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Success Story

Abel Delgado
Abel Delgado

When executing content marketing for a hospital brand, a simple success story focused on the patient is a solid tactic to employ.

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success story A simple procedure D espite being an unpleasantand powerfully life- altering medi- cal procedure, hysterectomy seemed to be Robin Goodens only choice. Three years ago the Fort Lauderdale native began suf- fering from intense cramps, ir- regular menstrual cycles and other symptoms. I was tired all of the time, she says. It was a roller coaster ride. I could never focus on how to plan out my days because I didnt know what was going to happenI couldnt focus at work, I couldnt attend any family activities outside of the house because I was so afraid. Her menstrual cycle had become unpredictable, arriving twice a month. Her energy level dropped, and she became anemic at one point, even requiring a blood transfusion. The cause of all this misery was uterine fibroids, which are be- nign, non-cancerous growths that develop inside and on the walls of the uterus. Robin saw her doctor, who prescribed birth control pills to get her cycle under control and help shrink the fibroids. But the pills didnt work. They would actually make me feel nauseous all the time, she explains. They also didnt shrink the fibroids. We did a sonogram and the sonogram showed where the fibroids were actu- ally growing, says Robin. A friend recommended a gynecologist. His recommendation was that she undergo a hysterectomy. Robin made sure she got a second opinion from another doctor, who also recommended a hys- terectomy. She scheduled the procedure, but still had her doubts. She did some research on fibroids and discovered that for- mer Secretary of State Con- doleezza Rice treated her fibroids with uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). Robin im- mediately made an appoint- ment with another gynecolo- gist and asked about UFE. This doctor then referred her to Dr. Linda Hughes, who is an interventional radiologist at Imperial Point Medical Center. UFE is performed by an interventional radiologist in a hospital in an outpatient setting. The goal of UFE is to shrink fibroids, relieve the patient from the symptoms they cause and prevent un- necessary surgery, says Dr. Hughes. It is not known what causes fibroids, but they are fueled by hormones and they steal blood from the uterus. Once a patient reaches menopause, the fibroids tend to go away naturally, explains Dr. Hughes. The UFE procedure usually takes between 30 minutes to one hour. The patient receives twilight sedation instead of general anes- thesia. UFE is done by inserting a thin tube into an artery at the top of the thigh and using X-ray imaging to guide the tube into the uterine artery. Tiny round particles are injected through the catheter and into the blood vessels that lead to the fibroids. These particles block the blood that is flowing to the fibroids, causing them to shrink. When the fibroids begin to shrink, the pain and other symptoms go away and women will generally return to having a normal men- strual cycle. Overall, UFE is a simple, safe procedure and it is covered by most major health insurance plans. For Robin, the UFE has made all the difference. I feel like a mil- lion dollars! she exclaims. By Abel Delgado Made all the difference Robin Gooden and Dr. Linda Hughes 16 Broward Health

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Success Story

  • 1. success story A simple procedure D espite being an unpleasantand powerfully life- altering medi- cal procedure, hysterectomy seemed to be Robin Goodens only choice. Three years ago the Fort Lauderdale native began suf- fering from intense cramps, ir- regular menstrual cycles and other symptoms. I was tired all of the time, she says. It was a roller coaster ride. I could never focus on how to plan out my days because I didnt know what was going to happenI couldnt focus at work, I couldnt attend any family activities outside of the house because I was so afraid. Her menstrual cycle had become unpredictable, arriving twice a month. Her energy level dropped, and she became anemic at one point, even requiring a blood transfusion. The cause of all this misery was uterine fibroids, which are be- nign, non-cancerous growths that develop inside and on the walls of the uterus. Robin saw her doctor, who prescribed birth control pills to get her cycle under control and help shrink the fibroids. But the pills didnt work. They would actually make me feel nauseous all the time, she explains. They also didnt shrink the fibroids. We did a sonogram and the sonogram showed where the fibroids were actu- ally growing, says Robin. A friend recommended a gynecologist. His recommendation was that she undergo a hysterectomy. Robin made sure she got a second opinion from another doctor, who also recommended a hys- terectomy. She scheduled the procedure, but still had her doubts. She did some research on fibroids and discovered that for- mer Secretary of State Con- doleezza Rice treated her fibroids with uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). Robin im- mediately made an appoint- ment with another gynecolo- gist and asked about UFE. This doctor then referred her to Dr. Linda Hughes, who is an interventional radiologist at Imperial Point Medical Center. UFE is performed by an interventional radiologist in a hospital in an outpatient setting. The goal of UFE is to shrink fibroids, relieve the patient from the symptoms they cause and prevent un- necessary surgery, says Dr. Hughes. It is not known what causes fibroids, but they are fueled by hormones and they steal blood from the uterus. Once a patient reaches menopause, the fibroids tend to go away naturally, explains Dr. Hughes. The UFE procedure usually takes between 30 minutes to one hour. The patient receives twilight sedation instead of general anes- thesia. UFE is done by inserting a thin tube into an artery at the top of the thigh and using X-ray imaging to guide the tube into the uterine artery. Tiny round particles are injected through the catheter and into the blood vessels that lead to the fibroids. These particles block the blood that is flowing to the fibroids, causing them to shrink. When the fibroids begin to shrink, the pain and other symptoms go away and women will generally return to having a normal men- strual cycle. Overall, UFE is a simple, safe procedure and it is covered by most major health insurance plans. For Robin, the UFE has made all the difference. I feel like a mil- lion dollars! she exclaims. By Abel Delgado Made all the difference Robin Gooden and Dr. Linda Hughes 16 Broward Health