FibroidRelief.org » Wendy

It’s About Time…And ‘Ectomies’!

Wendy — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:18:42 +0000

I was so excited to open the New York Times, Science Section, and find (one of) my favorite authors, Dana Jennings had written another article. In the piece, Dana discussed a book that is now on the book-tour-circuit and whose authors I heard (recently) interviewed on various radio programs. The subject matter is near-and-dear (especially) to Dana ~~having prostate cancer.
I have been reading, commiserating, empathising and sympathising with Dana’s profound and poignant prostate plight, since (his) day one. Dana’s beautiful heartfelt writings, in transparent vulnerable raw and real descriptive form, have looped and lassoed me into his cancer-coursed world. And, even without having a prostate (myself), I ‘felt’ him, really really ‘felt’ him…his writing is that profound and utterly universal!
But…something happened to me as I was reading his latest article. I started to experience the rumblings of the ‘bit-miffed’ uncomfortable feelings that occur (on cue) when my injustic-radar picks up signals of bias! “Hey…This is not FAIR!” my antenna zap-zap-zapped!
What exactly is going on!? I mean, really!?
For the last 10 (plus) years AND the past 2 years of writing (90 blogs), I have been bringing awareness ~~ shining a super-nova of light on the options (available) to save the beloved uterus, even when a pesky asteroid-like fibroid comes ‘crashing’ in on our uterus-universe!!
But…where’s ‘our’ book? Where is ‘our’ bound pages filled with the uterus-saving stance and ‘its’ absolute importance!? Where is ‘our’ legitimacy!? HUH!?
I want to quote from dear Dana Jennings’ article,” A Rush To Operating Rooms That Alters Men’s Lives”…if I may.
“What if this is all a lie? A dark conspiracy of the global medical-industrial complex?”
“About 200,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States, and the authors say nearly all of them are over treated.”
“Out of 50,000 radical prostatectomies performed every year in the United States alone, more than 40,000 are unnecessary. Most did not need to have their sexuality cut out.”
“And surgery, of course, is most often recommended by surgeons and urologists ~~ who are also surgeons.”
“In my experience, doctors play down punishing side effects like incontinence and impotance.”
SEE…NOW do you understand my disgruntled and uncomfortable bubblings??! BECAUSE, the article and the quotes (about prostatectomies) could easily have been applied (with a ‘book’, too) to uterus-ectomies!! Because my friends, the very same casual ‘ectomies’ are (every single day) happening to women too!!! But where’s the press? Where are the books? Where are the convention center-filled lectures? Where is the urgency to save the beloved uterus!!?
It is time. It is ‘our’ turn. It is Women’s turn to have all manner of press discussing (so as to end) the needless uterus-ectomies that are performed (to the tune of 17 BILLION$ a year) in the uterus-ridding business!UGH!!
We need our uterus (as much as men need their prostate) so STOP ectomizing these ‘parts’, please!
And can we start right here, right now, to change the nomenclature, please? Let’s, please, call it what it is, a uterus-ectomy…not a hysterectomy (whose root source is from hysterical, forsooth!!!)!!!
The uterus needs to ’stay put’ for more that just baby-housing and making…even when a fibroid is diagnosed. You need your uterus to keep your immune system in working condition, to keep you from getting heart disease and osteoperosis, and hormone imbalances, and thyroid malfunctions (that ultimately control ‘it all’), and depression (the brain and uterus have a very ‘close-knit’ relationship) and you need your dear uterus for great sex!!
I agree 100% that prostates are extricated very ‘willy-nilly’, but…can YOU agree that uterus-ectomies are also performed too often!??
There are options for treating ferocious fibroids, and non-invasive ones at that!! Focused Ultrasound (in my opinion) is by far the BEST treatment choice for fibroids.
I say, “SAVE OUR UTERUS! SAVE OUR UTERUS!” And you can start right here by reviewing the treatment choices, on this website…FibroidRelief.org…spread the word, please! ♥

The Hippocratic Oath…Let’s Get Back To Basics

Wendy — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:49:13 +0000

“You probably have uterine cancer!”
Quoting directly from the 7th doctor that I entrusted during those quest-seeking and mission-filled years to rid a boulder-sized fibroid from it’s nestley-nice uterine home…I still shudder from (just thinking about) those 5 words that where tossed at me as if they meant nothing!! I was not only fighting the ferocious fibroid from its’ grip on my poor unsuspecting uterus, but I was also trying to SAVE my uterus from the clutches of those doctors (OB/GYN) who were all too happy to leave me uterus-less!! NO WAY!! But telling me that I “probably have cancer,” (to convince me towards a hysterectomy) was/is unconscionable ~~ to say nothing of the morality of it all!!

