Medical technological advancements (i.e., focused ultrasound) has afforded all of us with options that, merely 10 years ago, were just a dream-in-progress! I am grateful!

Living in ‘these times’ science has afforded all of us (experiencing symptomatic fibroids) with a technique and treatment that is uterus-sparing when a beinign fibroid ‘sets-up-shop’ in a ‘no tresspassing’ area! I am grateful!

In the three years since that glorious ‘treatment’ day, I not only ridded (‘lost’) a fibroid, but I also gained a granddaughter…what a blessed period-of-time. I am grateful!

Since that fate-full fibroid-ablating fall day, of three years ago, ‘the’  focused ultrasound technology has escalated and advanced at time-warped speed…astounding, really. The single-minded dedication that technicians, doctors and scientists have (with regards to focused ultrasound) is remarkable and humbling…I/we are grateful!

In just these three short years of my focused-ultrasound-one-track-mind, there has not been one single day that I haven’t read about focused ultrasound (in some positive capacity) in the ‘news’ with something ‘new’! Grateful, again!

Regarding those hell-bent fiendish fibroids, focused ultrasound has made advancements that are even more effective than when I was treated, only three years ago. The machine (Ex-Ablate) has been enhanced with equipment that is now able to treat larger, bigger, uglier, creepier symptomatic fibroids, than it was able to treat just a mere 150 weeks ago! And, something truly exciting, these dedicated souls that are involved with advancing focused ultrasound for fibroid treatment, are in the midst of developing a ‘scar patch’ to deflect the heat (occurring because of an abdominal scar, ie. from a c-section) when in treatment with HIFU! Very exiting for many many many more women that would like to spare their uterus when opting for a fibroid-ridding treatment, but because of scar tissue were unable to…hooooray for focused ultrasound.

And wait, there’s more! Focused ultrasound is now (in trials) for targeting (ablating) the blood vessels, which are the fibroids ’feeding’ source, in addition to the ablating of the ferocious fibroid, itself…a double-whammy, indeed!

Three years, just three little-’ol years is a lifetime in science&technology…focused ultrasound is proof-positive! This NON-invasive ‘surgery’ technique can destroy tumors without making any incisions and all without destroying or even touching any healthy surrounding tissue…focused ultrasound is wonder-full. I am grateful!

Focused ultrasound can be performed on an outpatient basis, requires no incisions or general anesthesia, results in minimal (if any) discomfort and few (if any) complications, and allows for rapid recovery. AND, most importantly, IT WORKS!! For these reasons I chose to spare my utterly beloved uterus…for these reasons I chose focused ultrasound as my treatment option…and for this, I am eternally grateful!!

Happy Birthday to my husband, Dave…Happy Anniversary to me (and the blessed treatment), and Happy Happy Life, may we celebrate Nov. 2 for decades and decades and decades and…♥

My sincere goal, when I commited to writing a weekly (fibroid-related) posting,  was/is (fundemently) to empower women through educative and informative resources, sooooo  that they will be able to ‘hang’ on to their beloved (and necessary) uterus…even when ‘that’ option was/is not afforded to them (or hidden from them)!!

So last weeks opposing responses, to my ‘anti-hysterectomy-ranting’ blog, was indeed surprising! But I am grateful! I am grateful because, ‘their truth’ and their stories just opened my eyes even wider. And my committment even stronger ~~  treatment options (for symptomatic fibroids) must be more readily available, and everyone (yes everyone) needs to know that there are options, and that they exist!! 
I know (only too well) that there are women that feel/felt as if they were at an end-point; that they could/would not suffer one more day; that their symptomatic fibroids were no longer a livable life or viable ‘option’ anymore ~~ just get rid of the ‘diseased organ’; get rid of the problem; get rid of the uterus ~~ [sigh], I ‘get it’!!!  Oh boy do I understand this all too well, as 10 years of dealing with an ugly ferocious fibroid (almost) brought me to that point, too!! Soooo, I ’get it’!!

