Interventional radiology patient experience: My interventional radiologist was a godsend

‘My interventional radiologist was a godsend’

A woman aged in her 40s had dealt with heavy bleeding during her periods all her life and knew there was a family history so never thought anything of the symptom. 

She had tried several options to manage the bleeding including contraception medication and finally a Mirena hormonal intrauterine device (IUD). Doctors had always told her that the most effective treatment to guarantee relief was a hysterectomy. 

Three weeks after the Mirena IUD was implanted, the woman suffered hemorrhaging, had passed tennis ball sized blood clots and lost one-third of her body’s blood reserves. The bleeding had put so much pressure on her heart that it ultimately caused cardiac arrest. 

The woman was in hospital for eight days following the incident, four of which she continued to bleed constantly. During this time she had six blood transfusions. Given the risks of operating after the heart attack and because of the blood thinners she was taking, the patient was referred to an interventional radiologist to discuss the only remaining safe treatment option, which was uterine fibroid embolisation (UFE). 

Following the procedure, the patient’s interventional radiologist said there were too many fibroids to count and they had caused her uterus to expand to the size it would typically be is she was 5-6 months pregnant. 

Her symptoms took a while to settle after the procedure, but she said she saw immediate benefits, and within 18 months her uterus had returned to normal size. The benefits also extended to her general mood, balancing her hormones and bringing an end to the intense mood swings she had been experiencing.

“My interventional radiologist was a godsend – they gave me reassurance and certainty in what was an extremely traumatic time”, she said.