“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…♥

As If You Needed (Yet) Another Reason!!

Wendy — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:26:07 +0000

I saw it with my own eyes…my own eyes I tell ya!!! I saw a nurse throw out a perfectly good (in use) I.V. glucose/saline bag (only HALF ‘used up’) and replace it with the exact same product…but …it was full and brand spankin’ new!!! What?
I probably need to go back a few steps, and explain that I have been ‘living’ at the hospital for the past daysssss to visit/help my mom after she received a hip-replacement. And what I observed is mind-boggling on every ‘level’!! And my conclusion, such as it is, is to try to avoid them at all costs!!
And…speaking of costs, the hospital waste that I observed was unbelievable…and down-right sinfull! The indescriminate and cavalier way that EVERYTHING was tossed (even products that where only partially used)…tossed away (not even recycled), tossed away as if we did NOT live on a finite planet! This made me a bit ‘crazy’ to see this and now to know that this is hospital ‘normal’ procedure! WHAT!?
I have been the number one proponent of having focused ultrasound as THE treatment choice for fibroids…rather than losing your uterus with the traumatic body-blow that a hysterectomy causes! To my mind, it’s a no-brainer! Focused ultrasound is an out-patient procedure with a mere hours to recoup, while a hysterectomy is a hospital stay, an organ (uterus) is ripped out and recuperating is years!! Again, a choice that seems so dang obvious…to me!
It turns out that hospitals generate billions and billions of garbage each year …and I wittnessed some of that (unnecessary) waste with just one patient (my mom). And when I began to multiply the numbers of hospitals and patients and waste waste WASTE, my head was starting to explode with the sheer enormity of it all!!
The operating room is the biggest source of medical refuse…churning out a whopping 30% of the hospitals garbage, refuse, WASTE!!
Dr. Markary, a surgeon at John Hopkins School of Medicine declared that hospitals should “GO Green” after he became so frustrated by the hospitals wastebasket full of “perfectly good equipment, much of which was either barely used or never used.” The unused devices came from sterilized surgical kits that were opened for the operation; no longer sterile, they got tossed!
I need to wrap this blog up, as I am off to the hospital to help my mom and hopefully not drive myself too too too crazy with what I will (surely) observe, but I will leave you with a couple of thoughtful reasons why you should choose focused ultrasound over (any) hospital-stay fibroid treatment choices.
♥ Focused Ultrasound: saves your uterus, has you up-and about in hours, costs considerably le$$ (although it is not yet insured), requires NO hospital stay, is ‘green’ (as far as procedures go), and it WORKS!!!
I have loved Focused Ultrasound for a long time and now I can (happily) add to my ‘list-o-reasons’ in choosing this treatment for erradicating those ferocious fibroids…it’s ‘Green’ with virtually no waste!!! That makes ‘this gal’ really really happy ~~ now if only it was insurable!!♥

Focused Ultrasound, ‘Sounds-Off’ Again!!