But…I still believe, in my heart&soul, that it is sheer barbarism (barbaric) to oust such a vital and integral organ from  a woman’s body, ONLY because a (benign) fibroid (albeit, a symptomatic one) exists. My intensions are pure ~~  I mean no harm~~ I (simply) wish to educate women and give them the tools to seek a less (life-long) traumatic end!! And with that goal in mind,  I present to you wonderful options for treating those horrible no-good awful fiendish fibroids!

♥Myomectomy ~~the fibroids are surgically excised from the uterus, leaving the (vital organ) in ‘place’.
♥Uterine Artery Embolization ~~ the fibroids are deadened by blocking their blood supply (using tiny pellets) that ‘plug-up’ their nutrient supply. No blood; they die.
♥Radiofrequency Ablation ~~ the fibroids are ‘killed’ with a needle electrode that penetrates and burns the offending fibroid(s). A laproscopic camera and an intra-abdominal ultrasound probe are also used with this treatment.
♥Hormone Therapy ~~ a drug is given to surpress hormone production; putting one in a temporary menopause, thus shrinking the symptomatic fibroid(s).
♥Focused Ultrasound ~~ focused ultrasound waves,  heat and destroy the fibroid tissue (leaving all surrounding tissue intact). During the treatment (in ‘real-time’) MRI images are used to guide this NON-invasive treatment. I love this option; it works and it is NON-invasive!
♥Watchful-waiting (I call it, ‘active surveillance’) ~~ getting diagnosed with a fibroid, and trying to live as ‘clean&green’ a lifestyle as possible, hopefully not awaking the ‘sleeping giants’ (fibroids) from their asymptomatic ‘nap’! It may not be 100% effective, but it can’t hurt!

All of these options are available today, in 2010…all of these can preserve your much-needed uterus. In this website (fibroidrelief.org) there is a full page dedicated to your treatment choices. Take this info to your doctor. Discuss all of your options with her/him. you deserve what belongs to you…your beloved uterus!! ♥

Is it maniacal to be incensed about the fact;  by the time a women reaches the (lovely) age of 60 years, that 2 out of 3 of her  womanly ‘sisters’ had their uterus’ taken from them…is it really?

Is it lunacy to be cynical towards an industry (gynecologists, hospitals, drug companies) that make$ over 17 billion dollar$ a year participating in the dasterdly business of uterus-ectomies…is it really?

Is it mad-as-a-hatterlike to be outraged that every single women that I know, that was uterus-ectomized, is not at all happy with the life-long damages that this surgery has wrought…is it really?

Is it moonstruck (of me) to want all of you to understand that the uterus is integral to a woman’s well being; providing critical important functions all throughout her life, and that there is no age or time when the uterus is no longer needed…is it really?

Is it crazed (of me) to explain (to you) that the uterus is a hormone responsive reproductive sex organ, and that ectomizing it has life-altering consequences: 3 times greater risk of cardiovascular disease;  loss of structural support for the bowel, bladder and pelvis; more likely to get lung cancer;  likely to gain 25 lbs. within that first year;  profound fatigue;  loss of sexual desire and sensation;  osteoporosis;  chronic constipation and digestive disorders;  frequent urinary tract infections; short-term memory loss;  blunting of emotions, personality changes, irritability and anger; …is it really?

Is it berserk-like (of me) to rant about, and be disheartened by, these statistics:  The average age of a uterus-ectomy (hysterectomy) was 42 years old (merely) a decade ago, and now the average age is 36 years (young)…is it really?

Is it daft (of me) to be shocked that there are no drugs or other treatments that can replace ovarian or uterine hormones or functions ~~ that the loss (of these vital organs) is permanent…is it really?

Is it completely nutso (of me) to be un-nerved that nobody is talking about saving real dollar$ and cents by eliminating (unnecessary) hysterectomies and offering women (less co$tly) treatment choices…is it really?

Is it unrealistic (of me) to be chagrined that the very first option given to women for treating fibroids is a uterus-ectomy (hysterectomy)…is it really?

Is it bats-in-the-belfrylike to be astounded and alarmed that, to date, there are no rules or regulations that demand a doctor to provide a woman with a detailed ‘informed consent’  document (or at the least, a detailed conversation) ~~ supporting her autonomy and preserving her dignity ~~prior to uterus-ectomizing her…is it really?

