Fibroids & Uterine Female Embolization (UFE)

Dr. Andrew Brown, M.D.
Interventional Radiologist at Harbor Hospital, Baltimore, MD.
Do you often say….

“I am in pain a lot. The continual bleeding is horrible. The uncertainty is overwhelming. I tried birth control pills to stop the bleeding. They were a little effective but only for a short while.”

“My periods are getting heavier, they are unbearable. My life is limited because of my periods.”

“I have cramps that have gotten worse, and have become unbearable. I take too many pain pills daily."

"I have fibroids, what do I do?"

“I have heavy periods every two weeks which leaves me moody and irritable. One minute I’m crying, the next one, I’m angry.”

“My fibroids have limited my lifestyle.”

“I’ve had fibroids before. I had them removed, but they returned. I am always fatigued."

“I don’t have a normal menstrual cycle which puts many restrictions on my life.”

If you have said of the quotes above or you live with constant abdominal pain and pressure or excessive menstrual bleeding, you're not alone. Almost three in four women develop noncancerous tumors in the uterus called Uterine Fibroids, which can cause these symptoms. These fibroids also can result in back pain, pain during intercourse and difficulty passing urine or having bowel movements. However, about 40 percent of women who have these fibroids never experience any symptoms. In any case Uterine Female Embolization (UFE) may be the solution for you.

What is UFE?
Hysterectomy which is removing the uterus, or womb used to be the mainstay to treat uterine fibroids. Now, a non-surgical, gentler, less invasive alternative known as Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) is available. This procedure relieves heavy bleeding in about 90 percent of cases.

Women, who undergo UFE avoid major surgery and its risks and complications. There's no major anesthesia needed and no scarring after the procedure. Patients typically recover within seven to 10 days which is much less than the recovery time of a hysterectomy.

Other benefits of UFE include:
• keeping your uterus,
• virtually no blood loss,
• resolving most post-procedural pain within a few days
• a very low chance of needing hormone replacement after the procedure.

UFE which is also known as uterine arterial embolization, involves an incision in the groin about the size of the end of a pen. A surgical tube is guided to the arteries that feed the uterus, and sand-sized particles are placed in the arteries to block blood flow. This causes tumors to shrink, relieving pain and pressure.

If you need help on this matter, contact Dr. Andrew Brown, M.D. of Harbor Hospital via the link below he will help you determine if UFE is right for you.

http://www.harborhospital.org/body.cfm?ID=555555&?CFID=4022618&CFTOKEN=29414034&UserAction=DoctorDetails&action=&doctorid=5621&ziplongitude=0&ZipLatitude=0


Uterine Fibroids are most common in women older than 30, with African-American women being at higher risk. A simple imaging test that provides details about the size and shape of the tumors can determine if you're a good candidate for UFE.

Women who have gone through the procedure say...
“I learned about UFE and was hopeful. I had it on a Thursday and I was back to work on Monday. 3 days after my procedure, the bleeding stopped. UFE made a difference in my life.”

“I was told to consider having a hysterectomy or have the fibroids cut out, but they could grow back again, so UFE was the best choice for me.”

“While considering a myomectomy or a hysterectomy, I attended a seminar on fibroid tumors and treatment options. I was told about UFE and I had the procedure. The difference in my lifestyle is incomparable."

“After having UFE my flow isn’t as heavy as it used to be, and I’m much happier.”

“I am comfortable, for the first time in two decades."

"There's no more pressure, and I feel completely different. I'm a new person."

Would You Like To Adopt A Dog?

I have the answer for you. Dogs In Danger Rescue rescues dogs from high kill shelters in the West and South where there are fewer adoptions. The dogs are vaccinated and transported to the Baltimore area. After thorough evaluation and a veterinary check, they are placed in one of four loving foster homes and their profiles are put online for adoption.

There is a $200 adoption fee charged for the adoption which covers puppy's shots and deworming. You can live anywhere in the US and adopt from Dogs In Danger Rescue. Some of the adult dogs rescued have adoption fees as low as $20.

Over 1,000 dogs and puppies have been placed in the last 3 years by Dogs In Danger Rescue. Some of their previously adopted dogs are now search and rescue and therapy dogs.

Available dogs are placed on www.petfinder.com, www.adoptapet.com, www.Kijiji.com and pennysaverwired. com.

Wait no more. Save a dog from euthanasia. Adopt a dog. Having a dog in your life will improve your life in many facets and you will gain a loyal friend and buddy for life. What more can you ask for?

For more information, visit their website at www.dogsindangerrescue.org or call Sarah at 908-745-9191

A New Day A New Way!

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jumped over the candlestick. This is one rhyme I remember all the time. It speaks to Jack's ability to do what he had to do to get things done. Having the ability to roll with the punches of life is a gift. For some it is in born, but for others it is acquired. Being agile, flexible, and dynamic are essential traits to have in this 21st century.

The old ways of doing things are passé. It’s time to re-examine what you do and why you do it. Always ask yourself the question, is this working for me? If it is working for you, keep doing it. If not discard it. Trim the fat, streamline the process, create templates to reuse to be a faster, more creative, more efficient and dynamic worker. This century is not for the lazy. It is for the hardworking, multi-tasker, who embraces technology and gets things done.

