Dr Eisen Liang, who is an interventional radiologist with more than 25 years of experience, says for many women who suffer from heavy and painful periods the cause is Adenomyosis – the bad cousin of endometriosis which is treatable.
Adenomyosis isn’t easy to diagnose, often taking a decade to be detected in an ultrasound, which is why some women undergo a hysterectomy as they feel they are out of options. Here, Bashir Kumar reveals her experience with Adenomyosis
It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I was bleeding everyday for almost a year. I was in constant pain, I always had a headache and I was fatigued all the time. It got to a point where I had to get iron infusions and at one stage, even a blood transfusion.
I never planned a family holiday or risked going anywhere where I didn’t have access to a bathroom. Occasionally I would experience “flooding” – which means blood would gush out of me like a river. I couldn’t control it. It was so traumatic.
And the worst thing is… I couldn’t tell anyone.
I remember going to the bathroom at least every hour when I was at work. I was embarrassed and I couldn’t confide in anyone. It was having a massive impact on my life – even a normal working day turned into a nightmare for me. It wasn’t until I had to get my third iron infusion. I thought to myself.. I need to stop doing this to my body and find another alternative.
Every doctor I went to recommended a hysterectomy. I didn’t want to go down that path, so I continued my search for an alternative. Until I came across UAE. Uterine Artery Embolisation (UAE) is a non-surgical and non-hormonal radiology procedure that is performed under local anaesthetic and light sedation.
A small tube is navigated under x-ray to find the uterine arteries then small particles are injected into them to block the blood supply. The adenomyotic tissue will die due to the lack of oxygen and the normal uterine muscle wall can open up collaterals and therefore isn’t harmed.
The UAE procedure provides hope for women and has a 90% success rate. I underwent the procedure and only needed a week of recovery time. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for another alternative other than surgery.
For more information : http://sydneyfibroidclinic.com.au/
This story was originally published on The Carousel.