Is it a bit touched-in-the-head (of me) to be dismayed that nobody views uterus-ectomy as a womens right’s issue and, that at the least, medical ethics should be considered and come into play before altering a women’s well-being for life…is it really?

Is it unhinged (of me) to  believe (with all my heart&soul) that if ALL of the facts and information (and the  life-long consequences) of a uterus-ectomy (hysterectomy)  were presented and given PRIOR to this (barbaric) procedure, that a woman would never choose this option, ha…is it really?

Look, you may call me  maniacal, insane, obssessed, delirious, looney, raving mad, dippy, flipped out, nutty as a jar of almond butter, out of my tree, wacky, touched, zooey, cuckoo, unrealistic etc. etc. etc…why?…because I want women to have every single option when choosing a treatment for those ferocious fibroids…but, am I really???♥

Since that posting, I have much to report about this Frankenstein-styled production (GMO) of our seed and food ’manufacturing’…some pretty, some not! 
To begin, [clink clink clink] your (un)leaded crystal glasses and ‘toast’ to the month of October, it is now dubbed “NON-GMO Month”!!!  Omylanta and for geezlepete, we are now ’celebrating’ a NON-something ( in this case, NON-GMO) for all of  the mainstream media to report,  AND not just US crazy wide-eyed organic types! Clearly this is very good news; exposing GMO and the harmful effects that it has on our beautifully-balanced bodies’ endocrine system. But it has been an uphill battle (to get to this point) because of the power$ and influence that Monsanto and Dupont have on our power$-that-be!! 
 There were studies and research conducted by doctors and scientists from around the world and the findings are not good (regarding GMO) and the results showed (in some cases) debilitating cell-change.
Dr. Stanley Ewen, a senior UK pathologist studying results on a GM soy diet, said that there was proliferative growth of the endometrial cells lining the uterus and that this implies changes (taking place) in important reproductive hormones. In simpler terms, this diet is “wrecking the ovary and endometrium.”
Note: GM soybeans are called Roundup Ready. A bacterial gene is inserted that allows the plants to survive a normal deadly-dose of Roundup herbicide (used to kill the weeds). The spray does not kill the plant, BUT its active ingredient glyphosate does accumulate in the beans themselves! These are then consumed by livestock and humans. Glyphosate throws off the delicate hormonal balance that governs the whole reproductive cycle. “It’s an endocrine buster,” says Dr. Ewen.
Fibroids fibroids fibroids and more fibroids, that is what this all spells [GMO] to me!!! I have about 15 more studies that reported and  observed (and reported) the effects that GM products grown (and ingested) have on living beings…the results are NOT good! I must wrap up this blog, so I can not give you ALL of the  findings ‘here-and-now’, but I will leave you with this~~
Just Say No To GMO:  Write to your congress person and the FDA, telling them to make it mandatory to label a product “GMO” (as yet, ‘non-GMO’ found on some products is strictly voluntary…and gooooood marketing!)! And please tell them NO GMO salmon (the $$$$ influence is heavily infavor of this ‘passing’)!!! If nothing else,  the GMO salmon will expose the wild salmon to this franken-food-fish and who knows what will happen then!!!
Remember that you (also) have a ‘vote’ with every purchase of organic and NON-GMO product that you buy ($$$)!! You send a loud and clear message that you are on the side of ’real’ food and JUST SAY NO TO GMO…JUST SAY NO TO GMO…Happy October, National NON-GMO Month ~~yippeeeeee!! [JUST SAY NO TO GMO...JUST SAY NO TO GMO]
♥

Focused ultrasound is a revolutionary technology that could help treat diseases that affect virtually everyone