Another necessary trait is the ability to see around corners, into the future and embrace the new. This helps to prepare and remain relevant. This is no easy task. It requires constantly seeking out and sifting through new information, discarding the crap and thoroughly researching promising new finds. Then comes applying what you've learned to your life. Some of the old things you did or believed are no longer applicable. Though some things are worth saving from the past they may need to be modified to fit into the new ways of doing things.

Things don’t have to be the way they have always been. The world is now a global market. Security and loyalty is a thing of the past in every facet of life. No more fences or laws to keep better, more qualified and experienced people from taking your job or creating products that will compete with yours and drive you out of the market place. This means you have to keep striving to be the best at who you are and what you do.
 
It's a new day and only the people with the ability to adapt to new ways that set them ahead of the pack will survive. A word is enough for the wise...

A Poem To Reflect On How Fleeting Life Is

This is a poem by a special girl who will soon leave this world due to cancer.
This young girl has 6 months left to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a letter telling everyone to live their life to the fullest, since she never will.
She'll never make it to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own......


On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Michael Jackson VS Bruce Springsteen

My friend sent me an email and I would like to share his take on the Michael Jackson death and funeral and my response to him.

His email to me: "What do you think about Michael Jackson? I think it is all overdone. I feel Michael Jackson was talented in an androgynous kind of way. Not really my style. He did not stir my soul. In my view, Bruce Springsteen had more soul than Michael Jackson."

My email response to him:

Michael Jackson achieved what was thought to be impossible to the black world community. He paved the way for other black people in so many spheres and did so much to help black people all over the world. There are so many entertainers who are entertainers now because of him. He is a role model to so many.

I don't think his funeral was overdone. Actually, I thought it was underdone because as an artist he was larger than life. If he was alive and giving away free tickets to a concert more people would have showed up but people were told not to show up in the vicinity without a ticket and they probably were scared that the police would not tolerate any foolishness. We both agree that he was talented, but reaching the heights he did takes more than that. He was creative, disciplined, focused and tenacious. To have the worldwide popularity and staying power he did in the industry as an entertainer is amazing. He sacrificed his childhood and his life pretty much.

He has his faults because as a black person I don't appreciate that he distanced himself from being black. He changed his features to look white but he just magnified what many black people do to be accepted into some circles. When people perm their hair, add extensions or use toning creams to look lighter, they do the same thing to a lesser degree. I also don't appreciate his children being totally caucasian, they don't look biracial so he wanted to distance himself so much from being black that he didn't even biologically father the kids, I don't even know what to say to that......As much as I'd like to go on and on about how he tried to dispose of his blackness, I have to stop myself because he was neither my family member nor friend. To me he was an entertainer and he entertained me thoroughly and that is all I should evaluate him for so I'll go, back to his entertainment career.

Michael was a singer with a wide octave range, he was dancer, he was a human beatbox, he was music producer, and he was a choreographer and music video director/producer/scriptwriter. He was innovative and ahead of his time. His outfits, dancing and his whole shows were entertaining and his songs sent positive messages. Bruce Springsteen is a good musician/recording artist and he has his place, but as an entertainer they are not in the same league.

Michael Jackson's Funeral

Today was the service to celebrate Michael Jackson’s life at the Staples Center in LA. It was a celebration where Usher, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Lionel Ritchie, John Mayer and other’s performed. Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah and Brook Shields eulogized him. It was a great celebration to celebrate a great man but I really feel sorry for him, the children he left behind and chaos over his estate will soon ensue.

Everything in life has a price and Michael Jackson’s greatness came with a huge price tag including lack of privacy, lack of a normal childhood, practicing till he was perfect and not having normal relationships.

We should all realize that balance is the key to life. It wouldn’t have been so bad if he missed a few steps in a dance routine during a performance or in a music video or even forgot words to his songs like many of these new breed artists including Beyonce has done. There was no one that close to him who could’ve taken the spotlight from him but
Michael was from a different time. Though it still exists but not to the same degree, he came up in a time when most African Americans still felt inferior no matter how good they are, so they keep striving for the unattainable till they lose it all. Though this inferiority complex manifests itself in different ways such as wearing weaves and perms, marrying Caucasians, using bleaching creams and so many other things black people do to be more like Caucasians, in Michael Jackson it was magnified and this was because he could afford it. Also, his desire and ability to create the childhood he missed is something most of us would do if money was no object for us. So for everyone talking about him negatively, as you point one finger at Michael, your other four fingers point right back at you.

So as with any situation we should learn from Michael’s mistakes. You are who you are. Don’t attempt to alter yourself, you can never come up with good results because even if you do in the short run it will not be for the long run. Also, do your best and leave the rest. Don’t push yourself too hard because you are only human and regardless of how hard you try you can’t always be perfect.

Adieu Michael Jackson!

It's taken me a while to post anything about Michael Jackson's death because it seems unbelievable though it's been all over the media. I still can't believe it.

When I first heard about Michael’s Jackson’s death I was getting my new phone activated at Costco. A man walked over and said, it’s not clear yet but it seems Michael Jackson is dead or is in a coma. My first response was “are you sure of what you are saying?” Are you sure it’s not some publicity stunt to promote his comeback to the entertainment scene? The man’s response was, “that was cold!” I felt bad but you never know with celebrities and their promotion and marketing strategies.

When I got on the internet later that day I realized it was really no joke. The king of pop, the genius who pushed the entertainment limits to the awe of millions of adoring fans all over the world, had passed on to the great beyond. Adieu, Michael Jackson. If prayers follow the dead, I pray for a safe passage into the great beyond for you.