The decision whether to have a hysterectomy, try some other treatment, or postpone any intervention and let nature take its course, is of great importance to many women. Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus, sometimes accompanied by oophorectomy, the removal of the ovaries. Most hysterectomies and oophorectomies performed these days are elective — [...]
These disorders occur when a woman produces antibodies directly against her own cells. The antibodies are thought to cause blood clots in the placenta, preventing the baby getting enough nutrients and blood. Treatment involves drugs that thin the blood, like aspirin and heparin.
An auto-immune condition called systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) causes chronic inflammation which can [...]
Improving consultations
Start by writing down any information you need prior to the appointment. Your questions should also be written down and added to during the consultation.
Repeat information back to the doctor to make sure that you have heard and understood everything correctly. Ask for diagrams and illustrations to help you understand the information the doctor [...]
Most people feel okay for several hours following chemotherapy treatments; they are able to eat, work, do errands, and so forth. Usually some reaction occurs four to six hours later; there are some people who experience little reaction until twenty-four or even forty-eight hours later. On the other hand, some people feel the worst twelve [...]
An annoying complication of axillary dissection (done either with mastectomy or lumpectomy) is lymphedema of the arm. Lymphedema is chronic swelling of the arm due to the accumulation of fluid as a result of lymph node surgery. This surgery can interfere with normal drainage. Lymphedema occurs very rarely following the limited type of axillary dissection [...]
The impact of your cancer on your grown children will be significant. Frequently young adult children—that is to say, those college age or slightly older—may seem quite unconcerned about your diagnosis. This is usually perplexing and even hurtful to the mother, but it may help to know that it is normal. Their apparent nonchalance masks [...]
The reality of medicine today is that you may not spend even a single night in the hospital throughout your breast cancer experience. We have even heard of women being discharged on the same day that they have undergone mastectomies. If you know that you are not feeling well enough to go home, say so [...]
David Spiegel, a psychiatrist at Stanford University, published an important study in 1989 about the positive effect of support groups on the longevity of women with breast cancer. Although his groups were all for women who had metastatic breast cancer, he found that those women who were in support groups lived longer than those who [...]
Surgical treatment. When the gynaecologist is looking around in the pelvis with a laparoscope it is possible to treat specific spots of endometriosis with either diathermy (localised burning) or laser (another technique which does basically the same thing}. It sounds fairly unpleasant, but the woman is under an anaesthetic, so she doesn’t feel a thing. [...]
If you listen to every person who has good advice regarding the ‘right’ things to do in pregnancy, you may get yourself into a bit of a knot. Everyone will want to help you, and even strangers will feel in a position to tell you how to live your life. You will hear stories about [...]