Wendy — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 17:58:50 +0000

Two months ago InSightec made a wonderful announcement that their ExAblate(R) system received another certification to expand focused ultrasound into (yet) a new arena of successful ablation…adenomyosis!
Adenomyosis is a benign condition in which the endometrial tissue, which normally lines the uterus, presents itself and grows within the muscular walls of the uterus. This penetration and growth of endometrial tissue, from the uterine lining into the uterine muscle (myometrium) is incredibly painful and is associated with very similar symptoms to that of those ferocious fibroids!
There is a fundamental difference, however, between a fibroid and adenomyosis…and until now, was virtually untreatable except with a hysterectomy!
As we know, each fibroid originates from one (mean-ol’) abnormal cell that (may or may not) multiplies into a tumor that displaces and compresses tissue. But unlike adenomyosis, a fibroid tumor does NOT invade the surrounding uterine muscle. Because of the way the growth pattern of fibroids occur, it is possible to remove all of the tumor without removing any normal uterine tissue.
Adenomyosis is not a discreet tumor, but rather a local (and very painful) swelling of the uterine wall that occurs because of the pushing through, or the penetration of endometrial tissue. Therefore it has not been possible to remove tissue affected by adenomyosis without actually removing the involved uterine wall muscle…until NOW!!!!
This new (and approved) application for focused ultrasound in the treatment of adenomyosos is truly great news for all women whom are afflicted with this extremely extremely painful condition. And again, focused ultrasound is uterus-sparing…so the possibility of bearing children is left in-tact!!
The clinical evidenced showed that focused ultrasound is safe and effective in treating symptomatic adenomyosis, both in volume reduction (of the adenomyosis) and in significant reduction of (those awful) symptoms!!
“Patients who suffer from Adenomyosis and want to preserve their uterus have had few viable options in the past,” said Dr. Jaron Rabinovici (Vice-Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sheba Medical Center). “Adenomyosis may have a grave impact on a women’s health and quality of life and until recently hysterectomy was the only accepted treatment involving adverse effects and hospitalization. Another treatment option is medication, which offered only temporary relief of symptoms and had its own set of side effects. The availability of this procedure is a welcome development for women living with this condition, because it means they now have a treatment choice that is non-invasive, safe and effective. More importantly, women who underwent this non-invasive option for adenomoysis conceived and delivered subsequently healthy children.”

And there you have it; besides treating fibroids (successfully) since 2004 with focused ultrasound, now adenomyosis can also be treated (successfully) with this (fantabulous) non-invasive treatment…FOCUSED ULTRASOUND.
I love love love, that each new day seems to bring significant milestones in the continuous broadening of the applications and treatments that this non-invasive, innovative and effective procedure, called FOCUSED ULTRASOUND, has for all of us now…and into the future!!
Now, if we can just get focused ultrasound insurable…[sigh]…what are we waiting for??? IT WORKS!!!♥

This Is No ‘Badge’ Of Courage!

Wendy — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:17:25 +0000

By now I am sure that all of you are aware of which (triangled) numbers (found on the bottom of plastic containers) should be avoided when choosing consumable products, and which ones are (semi) safe! But, just so that we are all on the same page (so-to-speak,) with regard to this information, here is the breakdown:
#1 is for one time use only
#3 is unplasticised chloride (cancer and endocrine-disrupting)
#6 is polystyrene (cancer and endocrine-disrupting)
#7 is nylon and acrylic (cancer and endocrine-disrupting)
#4 is (presumably) the best with low-density polyethelyne
#2, #5 are (presumably) safe for re-use
You also know that the offending chemical, ‘bisphenol-A’ (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting compound (FIBROIDS included) and a cancer-causing agent…it is added to food-bearing containers and has the uncanny ability to leach into our foods. My solution to avoid this ‘pollution’ is to simply AVOID it (don’t buy it!!). Do not buy anything in plastic, but especially those containers that are numbered with the ‘dangerous’ triangulated-numbers! And for geeezle-pete, buy a re-usable stainless steel water bottle and just re-fill it!! I have to admit, (shamefully) that I find myself ’looking’ at people that drink from those single-serve water-bottles in the same way that I look at folks that smoke cigarettes (still) ~~ are you kidding me?
Recently, I came across a study that was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry that I believe you should be aware of, regarding BADGE!
BADGE is Bisphenol-A Diglycidyl Ether…BADGE!
Badge is manufactured from BPA (bisphenol-A) and is the building block of many many types of resins. These resins…[gulp]…coat the insides of food and drink cans! And exactly like its parent compond, BADGE has the properties that can disrupt your endocrine system much much more profoundly (than BPA)!!!!!
The researchers from The Netherlands and Great Britain wanted to find out if there was any residue left over (from the manufacturing of the can-coating) when these came into contact with sugars, proteins and other small molecules (like ethanol in beer). Prior to this study, the European Union based its regulations (for how much BADGE can migrate from food) primarily on the reaction between BADGE and water!! What!? Water, forsooth!!
This study is important because of the implications for food safety…duh! The findings show how critically important it is to understand the chemical leaching from a can’s contents and the resin that line these cans ~~ what actually happens to the compounds once they interact with the food and beverage.
Water and BADGE reacting (as you might guess) was not substantial enough to worry your pretty little head about, but…the BADGE-glucose and BADGE-amino acid reaction to products, WAS!! (So much for my habitual canned sardine lunches!!) YIKES!
For the experiment, BADGE was added to two types of canned food ~~ tuna in sunflower oil and apple puree ~~ and three drinks, an ale, a stout and a lager. BADGE-added and non-BADGE-added controls were recanned, homogenized and then analyzed three weeks later. And my fellow friends, I regret to report that leftover residues of a compound made from Bisphenol-A…called BADGE (used in food can linings) does react with sugars, proteins and other parts of food!! The lining leaches out to form new molecules (when ‘meeting’ food)…BADGE is it’s name and endocrine disrupting is it’s game!!
As I have stated in the past, Eden Foods is one of the few companies (in the United States) that is organic AND lines their cans BPA-free! But…they do not have sardines, the only canned product that is in our pantry!!
Now that I am aware of this information (about BADGE) hmmmm, am I going to: 1. Jar/cure my own sardines (as we do most things from ’scratch’), 2. Try to find them in glass containers, 3. Eat them regardless of what I (now) know!?
What will YOU be doing…I am curious!??♥♥

