Esmya Tablets Fibroid Treatment

Hi sunshinegirl,

Why hysterectomy? Is this because you have finished your family and don't want to risk the chance of the fibroids coming back or is it the consultant's choice because it is easier for him/her? Is there any reason why they cannot undertake a myomectomy? This should be possible for any type of fibroid if it is what you want. My advice would be to read about the long term effects of a hysterectomy before you make up your mind. I'm sure it is the right choice for some people but make sure it is your choice not just the consultant's. Hysterectomy is a much easier procedure and sometimes this dictates what they do.

Hi

Have been following all your experiences.

well I thought my Hysterectomy (hopefully keyhole) was happening Sept. I've just got my date 8thJuly. That means I will only have been taking ESMYA for 2mths

The op is 6wks before my family come on holiday,

I'm just wondering can anyone share their recovery -how soon would I be expected back at work. The business I work in is not very sympathetic regarding sickness and I have already had a 'warning'

Hi Ladies,

Finally I back home , i had my open myomectomy on the 12 to remove 1 big fibroid, which the last scan shown 10x9 cm, but actually the surgeon removed something even bigger than that 14cm!!!!

so i have to assume that despite 3 months on Esmya, my fibroid did not shrink AT ALL.

the surgery went ok, but the day after it was very very difficult for me especially because of extreme nausea.

the second day was already better!! I was discharged from the hospital 3 days after. Today I feel fine, tomorrow I have to go to the GP to remove the sutures. My tummy after the surgery was completely flat , and today i weight 3.5 KG less. I do not have my pathology report yet, but I believe that my fibroid weights was at least 800 gr. I feel much better today, even if very very tired ( which is normal), AS MY HEMOGLOBIN went down a bit. the Hospital gave a lot of iron supplements. I still have some light bleeding ( which is normal) and the cut is healing quite well, they did a long bikini line incision. MY surgeon and his team were angels, and all the staff , sisters and nurses at the hospital can be considered NHS diamonds, my life i think has completely changed, my uterus is safe, i can have children, and i got rid of the terrible protuberance in my tummy. I do not look pregnant anymore,but my tummy is still bruised and swollen at the moment.

Ladies, this is my long journey comes to a end, i wish to all of you GOOD LUCK.

@sunshinegirl......... I have opted for hysterectomy as nothing seems to have worked. Over the last three years I have had novasure, D&C, mirena and the esmya and none of the treatments have worked. My family is complete so I feel this is the best option for me. Had it worked the esmya would have been the perfect solution but unfortunately I had a lot of side effects during the time I was on it and I still have a little pain and bleeding now. I really was not keen on the surgery but I feel after years of trying to avoid it I have now prepared myself mentally.............. just a little nervous!

I wish you all the best and hope the new consultant has more options to offer you. x

Deanne

I am 45 and my son is almost 24. No plans for anymore children. Consultant just gave me the two options when I saw him - Hysterectomy or Embolisation. He didn't mention Myomectomy, whether that was because I wasn't suitable - not sure. It will be interesting to see what the consultant says tomorrow when I see him.

Hi Christine193

I totally understand how you are feeling. The recovery does seem as though it takes a while. I too would like to hear more from anyone who can share their experience.

Hi Libera1

So glad you are on the mend. How many fibroids did you have? The biggest I have was 9cm (but this was December so may be bigger) also a smaller one about 5cm and then lots of little ones apparantly. I am wondering if I would be suitable for a Myomectomy - I know I probably won't have any more children, but if there was an chance for me to keep my uterus, I think I would.

Hi Anni27

Have you a date for your hysterectomy. Will it be abdominal? I too hope I have more options after my appointment tomorrow. Whatever happens or whatever I decide could happen quite quickly. It's getting quite scary now!

Hi Sunshinegirl,

I am booked in for the 28th June and I am hoping it will be vaginal surgery but there is a possibility I may end up having abdominal surgery. Its happened quite quickly and to be honest I think its better that way - you have less time to over think!

Congratulations libera1! Wishing you a speedy recovery. I am almost four weeks post op now and I am so glad I went ahead and got it sorted out. I have just sent my consultant a big thank you letter this morning. He is a genius!

Good luck to everyone else whatever you decide to do. xx

Hi.

I have 2 fibroids which were 8 and 7cm but are side by side and a couple of tiny ones.

I was prescribed Esmya in Feb following a massive bleed which resulted in a blood transfusion (periods were lasting for 21 days at a time and had times where it would just flood) and I was given a depot injection first by another gynaecologist.

