文章最初发表于2022年秋季 监视器 杂志.
As someone who lives with the hormonal disorder polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), Sarah Hutchinson is used to navigating the oftentimes uncomfortable symptoms that can come with her condition, 比如荷尔蒙失衡，月经周期不规律. So when Sarah began experiencing severe uterine pain several years after her PCOS diagnosis, she initially chalked it up as just another unpleasant symptom for her to manage. 但随着疼痛越来越严重, Sarah started to wonder if something else was going on with her body.
“I thought, this pain I’m having is way more than PCOS,” Sarah, 31, of Ashville recalled. “我就知道出事了.”
因为莎拉的母亲和姐妹都有子宫内膜异位症, Sarah began to wonder if she was suffering from the same condition, 哪一个
可以遗传. Endometriosis is a disorder in 哪一个 uterine tissue begins growing outside the uterus and spreading to other internal organs. The best way to diagnose endometriosis is through a laparoscopic surgical procedure in 哪一个 the provider makes small incisions in the patient’s abdomen and inserts a camera to view the internal organs. If left untreated, endometriosis can progress and cause certain complications, including infertility.
莎拉和她的妻子, 案发’, 希望在未来的几年里组建一个家庭, Sarah immediately shared her concerns with her gynecologist – but the conversation didn’t go as she expected.
“我得到的回应是, “我听到了。, but I don’t want to diagnose you with that because I don’t want to do surgery on you at such a young age,’”萨拉说。, 她当时快30岁了. “我非常沮丧.”
Despite years of being with the same gynecologist, Sarah began to search for a second opinion. As a former education coordinator for 澳门新葡新京, 莎拉工作的一部分涉及到新供应商的培训. 那是在其中一次登机的时候
她见到了Dr. Emily Burnette of 费尔菲尔德医疗保健专业人员 产科 & 妇科.
“当博士. 伯内特和我坐在一起, 她在我桌上看到了我们所有的结婚照, 马上, 她建立了那种个人联系, asking about my wife and if we were going to be starting a family soon and who would be carrying the baby,莎拉说. “She very quickly showed a personal interest in me, 哪一个 made working with her even easier. I felt like having her as my provider just made sense, so I made the switch.”
萨拉第一次和医生见面. 伯内特是在2019年10月. Five months later, she underwent laparoscopic surgery at 融合, where Dr. Burnette was able to confirm what Sarah had suspected all along – she had endometriosis.
“There are four stages of endometriosis and mine ended up being Stage 2. 这些阶段进行得越远，最终开始的次数就越多
烧掉你的神经末梢, eaning you’re not going to be able to feel it when it starts to grow back,莎拉说. 在手术过程中. Burnette was able to burn off the growth that was there and do some other tests as well to make sure that when we do want to have kids, 我的输卵管会正常工作.”
Dr. Burnette说 laparoscopic surgery is the only way to truly diagnose and treat endometriosis and is typically the best option for women like Sarah who desire pregnancy. She said the hallmark symptoms of endometriosis are pain and infertility (see box, 14页).
“不幸的是, 大多数患有子宫内膜异位症的女性多年都没有得到诊断, 要么是因为他们认为自己的症状很正常, or their provider doesn’t recognize their symptoms as being abnormal,” Dr. Burnette说. “总的来说, it has been my experience that if I ask the right questions and listen to what a patient is saying about their experience, 发现子宫内膜异位症我从不感到惊讶.”
萨拉说，她很感激奥巴马医生. Burnette for listening to her and for taking the necessary steps to confirm her diagnosis.
“我喜欢约翰博士的一点是. Burnette is she gives you options and makes you a part of the decisions surrounding your care,莎拉说.
“很多时候，病人不了解医学界, 所以他们走进医院，期待医生告诉他们该怎么做. 博士. Burnette, 她说, “我认为你是这样的, here are three or four different roads that we can take to help you get better. 你想做什么，什么最适合你的计划?'”
Dr. Burnette说 having an open dialogue with patients and working with them to find a solution that best fits their lifestyle and family planning goals will always result in the best outcome.
“Management strategies for endometriosis change as a person changes, 最好的方法是量身定制,” Dr. Burnette说. “There is no way to achieve that without an honest, open, and collaborative relationship.”
Sarah said she has been feeling much better since her surgery and has been working with Dr. 伯内特制定了一个计划
care that will allow her to enjoy an active lifestyle with less pain, as well as begin family planning when she and 案发’ are ready. In addition to her full-time position as a Compliance Associate at 融合, Sarah also sings in two bands – Vital Signs and Everyday People. In July, she had the opportunity to perform with musician Elton Rohn during the Lancaster Festival.
“I think an important message to take away from my story is that it’s OK to be a decision-maker in your care, and it’s OK to seek care elsewhere when you are not getting the answers you need,莎拉说. “我很感激. 伯内特是在她离开的时候进入我的生活的. It makes you think about the power of coincidence, and how everything happens for a reason.”
To learn more about women’s health at 澳门新葡新京, 点击这里.