You Definitely Can…Help Yourself

Wendy — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:16:34 +0000

Everything effects everything.

Everything effects everything…hmmmm…interesting!

The premise of this blog today, will be just that, that ‘Everything effects everything’…a very very empowering and conscious-enlivening notion!

FACTS:
1. No one, not anybody, not any person knows why a fibroid seeds itself within the muscularture of the uterus only ‘to bloom or not to bloom’ (that is the question) into a fiendishly ferocious fibroid!! However, fibroids are at the mercy of hormones and the endocrine system…and that’s a good/bad thing, depending!!
2. Every single day, each and everyone of you (and ALL life-forms) may come in contact with (all or some of) the 80,000 chemicals that abound within this earthly-stew!! And thousands (1000’s) of these chemicals have the potential (separately or in combination with eachother) to raise complete havoc with the endocrine, reproductive and other ‘naturally’-working systems in LIFE!

WOW! Omygoodnessgracios!!! Do you still believe FACT #1. ~~ that nobody knows why fibroids are ‘born’…hmmm?
And just to really nail this premise home, these thousands and thousands of chemicals that interact with us daily are NOT regulated (or labeled) and certainly have not been tested (for safety) when ‘mixed’ with each other!! Perhaps the body (and other life-forms) can handle, without any lasting harm, each (one) chemical at a time. Perhaps! But bit-by-bit-by-bit-by-bit of chemical exposure can push the body over the edge into the land of ill-health!! That is the real problem, the constant gnawing and bombardment of these chemicals every single day! Alittle bit of ‘poison’ is okay, but not this constant onslaught…and an unclear, unwritten and unlabeled onslaught, at that!
‘”I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” Remember this line in the movie “Network”?…well, this is exactly my sentiment…only, we ARE gonna do something about it!
Through my gardening I have learned (many moons ago,) that you do not need to use chemicals (ever,) IF you strenghthen the host…keep the plant healthyand it will ’take care of itself’!!! This ’lesson’ has been woven into every aspect of my life, and the obvious carryover to humans, is at the core of dis-ease/health.
Sooooooo, after this rather lengthy set-up, the following is a list of pro-active things/ideas that YOU can do (today!) that will help the planet and YOU…all at once…to stay strong-’n-healthy! Everything effects Everything! (Remember??)

1. Use white vinegar as your sole cleaning product. It works like a charm on every surface (not wood) and its inexpensive and not the least bit harmful…stop using chemicals, pleeeeez!
2. Make a mixture of alcohol (3 parts) and witch hazel (1 part)…use this as a hand sanitizer, only! There are very very harmful chemicals (mostly unlabeled!) in those ’other’ drugstore handwashes!
3. Use lemon (yes lemon) and/or baking soda (yes baking soda) as a SAFE and affective deodorant. It’s cheap, and it works without any harmful chemicals.
4. If you insist on getting clothes dry-cleaned, let them air out in a well ventilated spot for several days to allow the off-gas of toxic chemicals to neutralize. Putting them directly in your closet (in your bedroom) is so harmful!
5. I love bugs!! But if you don’t want them in your house, use boric acid or bay leaves (for the tiny ants), as those household insect sprays are pure death…for you, too!!
6. Water…[sigh]…this is a real problem as there are so many ‘allowable’ chemicals, as well as those that aren’t allowed, that seep into the aquifer (water) system. Oh, for example; dioxin, triclosin, the “pill” and other pharmaceuticals that manage to poison our water supply. Get a home filter system, and stop using those BPA plastic bottles…they are killing you, us, the animals and the ocean…[sigh] It drives me koo-koo to see people with those plastic bottles. Buy a re-usable stainless waterbottle carrier, it’s so much more sensible and health-affirming!!
7. Cooking in those non-stick pots and pans is a bozo-no-no, for sure! Cast iron, ceramic, stainless or glass is your healthiest choice.
8. Buy organic whenever possible…but especially when ‘fat’ is involved ~~ie: protien sources and oils and butters, as toxins tend to nestle and remain in fats!
9. Do you really have to eat those mammals that are so intelligent and high-up on the food chain? Even the fish, the higher-up on the food chain, the more toxins.
10. Stay away from canned ANYTHING…the linings are BPA-toxic and leach out into your food!! (More on this endocrine-disrupting BPA subject in another blog…so much info!) Make food from scratch…it’s easy and much tastier and cheaper!!