Magnetic resonance image guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) could:
•be the ultimate form of noninvasive surgery
•destroy tumors without making any incisions and without harm to other organs
•replace the need for most radiation treatments
•transform pharmacological therapy by delivering drugs precisely where needed without harm to the rest of the body
•dissolve blood clots and restore flow through blocked vessels
Focused ultrasound can be performed on an outpatient basis, requires no incisions or general anesthesia, only mild sedation, results in minimal discomfort and few complications, and allows rapid recovery.
Focused ultrasound is currently
•clinically approved for the treatment of uterine fibroids and pain from bone cancer (in Europe)
•in clinical trials for the treatment of brain and breast cancer
•being investigated for the treatment of prostate cancer, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and more
The technology is in the early stages of development-where MR imaging was approximately 25 years ago-but could do all of the above in our lifetime.
Focused ultrasound surgery is a breakthrough technology resulting from the marriage of high intensity focused ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging technologies.
Focused ultrasound, to concentrate up to 1000 intersecting beams of ultrasound energy with extreme precision on a target deep in the body as small as 1 mm in diameter, much like a magnifying glass can focus multiple beams of light on a single point. Where each individual beam of focused ultrasound passes through the tissue, it has no effect. But where the beams converge on the target they have an effect, just as the converging beams of light will burn a hole in a leaf.
Magnetic resonance imaging, to identify and target tissue to be treated, to guide the treatment interactively in real time, and to provide immediate confirmation of the effectiveness of the therapy.
It can take many years for a new medical technology to be widely adopted and available to patients everywhere. Because of the enormous potential of Focused Ultrasound surgery to benefit millions of patients it is vital that full adoption of this technology into regular clinical practice be accelerated.

And there you have it, welcome to gratefullness, welcome to the future and welcome to the F word…Focused Ultrasound, lest we forget!!! ♥

“Cells called 3T3-L1 cells ~~ which become a fat cell under the right conditions ~~ were exposed to either BPA or BBP. After exposure, fat droplets started to accumulate in the 3T3-L1 cells.”

Oh my goodness gracious, this suggests that these chemicals (BPA & BBP, that we are exposed to everyday) can absolutely induce the developement of …[gulp]…FAT CELLS!!
As I have discussed before, it only takes a small amount of exposure to BPA or BBP to start the endocrine-disrupting wrecking-ball that presents all sorts of havoc to our bodies…FIBROIDS being one!
Avoiding these chemicals can never be 100%, but it can be close enough so that their influence to our balanced-bodies-health may be negligible.
Thankfully the European Union and the United States banned BBP from children’s products. As we are now learning (with the fat cell study,)  adults are equally affected…ie. globesity! My solution ~~ avoid BBP!
And BPA is still up for consideration in several U.S. states, with limited bans passed in Minnesota, Connecticut and Canada…but only pertaining to childrens products. But again, we now know BPA’s affect on all of our fat cells…and it is not good! My solution ~~ avoid BPA!
Go on and live your glorious life without CANS, POLYCARBONATE, PAPERLESS RECEIPTS, and forgeeezlepete, take off your shoes when you enter your home…your fat cells will ‘thankyou’ for it!! ♥

And with this approach in mind, I have to talk about BPA…again! I have spoken about this substance (for 2 yrs) many times in the past, but it bears reviewing and reviewing and reviewing…it is a full-fledged endocrine-disruptor and acts like full-fledged estrogen in our delicately (chemically) balanced bodies. It should be avoided at all costs, and yet the (10 year) debate of its harm is still ‘on the table’…and we all know why that is, don’t we!? The (simple) fact that whether or not BPA is harmful, has become a partisan-issue, and that (alone) should cause $uspicion$$$!! Right?! Right!!!
The Endocrine Society (14,000 members from 100 countries who work in medicine, biology, genetics, immunology etc.), issued a 34-page report expressing serious concerns about endocrine-disrupting compounds. These include BPA, dioxins PCB’s, DDT, plasticizers (known as phthalates) and DES. 
The report stated:  1. Endocrine disruptors could harm the reproductive system (causing malformations, infertility and cancer),  2. These chemicals could effect all endocrine systems including the thyroid gland, brain, obesity and metabolism and the bodies ability to regulate insulin and glucose levels,  3. Fetuses exposed could experience effects (of these chemicals) later in life, and pass those abnormalities to the future generations,  4. Those scientists that once doubted that low dosages could cause any harm, NOW changed their minds after seeing the data!!!
BPA and the other (named) endocrine disruptors are not your ’normal’ toxicants…oh no…they act like hormones, and hormones can act at extremely low dosages! These are poisons for our bodies.
There are presently 10 labs around the country that received government grants to study the effects of BPA, under the economic Recovery Act. Well, that is just wonderful for the on-going debate of ‘yes it’s harmful’ or ‘no it’s not harmful’…but because it acts like a hormone in our bodies, I am staying away from it. I am not going to WATCH-n-WAIT…no way…I will be, forever, in the ‘ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE’ mode. How about YOU!!?
Read these blogs that I posted…chocked full of information on BPA and other chemicals and how to live without these endocrine disruptors. ♥
 http://fibroidrelief.org/2009/04/how-they-summarily-poisoned-my-perfectly-fabulous-uterus/
 http://fibroidrelief.org/2009/06/fool-me-once-shame-on/
http://fibroidrelief.org/2009/06/oh-my-gosh-now-what/
http://fibroidrelief.org/2009/07/obesitys-cause-may-lie-in-the-quality-of-that-meal/
http://fibroidrelief.org/2010/01/toxic-secretsno-more/
http://fibroidrelief.org/2010/03/spring-is-here-time-todust/
http://fibroidrelief.org/2010/06/information-we-all-need-to-know/
http://fibroidrelief.org/2010/07/you-definitely-canhelp-yourself/

