All right ladies….and gentlemen. In a previous post I told you I had decided to get the Nova Sure and Essure procedures done. Bye Bye Aunt Flo
Today, I had the procedure done. I am sure the guys are wondering and maybe some ladies are wondering “why is she talking about the monthly?” We need to talk about it. The topic of a period/menstruation cycle is no longer taboo. It’s 2012.
I want to give you my experience of the procedure. It’s only a day (hours after the procedures I had). If you are in and around the Athens, GA area, here is the center I went to The Ashford Center
First let me say, Dr. Clinton Ashford and the ENTIRE staff have been wonderful from the moment I came to the office just a few short weeks ago to find out if this was something I would be a candidate for. My doctor referred me to him. However, it wasn’t until I was talking with a co worker about her procedure that I found out, he did hers as well. She had nothing but good words to say about the entire staff and her procedure. In talking with friends about the procedure and the question always arises of who is doing the procedure I told them. Even if they never stepped foot in the office they have heard good things from other people about the entire office.
While this atmosphere is important; the most important thing to me as a patient is the knowledge and experience. I felt I was in good hands the entire time. Even after the procedure I feel I am in good hands. In some offices if any complications should arise past experience has been the doctors have you call the office phone and then you talk to an answering service. That is NOT the case with this doctor. I have the office number, his cell phone number AND his home number.
I went in this morning at the scheduled time. The procedure is only minutes, the paperwork took longer than the procedure. The office has their own anesthesiologist on staff. Within 2 minutes I was out. I did not realize this at the time. When the nurse came back in, I thought I was just waiting on the meds to put me to sleep, but the procedure was all ready done. If I recall I was in that room at 10:30 and my friend said they called her at 10:40-10:50 to say I was done and in recovery.
After the procedure I had cramping and I knew this was normal. The cramping was no different than the first day I would start my period. Ladies if you suffer from these cramps during your period then you know the type of cramping I am talking about. Once home I still had cramping and I felt a little nauseous but I think that was due to the anesthesia. I took my pain meds and went for a nap and just 8-9 hours after surgery NO CRAMPING and no feeling sick anymore. I feel like I did just before I went into the room.
Once awake from the procedure the doctor came in and talked with me a bit. Everything went great. He showed me the results, before and after (I am assuming the photos were done via scope). Untrained eye of a patient obviously I had no idea what I was looking at, but he did.
In the consultation visit a couple weeks ago, he asked questions about what my periods were like. You don’t realize it until it is right there on paper for you, with the PMS, then the actual period itself I was suffering from the symptoms (moods, emotions, irritability, cravings, bloating, severe lower back pain, diarrhea and the actual for 1-1.5 weeks out of the month. At the consultation a few weeks ago, he showed me his own patients surveys
He also showed today me more surveys just done today. 3 of the women with the year after having their procedures went off of their depression medications. For me birth control (something I will now no longer have to have) increased the depression; I had been on birth control pills before, right after my son was born and was on them for 4 years before I went off of them so we could have another baby. Jack had a vasectomy after our second one I didn’t need to worry about birth control. When my daughter was around a year and a half old I went on the pill to not have periods. I was noticing I was more irritable being on the pills. It was then I read the entire information sheet and saw that if I had these symptoms to contact my doctor as it might be a sign of depression. It was then; the doctor took me off birth control and put me on a depression medication. Do I know if I will be able to come off of my depression meds? No not yet, it is too soon to tell. Seeing those 3 surveys today by those women gave me hope. Most women, no longer have the symptoms that go along with the woman’s menstruation cycle. On many of the surveys women have stated that getting these procedures done is the best thing they have done.
Obviously this procedure is NOT for women who plan on having children. I thought long and hard for two years. Despite complaining to my doctor it would be nice to get rid of my period all together, she showed me the brochure for the Nova Sure, and told me, I would not be able to have children again. I was the one that said, “even though I don’t plan on having children, I will read it and think about it, because I am still young enough that if did remarry, that a future partner and I could still have children.” She thought that was very responsible of me. So I thought a long time on this, even though I knew I didn’t want to go through the baby stage again, sometimes we do want to have children. After two years of feeling the exact same way, I knew having the procedure was right for me personally. I have two beautiful children almost 15 and 9; I am 34 years old. I am at a different stage in my life; I still have children to raise, but I don’t want to start all over again with the child rearing at this point in my life.
Anyway, so far only hours after the procedure I am very happy with the outcome. I will keep all you ladies posted as to what transpires over the next while.
One Woman's Logic 