Well, that’s it for today, as there are thousands and thousands more of those endocrine-disrupting chemicals that I could talk about…but…just remember to keep it simple, it’s how nature intended AND life-supporting. Oh, and…Everything effects everything (including YOU)!!!!!!
Everything Effects Everything♥♥

News Alert! News Alert!

Wendy — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:46:30 +0000

Another step has been taken towards the ongoing (reachable) goal of providing Focused Ultrasound as the FIRST choice offered to women in the treatment of fibroids! Focused Ultrasound is ‘on the map’…in INDIA!
A new facility opened at Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai.
Col Manesh Masand, CEO of Jaslock Hospital and Research Centre said, “We have been at the forefront of medical and technology advances for decades. On the eve of our 37th anniversary, we are pleased to take India to the non-invasive surgery era with the FIRST MR Guided Focused Ultrasound system in India and South Asia. With this, patients, especially women in India, neighboring countries, Middle-East and African countries can look forward to surgery without cutting the body or losing a drop of blood.”
How wonderful!!
And just so that you are aware, this is the first HOSPITAL in the world to introduce MR Guided Focused Ultrasound technology with complete available treatment capabilities: treatment modules for uterine fibroids, bone metastases, breast, prostate and other cancers.
For those of you that may not be aware of Focused Ultrasound…I will (briefly) explain.
This breakthrough technology combines MRI to visualize tissues in the body, plan the treatment and monitor (all in ‘real time’) and (adds) high intensity focused ultrasound to heat or thermally ablate the diseased tissue. MR thermal feedback, provided uniquely by the ExAblate 2000 System, allows the physician to control and adjust the treatment in ‘real time’ to ensure that the targeted tumor is fully treated without damaging the surrounding tissue. This allows the physician to see the difference between treated and non-treated tissue, without ionizing radiation, and view these 3-dimensional images of the targeted-tissue at that exact (’real-time’) moment!!
If my description of Focused Ultrasound kinda makes you feel as if we are living in the pioneer stage of a non-invasive future (with regards to ‘operations’)…you would be correct! Focused Ultrasound is truly truly amazing and I am thrilled that this technology is expanding to other parts of the world. I love this styled, non-invasive treatment modality, as it is (nealrly) trauma-less!!!
Another lovely lovely lovely part of THIS hospital in India can be best described with a quote from Dr. Shrinivas Desai.
Dr. Desai added: “We are proud to be part of expanding the usage of this miracle technology for usage in conditions like breast, liver and prostate cancers, etc. through research programs at Jaslok Hospital. While we advance the technology use, we will be able to help a number of those needy, poor patients with FREE treatment!”
Now how do you like that? FREE treatment!!! My heart soars when I see/read that…(FREE treatment)…fantastic!
I am pleased-as-punch that this technology is expanding, and that patients are asking for, and are aware of this treatment. Mostly, patient options for uterine fibroids are based on the clinicians/Drs. knowledge of existing treatments. BUT, now that the ‘word’ is perculating through the healthcare system, this fantastic non-invasive treatment option (Focused Ultrasound) is becoming more and more accepted AND opted for! And YOU, yes YOU the patient should be applauded for your help and ‘push’ in taking Focused Ultrasound out from the shadows and into the light as a fantabulous non-invasive option for the treatment of those ferocious-fiends…FIBROIDS!!!
ThankYOU!!!
One more tid-bit of information. The cost of Focused Ultrasound treatment for fibroids in the Jaslok Hospital in India is $1,300 - $2,200 (U.S) dollars!! I repeat ~~ $1,300 - $2,200!!!WOW!! Mine cost $10,000 and it is not an insurable procedure here in the states! Seems to me, that the next step is to GET THIS INSURED already…[sigh]…or perhaps there will be a lot of travel agents preparing itineraries to India (particularly near the Jaslok Hospital!!!)!!!!!! ♥

Who’s Fooling Who!

