Laparoscopic Surgery vs Exploratory Surgery: My experience.

I am a 47-year-old woman and was having excessive bleeding issues due to existence of multiple huge fibroids in my uterus. I was monitoring the fibroids since it was 5 centimeters in diameter that slowly grew to 9.5 centimeters. I consulted many gynecologists and obstetricians and the only solution that they gave was open surgery hysterectomy to remove the uterus whenever I was comfortable. The word surgery panicked me as it does for everyone thinking of the after surgery care and the recovery period. I kept pushing the treatment due to the reasons above.

I read about Laparoscopic surgery since I was exploring procedures that require minimal recovery period. Laparoscopic surgery, also called minimally invasive procedure, bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery, is a modern surgical technique. I learnt that there are a number of advantages to the patient with laparoscopic surgery versus an exploratory laparotomy. These include reduced pain due to smaller incisions, reduced hemorrhaging, and shorter recovery time.

As I was exploring experts in this surgical procedure, one fine day I saw Dr. Shafalika's interview on YouTube about laparoscopic hysterectomy. I was impressed by the explanation given and the knowledge shared by her. The video gave me the confidence to start the discussion with her. I got an appointment with her the very next day, and I was very happy on the first visit. She is one of the best doctors I have ever met since I moved to Bangalore. She gave the comfort of discussing my medical history as if she was a family member. I felt so comfortable in the way she explained the problem and the solution. I was really impressed by her humbleness and her patience. I thought that if I am going for surgery, it will be with her. She gave me enough time to think and make a decision. We took time to discuss within family and finally decided to go for the procedure. Though I was not  located near the hospital she was working with, I did not mind taking the extra time to work with her irrespective of the distance.

Surgery was fixed as planned and it went smoothly and sucessfully and it was a less invasive method. I was really touched by the confidence and trust she gave me before and after the procedure. I have decided that if there is any gynec issue she will be my first doctor to consult and I can never think of anyone else in her place.

Conclusion

These are the few things I considered or learnt before going in to the surgery

• The surgery may or may not be required for the fibroids depending on the diameter of the fibroid itself and whether it is external to the uterus or interior. 
• You can continue to postpone the surgery if the fibroids are not growing much faster and starts to disturb the other organs. Please consult on this with your doctor to determine if this is the right choice
• Depending on your age you can make your choice. If you decided to go for a surgery, its better you do it earlier than later since you will be younger, and healing will be faster
• Check your condition frequently and monitor regularly to understand how the fibroids are growing
• Find the best doctor in your area and determine if laparoscopic procedure is feasible and whether the doctor specializes in laparoscopy

Good Luck and Best wishes as this is a very critical surgery and it requires lot of mental strength to attempt it. Please comment below to let me know your experiences.