Not all super heroes wear capes
Here’s a superhero I want to take the time to highlight. Her name is Thais Aliabadi, Oby-Gyn, in LA. She saved my life.
I couldn’t be more blessed to have crossed paths in life with this brilliant, uber talented, patient, attentive and genuinely caring woman!
A little background on what happened; I had been suffering from severe abdominal distention and swelling to the point where I would look 6 months pregnant. Lots of GI issues, including sibo, multiple rounds of antibiotics, extreme fatigue and just wasn’t feeling like myself! For the past year, my symptoms would come in flare ups and it progressively got worse - it became chronic.
I saw countless doctors in different fields, but no diagnosis. No one could tell me what’s happening. I went down an incredibly long list of testing, from colonoscopy/endoscopy/pill cam endoscopy, mri’s, ultrasounds, ct scans, blood tests just to name a few and often would be told that its probably hormonal and or just something by body is allergic too. I even had my entire house tested for mold. I was told to let it go - that it would figure itself out with time. That I’m just too impatient and making myself crazy over this! I would just not quit on trying to figure it out!
From the start when I met Thais at her office in LA, she listened to my story, truly listened. She heard me (a doctor’s quality that makes a tremendous difference) and agreed that we have to push to get to the bottom of this. She always said “No one knows your body better than you.” She proposed we go in there and find out. I was ready.
A week ago I went into surgery with Dr. Thais. She performed a Laparoscopy surgery for what we thought at the time was potentially Endometriosis disease!
She found and removed 11 implants around my uterus, ovaries, and all connective tissues around the organs in my abdominal cavity. These were sent to pathology for testing.
3 days later... the labs came back. No endometriosis.
All 11 implants came back as Serous Borderline Tumors. A very rare pre-cancer of the ovaries. Very sneaky and aggressive. If those became cancer, the survival rate is less than a year.
So what happens next? I am scheduled for total hysterectomy surgery in 4 weeks. My uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, omentum will be removed and will get abdominal lymph nodes removed for staging.
I’m remaining positive and determined to beat this thing. There is only one option and it’s winning this battle! As a mom of two young daughters, I have too.
Let’s bring light to a huge woman healthcare issue here. Women get so conditioned to believe that is it normal to suffer, most often in silence. Told to stop being a cry baby. That it must be hormonal imbalances, just anxiety or just all in your head. This is not normal. This cycle has to be broken! If you get dismissed by a doctor, go see a new one until you get the help you need! Advocacy is the key. Advocate for yourself and keep pushing! Follow your instincts. Never ever underestimate your gut feelings!
Thank you to @drthaisaliabadi and her amazing team of nurses. You guys truly make a difference for so many women!!
I have an angel on my shoulder protecting me, THANK YOU DAD