Wendy — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:21:41 +0000

Two weeks ago my ‘Google Alert’ presented me with an article from “The Times Of India.” I was informed that the 26th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, held in Rome, had disclosed an exciting (new) study with some rather good news for fibroid sufferers. So as not to editorialize or confuse the issue, I shall quote, verbatum, exactly the text that appeared when I ‘clicked’ my new ‘Google Alert’!
And I quote ~~
An expiremental ‘morning after’ pill could free millions of women from the misery of uterine fibroids, new study suggests.
The drug, ulipristal acetate (UPA), provides an effective non-surgical treatment for the common womb condition that can lead to pain, heavy periods and infertility, say scientists.
UPA belongs to a relatively new class of drug, the selective progesterone receptor modulators or SPRMs.
It is currently used for emergency contraception, and acts be blocking the progesterone receptor and hence ovulation (release of the egg).
Recent research has shown that progesterone also plays a role in the development of uterine fibroids.
“Both the fibroids and the surgical interventions commonly used to treat them can cause significant fertility problems and we wanted to see whether fibroids could shrink and surgery could be avoided by using an SPRM,” Dr. Alicia Armstrong said.
Those taking UPA had reduced total fibroid volume and reduced bleeding, with those taking the higher dose (20 mg. vs 10 mg.) doing better. The action of the ovaries was not impaired, and neither were there any serious side effects.
“The results of these trials are convincing and lead us to conclude that UPA is an effective non-invasive treatment for fibroids that can help maintain fertility in women whose only option up to now was to have surgery,” Doctor Lynnette Nieman, Principal Investigator on the NIH trials, said.Wow! Really… I do not even know where to begin except by stating the obvious, and that is that I am truly truly delighted ANY time there are expirements or studies or money$ spent on erradicating these ferocious-fiendish-fibroids!! I am!
But people(!!) ~~ this information was known(!!) ~~ all of ‘it’ was known since 1980, when France first synthesized this drug and labeled it a medical abortion. Ever hear of RU-486??? Well that is precisely what this NEW drug with NEW studies is. The difference being; it is 10-times weeker and has been repackaged and relabeled so not to include ‘medical abortion’ as its purpose…but it is essentially the same!!
The same I tell you!! I know this because I tried and I tried and I tried and I tried to get on mifepristone (it’s ‘other’ name)!!! In vein, I might add…in vein.
Since 1980, there have been only 3 studies (three studies only!) as to the POSITIVE effects on volume decrease (of fibroids) that mifepristone, UPA or RU-486 have.
I know this, as I tried (I literally begged and cried and phoned and bloodied my head from hitting the proverbial ‘brick wall’) to get in the ongoing study.
I had researched this drug AND the positive outcomes were remarkable! It was indeed a viable answer for women (like myself) to remain ‘whole and intact’ and resume a normal life, until menopause would then shrink ’the evil-doers’ !!!! No such luck for me, they would not let me in…[sigh]!
I also tried to get on the “Compassionate Use Program”. (As a side note, it turns out that RU486 shrinks ALL kinds of progesterone receptive tumors…both cancerous and non, and people were being CURED!!)
SO!! Filling out all of the forms, and then speaking with the the ‘higher-ups’ in the NOW Foundation and the FDA (because RU-486 was/is a controlled substance, like heroin you can go to jail!!) I finally had my phone call meeting…the answer was… NO!
I was demoralized devastated devalued defunked!!! OMYGOODNESSGRASCIOUS, just because this drug, if dosed in amounts 10X what I needed would/could stop the egg from attaching to a uterine wall, well, that meant that I and the rest of the fibroid-riddled women were sh♥t-outta-luck!!!!
Tooo bad for us, because this drug already had it’s ’scarlet letter’ and it was all wrapped up in the politics of ‘women-have-no-choice’, and THAT (my friends) was truly WHAT was going on!!!! Disgacefull on every level!!
I fought a valiant fight (for years) to try to convince (through logic and reasoning and a bit-o-screaming!) that I was not using this as a medical abortion…but it just did not matter one stinking bit!
‘My whole big fat fibroid story’ could fill a novel (well maybe a novelette), but I am done talking about it for today!!
Just know that I am soooooooo very happy that this particular drug has distanced itself from ‘the bad press’ of being an abortion pill…because, you know what… it works, I know!
AND, it is yet another CHOICE FOR WOMEN in the (now growing) arsenal of weaponry to erradicate these ferocious-fiendish-fibroids!!
OH YES!!! One more point for Team-Women and no points for Team-Fibroid! YEA!! YEA!!! ♥♥