“You probably will loose your uterus.”
These were the words that were so cavalierly hurled at and delivered to a beautiful young 26 year old with a large symptomatic ferocious-fibroid, just weeks before she was to have a robotic myomectomy.
What a horrendous ‘sentance’ (literally and fuguritively) to ‘hand’ over to a patient eagerly awaiting a safe-n-effective treatment choice, that she opted for, to preserve her uterus…down-right evil!

Little did I know that fibroids (ironically) would be my (joyous) connection to women from all around this globe…amazing! Weekly I e-mail or speak with women about their (individual) sagas of a ferocious-fibroid, and oh, the desperation of it all.
Embedded within these (very telling) stories, there lingers a recurring ‘something’ with each sad tale…and that is…that their OB/GYN doctors did NOT give them all (or any) treatment choices for ridding their fibroids!! Even worse, the doctors tried to scare them into the treatment (option) that the DOCTOR wanted…always involving the elimination of the ( most coveted) uterus, forsooth!!!

The cited examples (above) of scare-tactics (so unkindly weilded at patients,) plus the combined effect of the inordinate amount of time that it takes for (successful/approved) medical technology to become accepted and understood by doctors (let alone the general population) and insured, has/had my head spinning with thinking thinking thinking!!
Believe it or not, The Hippocratic Oath began to sing in my brain, and before I go on I will type in this oath (in its’ modern version) so that you too shall get a taste of its meaning!!

“I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.
I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a memeber of society, with special obligations to all my fellow beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.”

WOW! Right?? WOW! So beautiful…the oath is the core principle that every doctor pledges before hoisting their well-earned ‘shingled-sign’ and,  it is not medical at all…it is spiritual!!
It dawned on me…it dawned on me that at the very ‘heart’, the very core, the very pith-principles that guide these dedicated doctors (filled with tons-o-medical facts) is at its essence an inseparable body-mind compatability that must be respected (and practiced) in order to wholey heal!! The doctors brain and heart must work in tandem so that their ‘practice’ (word well-chosen) is effective in the healing process that the doctor as well as the patient MUST (both) partake in.
In the ‘book-of-shoulds’, it should never ever ever have taken me 9 years to finally receive a proper treatment for my ferocious fibroid. It should never ever ever have gotten ‘THAT’ large!
All of my fibroid-laden female friends, should not have to endlessly research and seek out their treatment options (completely) on their own (just because their Dr. does not perform ‘that’ procedure)!
The Hippocratic Oath is so so beautiful and is truly the heart-n-soul of a great doctor and of meaningful healing ‘medicine’.
Of course, we must all continue to be ‘the’ patient advocate, but we must also try to find a doctor that joyfully partakes in The Hippocratic Oath in their daily ‘practice’.
Competency plus kindness equals the true ‘spirit’ in  the process of effective healing for both mind and body…♥