Don't miss any of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line.
Add our address, HealthyWomanfromBottomLine@ebhw.bottomlinesecrets.com,
to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here. | February 17, 2011 | |  |  | The Belly Button Hysterectomy: Safer... and Scar-Free | | | Mind-Boosting Secrets | | | You Can Discover Your Dream | | | Blood Pressure "Switch" Found on Human Body... | | | Fascinating Facts... | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | | The Belly Button Hysterectomy: Safer... and Scar-Free When I proposed doing an article on surgical procedures that were less invasive than the traditional abdominal incision approach to hysterectomy, a colleague said, "Nobody gets abdominal hysterectomies anymore, do they?" Well, yes, they do -- far more often than is necessary. According to a recent position statement in The Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, based on the latest available figures, more than two-thirds of hysterectomies in the US are performed through the "classic" five-to-seven-inch abdominal incision -- even though the majority could be done using safer, less invasive procedures. The statement cited two such procedures, laparoscopic hysterectomy and vaginal hysterectomy. I’ll tell you more about these in a moment... But first I want to let you know about a new hysterectomy procedure that not only appears safer but typically leaves no visible scar. With this technique, called laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) hysterectomy (often referred to by the trademarked single-incision laparoscopic surgery, or SILS), the entire operation is done through a single three-quarter-inch incision hidden in the belly button... after which the uterus is eased out via the vagina. I asked R. Craig McClelland, MD, an attending physician at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina, who performs and lectures on the LESS technique, to tell me about it. He explained that with a conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy, the surgeon makes three to five separate incisions (one of which may be in the belly button) to allow insertion of a straight laparoscope (camera) and various surgical instruments. Because a straight laparoscope provides only a limited view, it generally must be moved to a different incision whenever the surgeon needs a different view -- and each incision leaves a small visible scar. Flexibility is the key difference with a LESS hysterectomy, Dr. McClelland said. A flexible spool-shaped device called a port, approved by the FDA in 2009, is placed in the single belly button incision. The port has three openings through which the surgeon inserts articulated (hinged) surgical instruments and a slim, flexible laparoscope that can see in all directions -- so no other incisions are needed. Less cutting means significantly less pain... a lower risk for complications... and faster recovery. Bonus: The belly button generally hides the scar. Another procedure that leaves no external scar is the vaginal hysterectomy, in which an incision is made inside the vagina and the uterus is removed via the vaginal canal. However, the required hospital stay and the recovery time typically are greater with a vaginal hysterectomy than with the LESS procedure, Dr. McClelland said. Comparison of what is typically involved in various hysterectomy procedures... | Type | Incisions | Visible Scars | In Hospital | Recovery | | Abdominal | 1 on lower abdomen | 5-7 inches | 1-4 days | 6-8 weeks | | Vaginal | 1 in vagina | None | 1-3 days | 3-4 weeks | | Laparoscopic | 3-5 on abdomen | ¼ - ¾ inch each | less than 1 day | 2 weeks | | LESS | 1 in belly button | None | less than 1 day | 1-2 weeks | The LESS procedure is appropriate for most women who need a hysterectomy (for instance, because they have endometriosis, fibroids, abnormal bleeding, uterine prolapse, cancer or chronic pelvic pain that has not responded to less invasive treatments). Even extremely obese women and patients who have had multiple Cesarean sections, who often are told that the old-fashioned abdominal procedure is the only option, may be considered for LESS. Exception: The LESS hysterectomy may not be appropriate for a woman who has an extremely large uterus or extensive internal scarring. Insurance generally covers LESS at the same rate as other types of hysterectomies. If your doctor is not experienced with the technique, ask for a referral to one who is. Before scheduling the procedure, ask about the doctor’s level of LESS experience. Dr. McClelland said, "If my wife were the patient, I would want her to use a board-certified surgeon who has performed at least 50 traditional laparoscopic hysterectomies and 20 LESS hysterectomies." Source: R. Craig McClelland, MD, is an attending physician at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and a pioneer in gynecological procedures using laparoendoscopic single-site surgery techniques. He has performed more than 125 LESS hysterectomies with minimal complications... has lectured on and taught the procedure to other surgeons nationally and internationally... and recently presented new data on the technique at the annual Global Congress of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists.
| | |
 | | You Can Discover Your Dream Judy Kuriansky, PhD Columbia University Have you ever done that visualization exercise where you close your eyes and imagine what your ideal life would look like five years from now? If you conjured up a detailed scenario, that’s great... because knowing what you want is an important step toward achieving your full potential. But if all you pictured was your current life (assuming it is less than perfect) -- or if your mind went blank -- don’t get discouraged. All you may need are a few simple strategies to help you discover your dream. What to do... See where a wandering mind takes you. Start paying attention to your fleeting daytime fantasies and sleepy bedtime musings. These are occasions when your mind escapes the usual constrictions of embarrassment, fear and self-censoring that hold you back. Record your yearnings in a diary for several weeks, then read over your notes and look for recurring images or themes. Did you see yourself hiking the Himalayas, finding your perfect partner, celebrating the publication of your first novel? Don’t make any judgments about what’s feasible or what feels impossible. Instead, tune in to whatever pleasurable feelings arise, such as excitement, satisfaction or peacefulness, and consciously connect those feelings to the image of your dream. Notice whom or what you envy. This emotion is uncomfortable, it’s true -- but envy also can be revealing. When you read a magazine, watch a movie or hear about another person’s path, don’t dismiss that pang in your stomach or call yourself petty for thinking, She’s so lucky. Instead, identify the specific aspect of the envied person’s life you most admire -- her high-paying job, her buff body, her commitment to bettering the world -- and consider ways in which you could bring a similar attribute into your own life, even if it is on a smaller scale. Free yourself from naysayers of the past. Think back and ask yourself what you might have done differently if you had never felt constrained by other people’s ideas of what you should do. Example: When I was in my teens and 20s, I entertained a secret desire to become a rock star. But being influenced by my parents’ ideas about what constituted a "respectable" career (doctor, lawyer, teacher) and needing their approval, I went to graduate school to get a doctorate. I do love being a psychologist and I did eventually play music on the side (in fact, I’m in a band now)... but sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had concentrated on that dream and not felt so much angst about it. Lesson: If you gave up a goal to please someone else, consider ways you might fulfill that dream now -- for instance, it’s never too late to join a rock ’n’ roll band, act with a professional theater group or even become a noted artist if you have the talent and do the work. Source: Judy Kuriansky, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and sex therapist on the adjunct faculty of Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. She is the author of five books, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to a Healthy Relationship (Alpha), and is a columnist and advisory board member for HealthyWoman from Bottom Line. www.DrJudy.com
| | |
| | | Fascinating Facts... 21 minutes -- Average amount of time that primary care doctors spend with patients during office visits... a three-minute increase since 1997. 10 days -- Amount of time per year, on average, that US employees take off from work due to their own illness or injury... plus another four days to take care of ailing family members. 5 years -- Difference in average life expectancy between US women (80.3 years) versus men (75.3 years).
| | |
 |  Tamara Eberlein, the editor of HealthyWoman from Bottom Line, has been a health journalist for nearly three decades. An award-winning author of four books, she is committed to helping other women in midlife and beyond live healthy, fulfilling lives. She is also the "chief health adviser" to her husband of 25 years, college-age twins and teenaged son. |  | | Bottom Line Publications | 281 Tresser Boulevard, 8th Floor | Stamford, CT 06901
You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily unsubscribe. To change your e-mail address click here. To update your e-mail preferences click here.
© 2011 by Boardroom Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
No comments:
Post a Comment