Here We/I Go Again!

Wendy — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:44:43 +0000

“It was a dark and stormy night…”
Alright, it wasn’t! Hmmmm, wait, let’s see…
“It was an Africa-hot and raindrop-sized sweat-ball-inducing humid Wednesday!”
Well, whatever…the point is, I am under-the-gun (again) and am feeling quite challenged with ‘what to write’ and how to string beaded words into a beautiful sparkly FIBROID-related blog-necklace! One that YOU might find useful…useful enough anyway, to try on!
By now, you are (way too) familiar with my particular painful plight of desperation to maintain, keep, and hold onto my uterus ~~ 7 doctors and 8 years later ( I was, ultimately, successful) ~~ so I won’t/can’t bore you with that again!!
And, all of those ‘fore score’ blog postings were activated by my sheer laser-like (pun-intended) purpose ~~ that of empowering WOMEN and educating WOMEN and stressing to WOMEN that, YES YOU HAVE OPTIONS…always!! Well, (frankly) that’s been done and iterated and RE-iterated!!
Incorporating the world view within my musings, garnering all of the new and haute-scientific news, adding content to this fabulous (educative) website, FibroidRelief.org ~~ all with a fibroid-related theme ~~ truly, that has been my quest, my goal and my reason-to-write!! But, alas…
I came to the glaring white blank-screened ’page’ this time, and [nada, zip, goose egg]…I was [blank]! [Blank]…
U-N-T-I-L, the New York Times, Science Times section (’I love ♫you♫’) had me all a-giggling-giddy with possibilities! YES!!
Oh yes, I found an article! And, not just any article!! I found an article that spoke of the concrete virtues of the ‘wandering mind’!! Oh yes! And there it was right there before me…all neatly wrapped ready to be opened on that 9th night of Chanukah, and just when you thought the ‘holiday’ was all but OVER!
YES!!
Look what I found…

“There is an evolutionary advantage to the brain’s system of mind wandering. While the person is occupied with one task, this system keeps the individual’s larger agenda fresher in mind. It thus serves as a kind of reminder mechanism, thereby increasing the liklihood that the other goal pursuits will remain intact and not get lost in the shuffle of persuing many goals. But you also want to be able to catch yourself at the Eureka moment!”

Well my Eureka moment (at least for this blog) ‘ah-ha-ed’ when I saw the words “persuing many goals”…oh the wandering mind, indeed! For creativity you need your mind to wander when in the persuit of ANY goal…you simply wander productively!
Keeping the general theme of FIBROIDS in (our wandering) mind, please just meander with me for a ‘train-of-ideas’ and thoughts that, at least for today, are not ‘trackless’! Anyway, please be sure to fasten that seatbelt and hold on cause ‘this’ mind is wanderring! H-E-R-E we go…

♥ ♥♥It’s nearly the 4th of July and patriotism abounds…Patriotism has it’s origin with its ‘cousin’, paternalism(whose essence is male-related) a subtle, but life-important inequity (for women)… If it was named and ‘lived’ in heart-’n-soul, then Maternalism (not patriotism), might allow us to live with NO more ”Wars On ~~ everything!”…Testosterone is a very very VERY dangerous drug (in the wrong, ugh, ‘hands’)…If women were more respected (yes, respected), there would not be ridiculous ‘Hysterectomy-Made-Easy’ pamphlets (with drawn cartoon-like characters) so cavalierly handed-out (to a woman) after a fibroid diagnosis (HA! Crazy!)…The non-invasive treatment of Focused Ultrasound is still NOT insured yet, hmmmmmm ~~ I wonder if that was a womans decision?…Women and children (absolutely) should be the utmost top priority of any ‘civilized’ society…It is uncivilized and barbaric to remove a woman’s uterus simply for a benign condition like a fibroid, forsooth!…Women make up 52% of the population, and still, women are NOT offered ALL of their choices/options in EVERYTHING!!♥♥♥ The end (sorta) of my mind-wanderings!
And just to clarify, I LOVE MEN, I really really really love men!!!
But, I love ‘real men’…the gentle and kind and caring and non-violent and nurturing and respectful-of-women (and children) and the kind of maternal-like male…the ‘REAL MEN’…that would try with all of their heart-’n-soul to save (not rip out) a woman’s uterus. Real ‘gentle’men! Gentlemen!!

