertility in Buddhism. The thing that was most amazing about it was that while doing these slow flowing, graceful movements my body was telling me to keep doing them and it would help with my fibroid -- this was days before I heard about what Kwan Yin was.

The Mission of Qigong
http://www.shengzhen.org/the_mission_of_qigong.htm

Kwan Yin
http://www.crystalinks.com/kwanyin.html

About Kwan Yin and images of statues
http://www.siamese-dream.com/page/siam1/CTGY/Kuan-Yin-Statues

I didn't feel like I was praying to another religion, I felt like I was tapping into the energy of the universe. It was amazing. There is a book on the shenzhen.org site, also available through Amazon that has all of the movements and descriptions of what they are for.


Dr Northrup's site has a bunch of different audio/video materials for sale that might be of interest as well:
http://www.drnorthrup.com/health_store-cr-video.php

The HealingFromFibroidsNaturally Yahoo Group also has lots of information about alternative treatments for uterine fibroids, you might look there as well:
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/HealingForFibroidsNaturally

Preparing for surgery with homeopathy/naturopathy

I was directed by my naturopath to take phosphorus c, a homeopathic remedy, prior to having the surgery to help my body with nausea from the anaesthesia.

Homeopathic arnica was advised to help deal with the swelling and bruising. I am supposed to start taking this several days beforehand and several friends swear by it.

She also recommended Rescue Remedy from Bach's Remedies, flower essences, to help deal with the stress prior to the surgery. And Gelsemium 30c, 2 pellets as needed for anticipatory anxiety.

These "meds" are at worst sugar pills and quackery, at best they work wonders. They should not interfere with the procedure or anaesthesia and if you believe they will work then placebo affect or not they will provide you with some relief. I think I'll give them a go since I've got nothing to lose.

I will also be taking Traumogen, a vitamin supplement that helps aid the body with nutrients that aid in healing tissue.

Here are some links about natural medicine and surgery to check out:

Homeopathy and Surgery
http://www.drfeder.com/general-health/healing-surgery.htm

Surgery Recovery Program
http://www.naturodoc.com/library/surgery/surg_recovery.htm

Laparoscopy - how to prepare for your surgery
http://www.endo-resolved.com/laparoscopy_advice.html

Is Arnica montana safe to take after plastic surgery?
http://www.eclecticphysician.com/archive.php?action=Nbr&Nbr=235

How I decided to have a myo

You know, having to go through the d&c to terminate my failed pregnancy helped me to get to this place mentally. The nurses and doctors wanted to help me and they didn't want me to have pain or discomfort. And then all the post myo success stories on the NUFF boards make me feel more confident as well.

Since I'm 34 and a good ways away from menopause I really should get this lump out of me now -- it isn't going to get any smaller on its own, though chinese medicine did seem to be working but not fast enough. My fibroid has been an angel of change for me so far, I had to reconsider a lot over the past two years from what I ate, to how I worked, to how much I excercised or visited with friends. I think I'm in a much better position health-wise now and hope to stave off any other diseases that might have met me along my previous life path. I'm an Cancer, I'm allowed to be sentimental :)

Thanks again and good luck to all my fellow myo compatriots in the next few weeks. I'm going to buy my purple (fuzzy) socks of courage this weekend and help get the house cleaned up and in order so I won't have to do much post surgery. My dog Lula and my cat Seymour are ready and waiting to keep me company during my recuperation.

How does one find a fibroid specialist?

I agree, it is a difficult process. Most of the hospitals and clinics around here in the Seattle don't include very substantial information on their doctor profile pages about their expertise. Since OB/Gyn training and practice revolves around surgeries for multiple conditions I think they don't differentiate between procudures. But we as patients desiring uterus saving procedures know that there is a complexity here with the issues of blood loss, adhesions, retaining fertility, etc. that make us want someone who is passionate and fully vested in the outcome of our procedures.

I recently reread Sex, Lies and the Truth About Uterine Fibroids
and in it Carla mentions that some states have databases tracking medical procedures. Here is one of the examples mentioned in the book:

Center for Medical Consumers (NY)

Not all states track this information that it could even be published, that's another place where we need to weigh in and try to get our state legislators to help get us better information.

That said, it still seems like it is hard to find a doctor. There used to be a site that would allow patients to rate their doctors on a variety of criteria but I believe that was bought out by WebMD and it doesn't include that information anymore. Here are links to some directories that might be useful:

uterinefibroids Board Physician Database
Contains names of doctors that have been mentioned in the messages posted to this list with the number of the message to refer to -- inclusion in the database does not qualify as an endorsements of any of the practitioners however.

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists Physician Directory

WebMD Physician Directory

AMA Physician Select

You can also find out about licensed doctors in your state by visiting the state medical board web site; do a search to find the link.

The American Society of Reproductive Medicine has a page with links to a few other directories on it....

AMSR: Find a Doctor

MEDICAL RECORDS
Oh, and while we are on the subject, make sure that you request and keep copies of all of your records from the various doctors you see. You can then make copies to take with you if you confer with multiple care providers and it is helpful to be able to refer to them as well. Each State determines how much the clinic is allowed to charge for copies of the records but it seems to average around 75 cent to a dollar per page in my experience. To keep costs down just request the most relevant test results but you may want to have copies of all the chart notes as well. Each clinic will have a slightly different process for requesting records, sometimes a form or sometimes just a letter will do, and most of the ones I've been in contact with accept faxes.

Myo next week, feeling depressed

My surgery is scheduled for next Thursday October 9th and I'm feeling depressed about it. I need to have the surgery due to fertility issues -- we're likely going to have to do IVF (although I pray that we don't). I'm 33 and my 6cm fibroid is just going to continue to grow, even if my naturopathic treatment helped slow it down.

I don't have the bleeding that many of you are experiencing; my heart goes out to all of you with debilitating symptoms. I feel periodic discomfort and then there is the infertility. Otherwise I'm completely healthy and I think that's why the prospect of having the surgery is so sad for me. I just don't want to feel bad, and right now it is the surgery that is going to cause me more short-term pain.

When I compare that to the prospect of not having children I think it is a reasonable trade off to have the surgery. But still, how did the rest of you get through the last few days of anticipation prior to your surgeries?