The Esmya seemed to work for the first month; I could see my stomach shrinking and I was having night sweats, was slightly short tempered and the bleeding stopped. After the month it seemed to have stopped working, my stomach seemed larger but it was as though the fibroids had grown upwards. I was given a MRI in May and they had both shrunk to 6cm and both were on stalks, although the consultant said these wouldn't have caused the bleeding and he put me on the list for embolisation anyway.

I started a period 10 days ago but it's very dark, thick and clotty although not as heavy. I can see my stomach going down though and I can fit into clothes I've been unable to wear for a year. I don't want the embolisation, I can't stay in hospital overnight due to childcare and I'm worried about the risks. I'm booked in for the procedure at the start of July. I'm not sure whether the changes in the first month were due to the esmya combined with the depot injection or whether the enlarged uterus during the second and third month was a side effect as the medication can cause an enlarged endometrium. I'm not sure whether I should give it time to settle down before I have anything else done or ask for another depot injection.

Sorry for the essay.

6wks taking Esmya now.

From feeling my belly lying down I believe my my large fibroid is shrinking. I am feeling very tierd. Occasionial sharp pains in sides. Bit emotional.

I am wondering does anyone else have pain going down thigh at times leading to not having full control of leg? This happening to my left leg also getting pain from time to time in right thigh.

I do have a history of left leg 'collapsing' was put down as Sciatica but I think this is 'different'

Hi Christine193,

Depending upon the size and location of the fibroid, this sensation of pain in your thigh could be due to pressure on the femoral or sciatic nerve but it would be best to discuss it with your doctor or a physiotherapist if it is causing you a lot or problems.

Thanks deanne2

Can't understand why it had only started last couple weeks.

I will mention it at my pre-assessment next week

O and I forgot to mention when I need to pee can't hold it now have to wear pad in case I leak!

Hi Christine,

I assume your surgery is coming up soon then. Sounds like all your symptoms are pressure related so the good news is that once the fibroids have gone, it should resolve. I feel so much better since my op now that I don't have all that pressure in my abdomen. It had been building up for so long I had got used to it and didn't fully realise how much it was affecting me. No more rushing to the toilet every half an hour!!

Good luck x

i have a large fibroid, about 9x12x14 cm. Had uterine artery embolisation last year and was more than nervous over that, but really it is a piece of cake. if you have to choose between UAE and hyster-/myomectomy i'd certainly advise to do UAE. If needed you can always get an op later. The UAE has very little side-effects, the procedure itself is done under local anesthesia and not uncomfortable at all. You will likely have a lot of pain right after the treatment so you can opt for an epidural, a morphine pump or just oral painkillers. I opted for the oral painkillers as i have given birth to multiple children and did not expect this pain to be much worse. But - i did need the morphine pump after all. The pain only lasted 4 hrs and i felt fine after the side effects of the morphine faded, went home the next day and had to take some rest for a couple of days to avoid the artery from opening.

I read some were afraid of the UAE - there is no reason, i would do it again, and i am really not very fond of hospitals.

For most women the UAE stops the fibroid from growing and even shrinks it, for me that worked the first 5 months but then it started to grow back. That is very rare, usually the UAE treatment works well. So, in any case i now have the choice between a 2nd UAE and esmya, and will probably opt for esmya as the fibroid does not have a lot of blood flow currently so UAE may not be that effective. I am really curious to hear about experience with esmya, the clinical trials were very convincing, but in this forum i have only read posts from women where the esmya did not do anything. Maybe that is because if it works well, you do not visit this forum.. but i'd love to hear more experiences, especially from women taking esmya after UAE

Hi all,

I have a fibroid that is 11cm x 11cm, it has grown by 25% in the last 6 months, whilst it doesn't affect my periods in any way or cause me any real discomfort, it does make me feel tired and I look quite fat! I also suffer from blood clots so my consultant wants to look at surgery as a last resort due to the added complications that my susceptibility to blood clots brings. So he has put me on esmya for 3 months to see if this helps, he said they had one patient who took it and her fibroid reduced by 75% so fingers crossed! I've been taking it for 2 weeks now and so far the only side effects I've had is feeling very tired and a little bit emotional lol. I'll keep you updated on how I get on with it.

Hi Ladies I am still going round in circles with this. I have now being seeing a hypnotist and apparently have an anxiety issue. On top of this, the tumour is not pedunculated as the doctors have been saying for the past 9 months, it's intra mural. There is also 2 tumours now, not one! And this is with going private!

Assuming I don't freak out again and it's still possible to remove this size and type of fibroid, I will be having the op on 7th August.

I just can't understand why they weren't able to diagnose they type of tumour after so many scans and appointments! Not to mention spending £600 on Esmya that did not work as it's ineffective on pedunculated tumours! I think i am losing faith in the medical profession!