Stacy’s history with fibroids goes back to when she was beginning her family. Her doctor at the time identified fibroids which they agreed to remove via myomectomy. She was able to bear children without issue, but after some time, the fibroids returned. It was recommended to Stacy that she wait until menopause to address the situation. But she was not comfortable with that suggestion. “Menopause could be in one year, or it could be in four years. And I couldn’t go through the next four years of life in so much discomfort or not knowing if I was going to start hemorrhaging,” she says. So Stacy sought a second opinion.
After doing her own research, she met with Dr. Sukhedo of Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Dr. Dwight Chen of El Camino Hospital. In their opinion, Stacy should have her fibroids surgically removed sooner than later because of her compromised quality of life and the size and location of the fibroids.
Stacy found Drs. Chen and Sukhedo to be two of the area’s top-rated gynecology surgeons, especially for the robotic-assisted surgery for which she was an ideal candidate. The more she understood about the robotic-assisted option, the more she recognized its benefits. The procedure, which required both doctors, included just five small incisions which allowed for minimal scarring and discomfort as well as less recovery time. “The abdominal option included a bigger incision, more scar tissue and a longer recovery period. There were a lot more pros than cons to do the robotic surgery,” recalls Stacy. At that point, her choice was clear.
Stacy’s procedure went well, and she stayed one night in the hospital. As she remembers it, “Everyone was very friendly and very warm. I felt really comfortable in the hospital.” Then it was time to go home and start healing. “I was told to do nothing strenuous for the first two weeks. And for six weeks, I wasn’t supposed to lift anything heavy. But during that time, I really didn’t have any pain except for the first couple of days. I was so worried that I was going to be in so much pain. But within three days, I was up and about,” Stacy says about her recovery.
Stacy is back on the tennis court, playing multiple times a week. Looking back, she remembers how she used to feel. “I never felt comfortable. I always had some sort of pain somewhere in my body,” Stacy remembers. Now, she can work on her serve and her backhand without pain and discomfort. And she loves how minimal the scarring has turned out to be. Stacy recommends the procedure to anyone dealing with a situation like hers. She says, “Don’t be afraid to do the surgery. Life will be much better.”
