Please help. Two doctors with different advice

I should add that my symptoms have all gone. So I think it's on a stalk however the consultant said the scan said different.

Hi Vickie sorry to hear your situation, its good that the cause of your abdomen pain has been identified as you can then get treatment. Fibroids are very common and many on this site will confirm that. 15cm is classifed as a large fibroid and they do grew so the consultant who said myomectomy was giving you one of the options available for treating fibroids i.e. surgery. This type of surgery is offered on the NHS as well as Private.  

The consultant who asked you to go for esmaya wants you to take it to shrink your fibroid down. Some people take it for 6 months and manage to shrink their fibroid prior to surgery, or to a size that  causes less problems for them and do not have surgery. But my understanding is that you cannot take esmya indefintely. I believe the consultant who told you esyma only has nausea as a side effect was wrong, He may just be trying to minimise your anxiety but not telling you all the known side effects.

You need to decide if your fibroids are still causing you problems and whether you can manage the problems with medication or whether you need surgery or some other option. Do you research and look at all the treatment options availalbe and make a decision. I suffered for 10 years with fibroids and finally had Myomectomy and am doing really well. Some choose to stick with medication or choose other treatment option. 

There are many people going through issues with fibroids so dont feel alone, learn from this site, ask questions and research your treatment options. 

My colleague at work is on Esmay to try and  shrink her fibroid and reduce the bleeding.  She doesn't complain of any nausea, but i understand it is a hormone so it possibly will have side effects but different for different people.  It's hard to know what to do when you have two doctors saying different things.  Glad to hear that your symptoms have gone away. I understand that a fibroid on a stalk can get twisted so maybe that was the cause of your pain and maybe affecting your bladder.  Might be a good idea to remove it in case it happens again, the scan would show whether or not it was that particular type of fibroid.  All best wishes, whatever you decide you can always decide not to make a decison right now to and go for watchful waiting and see how things unfold.

Hi, I am in my 20s and due to have a myomectomy soon. My consultant told me that esmya is only a short term fix as they only give up to three courses of treatment and when the treatment has stopped the fibroids will grow again. Although with surgery fibroids can return at a later date but it's the only way to ensure current ones are removed or stop them continuing to grow and causing more problems. Hope this helps.

Hi sorry to hear about your pain. I finally had a myemectomy in January this year after 4 years fighting first to get the doctors to agree I had fibroids and then to get them removed. Even in the morning of surgery the surgeon asked if I really wanted to go ahead with the surgery as it really wasn't that big (5cm) and as it was on a stalk probably wasn't the cause of my pain and problems. I like you suffer from anxiety and this did little to help. Anyway during the surgery they found another fibroid - I'm not sure how big it was but it weighed 1.5kg!.

I was never offered anything but surgery or doing nothing and continuing with pain meds. I am so glad I opted for the surgery. I can't say I'm completely pain free as I still get cramps around my period but not so bad that I can't get on with things. My stomach is also flatter and I no longer looking pregnant all the time. I just generally feel better all round.

I hope you get some more help from the consultants- I found I had to push hard to get to this outcome but I feel it was worth it. Good luck ??

Hi Vickie,

My fibroid was 10cm and was causing bladder problems - frequency, retention, etc. My doctor said the fibroid could cause permanent nerve damage to my bladder if it wasn't removed. I opted for hysterectomy because I'm 46 and not concerned about fertility. I first tried watch and wait and all that happened was the fibroid tripled in size. If you're getting conflicting opinions, perhaps you should ask your GP for help sorting through it all?

Hello Vickie, glad your symptoms are gone for now but no doubt they will return again, and the fibroid will continue to grow. I have been taking Esmya off and on for over a year now, and it has helped to shrink the fibroids (I have many), but it isn't a permanent solution.  However it may shrink your fibroid while you consider your options and get further advice. Esmya has menopausal side effects and some people feel dizzy, and have headaches, but it did work for me. 

Hi Vickie. I would see that as just two opinions and two choices to consider. Both apply, you can do either. Surgery should be the last resort really and it may be worth trying Esmya to see if you get results that mean you can function before considering surgical options, they can help to reduce them or stop them growing but its not permanent , the results can last a while and then you may need to take again.         I use Esmya periodically to manage my fibroids because I would rather avoid surgery.     Its your choice and your body never forget.   When reaching menopause the fibroid should reduce naturally we are told.    If you have no symptoms you can leave fibroids. It is if they are causing bother you can consider what options to try and what is best for you.   Good luck x          

Hey V my 19 year old had horrific pain and catastrophic blood loss with 12cm fibroid. She had no hesitation in following Gynae Advice for open myomectomy. The other option was embolisation. She had course of zoladex subcutaneous implants, 6 months, then the op at end of January 16. She is now on a back packing holiday in Europe. First period came first day of trip / no big deal . I think each case is different. Reckon I'd chat a bit more to consultant if I were you. We were lucky as ours really took my girl under his wing. Good luck. These things are awful

Hi Vickie

I have been on Esmya for over 2 months now as I have 2 fibroids. I haven't had nausea but have slight fluid retention and mood swings. I am coping with these and overall I have felt well. Hope this helps x

hi Vickie,

sorry to hear about your case. seriously, am not a fan of myomectomy. i have had it twice and it still grew back a 3rd time.i would advice you try another treatment. say embolization. Esmaya i understand is to prepare you for sugery after like 3months. it is to shrink the fibroids to a certain level so as to make the sugery easier.i also understand if you stop it, they tend to grow back like twice the size if you dont go for sugery. but embolyzation is more like a permanent solution. its expensive but easier. good result is achive like within a period of 6months depending on your system. i had it in the month of june. i used to have heavy massive bleeding like my intestine would drop because the fibroids were very huge bigger than your 15cm. mine was almost 25cm. but now the bleeding is lighter and my stomach is reducing in size. the next day you are out of the hospital. you can read about it.