:help: Greetings. Hi, I have the lapband, and have lost 70 pounds, but am still over the 400 pound mark. I am in desperate need of a Gynecologist in the Seattle area, I have been diagnosed with a fibroid that I need removed and NO ONE can/will help me. . . all the Gyno's I have gone to say "You're too heavy, I can’t help you" I’ve seen 4? no 5 of them now. I am too "fat" for an embolism, the machines aren’t big enough . . . to "fat" for a hysterectomy. . . I’ll die from the complications . . . to "fat" for the meds to reduce the Fibroid, because my fat issue will absorb the meds and not distribute thru my body

<O:p</O:pI am VERY unhappy having my period every single day:cry , I'm on month 3 of solid heavy periods and could just cry, the cramping, the pain and the HORMONES, my husband could just throttle me and he's been VERY supportive thru all of this. I've been to the ER for blood transfusion because of the blood loss, I'm on Iron because of the blood loss, this is just too much.

Does anyone have any experience as an obese person with Fibroids and who did you go to for help? Thank you in advance for any information you might provide.<O:p</O:p

Damn, I'd go to the ER.

Surely the hospital can help you if no private doctor will...

Virginia Mason is a good Hospital, surely they have some answers for you?

Good luck, sounds terrible for you.

What about calling your surgeon and telling them what is happening and if they could recommend someone? I agree about going to the ER - Geesh - I hope you can find someone! I go to Overlake OB/GYN and never had a problem but then I haven't had any gyn problems.

PS cant they do a D & C - I think my Mom had that done for fibroid tissue?

I have suffered with fibroids for most of my life. It caused very very heavy bleeding for about eight days out of the month. My doctor wanted to do a hysterectomy, but I was determined NOT to have a hysterectomy. I suffered for many years until a young doctor joined the practice and asked me why I didn't have an endometrial ablation done.

I had never heard of one before. She explained that they burn the lining of your uterus. Sounds painful, but there are no pain recepters in this area. The surgery takes less than five minutes and is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. It almost completely eliminates monthly bleeding. I only have to wear a panty liner for two or three days out of the month. Heck, I would have wanted this even if I didn't have fibroids. It is great!

:help: Greetings. Hi, I have the lapband, and have lost 70 pounds, but am still over the 400 pound mark. I am in desperate need of a Gynecologist in the Seattle area, I have been diagnosed with a fibroid that I need removed and NO ONE can/will help me. . . all the Gyno's I have gone to say "You're too heavy, I can’t help you" I’ve seen 4? no 5 of them now. I am too "fat" for an embolism, the machines aren’t big enough . . . to "fat" for a hysterectomy. . . I’ll die from the complications . . . to "fat" for the meds to reduce the Fibroid, because my fat issue will absorb the meds and not distribute thru my body

<O:p</O:pI am VERY unhappy having my period every single day:cry , I'm on month 3 of solid heavy periods and could just cry, the cramping, the pain and the HORMONES, my husband could just throttle me and he's been VERY supportive thru all of this. I've been to the ER for blood transfusion because of the blood loss, I'm on Iron because of the blood loss, this is just too much.

Does anyone have any experience as an obese person with Fibroids and who did you go to for help? Thank you in advance for any information you might provide.

I'm not in your area, but have you tried asking your PCP or even local band surgeons for references to gynecologists?

There's no such thing as too fat for an embolism. Unfortunately they can happen to any one at any time.

I have a friend who is overweight and has fibroids and endometriosis. I know she is tking medication for it, but I don't know any other specifics. I'm going to guess she's on the heavier side of 300 lbs.

Have you had a uterine ultrasound?

If they've told you that you need a hysterectomy, but cannot have it, ask them about something called "hysteroscopic submucous resection" or "endometrial resection and ablation". I know this is an accepted treatment for fibroids, though not if they're in the uterine wall (which yours could be with the amount of bleeding you're having). Anyway, if it hasn't yet been discussed, do ask about it. They're both done... pretty much laparoscopically, and if you could survive laparoscopic surgery 100 lbs ago... maybe your chances of finding a willing practitioner will be better. Hysterectomies aren't laprascopic - so maybe that's the deciding factor...

Best of luck!

Yes, keep calling people. The one gynecologist I actually liked and trusted I saw at Mayo (I have issues with gynecologists after a huge cyst ruined my health years ago). You might have to travel... but don't give up there are good doctors out there.

And if meds can't be taken orally, are they availbe via injections or vaginal rings?

Good luck.

Thank you all for your great ideas, I will bring them up to my current doctor. At least he doesn't feel that my weight is some sort of disease!!!! I had one dr treat me like I was a leaper (I told her I would never be coming back to her clinic)

As for the bleeding the horrible stuff started Feb 2nd, I went to the ER and they couldn't do anything until my hemogoblin (blood count?) got below a certain number, then they would transfuse me. Right now I'm at "normal" period bleeding (like EVERYONE here wants to know all this right) All of my dr's (band, pcp, gyno etc) are aware of what is going on, and all of them are checking my blood levels regularly and I've been "educated" as to when I need to take myself to the ER -- when I get light headed or feel like my blood pressure has dropped. I also carry paperwork with me at all times explaining what is happening if I were to go unconscious.

My current Dr is experiementing with b/c pills to try to stop the bleeding until I loose about 100 more pounds he says then he wants to try to shrink the fibroid. I'm going to ask about the endometrial ablation.

I had my band 16 months ago, and am fully healed from that experience. Actually the dr I'm with right now was suggested to me by my band doctor. As I said above this current dr is the first one of all of them that has treated me like a human being.

Sometimes I wonder if I just need to know that other people have been thru this. Thank you for all your kind responses!!!