Mind wanderings are indeed intersting and valuable, just as the New York Times spoke of…very very important way to be creative!! Hey, my racing thoughts began with the ’starting-flag’ of PATRIOTISM and ended with the final lap of OPTIONS FOR WOMEN!!
And I leave you with one important thought…it has been almost 7 years (seven years) and Focused Ultrasound is still not insured…NOW, is that veryPatriotic?!!? I think NOT!! ♥

Hopelessly And Happily…Addicted!!

Wendy — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:48:27 +0000

Hi, my name is Wendy, and…I am an addict!
For 38 years 4 months and 6 days, I have been habitually involved as a very willing participant in a ‘formalized’ addiction!!
To set the record straight (so-to-speak), the truth-of-the-matter is, that…[gulp]…I am (and can not remember when I wasn’t) addicted to exercise AND every aspect that involves the body-in-motion!
So now you know!! And, to really really really tattle on myself and to have the glaring spot-light shine on my craziness…I ran (yes, RAN) the very same day that I delivered each (each) of my children!! Ha Ha, what an image that once (waddling-Wendy) was!
Because of this ‘chosen’ life-style AND the sheer joy that comes from being a perpetual Energizer-Bunny, I have always found it rather curious and very very puzzling, why is it that most people do NOT ‘move’ (hardly) at all ~~ why so sedentary??
If you happen (for whatever reason) to lean more towards the ‘chill’-side of the spectrum…well…I have found some good-solid evidence and credible information that is sure to get you rolling rolling rolling and, quite possibly may even decrease your chance of fibroid growth (due to over-zealous estrogen storage found in fat fat and more fat-cells!)!

Recently, there was an experiment conducted (regarding exercise) and scientists were able to see how much being FIT changes your ability to burn (baby-burn) fat…the kind of fat that stores estrogen, especially (I repeat ‘especially’) prior to the onset of menopause when estrogen levels tend to INCREASE anyway!! Omylanta!!

The experiment was published in Science Translational Medicine and researched from Harvard University and other major institutions. The experiment looked at metabolite molecules (those ‘little guys’ that feed and nurture your entire body ~~ metabolism) and how influenced they are AND will change both during and after exercise!
Blood was drawn from 3 groups of people: 1. Normal, healthy 2. Unfit 3. Marathon runners.
The blood was drawn right before AND then right after each group exercised for 10 minutes. What the researchers found was astonishing!
After 10 minutes of treadmill jogging or stationary-bike riding, the normal healthy adults showed an increase of 100% of their fat-burning metabolites; the unfit group displayed a 50% increase of elevated fat-burning metabolites; and the marathon runners showed a 1000% increase in their fat-burning metabolites!!
Soooooo, the findings suggest that exercise has “both acute and CUMULATIVE effects on your body’s ability to use and burn fat,” says Gregory Lewis, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and an author of the study.
After only 10 minutes of exercise, even the least fit individual showed evidence that their bodies were burning fat! The experiment also showed that the more fit that you are, the more fit you will be in metabolic fat-burning. The MORE you use…the MORE you use!!!

Exercise has complicated chain-reaction metabolic effects deep within our cells, that in turn act on our genes in ways that can change them very very positively ~~ combating all kinds of chronic diseases that are negatively influenced by fatty acids and (excess) estrogen!

So it is with a huge Cheshire-styled grin that I announce MY addiction…ha ha ha happily so!
Hey, pssssst…you want to try? Come on!! Get up!! Start moving! !
Yes, I know…it is oh so (pleasurably) addicting!! But so what…IT IS GOOD FOR YOU!! ♥