Jean English-Hurley – da Vinci Hysterectomy for Uterine Fibroids Success Story

Hysterectomy with da Vinci quickly restored Jean English-Hurley's active lifestyle

From the summer 2011 edition of Shine magazine

Like many women, Jean English-Hurley sailed smoothly along from adolescence through early midlife with no gynecological problems and no family history to cause concern.

"It happened pretty quickly," she says, recalling spring 2010, when her monthly periods started doubling up, accompanied by serious pain that intruded on her normal activities and sometimes kept her home from work.

"I went in for a checkup, but we couldn't find anything wrong," the Dallas resident says. "By summer, my periods just got longer and the pain got much worse.

"I'm big on exercise, and before, if I had any cramps, I'd just go for a run or get on the treadmill to work it off," she says. But working it off no longer worked for this busy mom, wife, and career professional. By early fall, she felt bad enough to miss uncharacteristic several days of work.

Time for a change

Then her doctor ordered a sonogram. The tests found that uterine fibroids were the cause of Hurley's incapacitating problems.

"It felt crazy!" she says. "I had no family history of them, am very active, and live a pretty healthy lifestyle. And I'm a vegetarian!"

A laparoscopic hysterectomy was advised, and Hurley says it was fairly easy to decide on the da Vinci® Surgical System when her physician indicated she was a good candidate for that less invasive procedure.

"There are very few gynecologic patients who are not candidates for minimally invasive surgery, especially when robotic technology is available," her doctor said. "The da Vinci system makes laparoscopic surgery much easier to perform when patients have ovarian cysts or fibroids to be removed or have adhesions from previous surgery, infection, or endometriosis."

Because she works in health care as a laboratory technician, coordinating work for a number of physicians, Hurley had heard about the da Vinci Surgical System.

"When the doctor brought it up, I went home right away and checked Methodist Health System's website to learn more about it," she says. "I even watched a da Vinci procedure on YouTube. It was easy to decide that was the way to go, and we immediately scheduled the surgery."

Happy and active again

Hurley says they removed a golf ball-size mass of fibroids during the procedure in November and relief came swiftly. "I had surgery on a Monday, and I was home on Tuesday and walking around the neighborhood on Wednesday," she says. "I was extremely pleased with the da Vinci surgery. Three weeks before my surgery, a good friend had a conventional hysterectomy procedure. She was in recovery for a couple of weeks, and I have pretty small scars compared to hers."

Her doctor said most patients experience these quick recoveries because they have less pain than patients who undergo traditional surgery.

"Blood loss is also significantly less than with a traditional surgical incision," she says.

Now Hurley is back to her active life, keeping pace with her husband, who is a professional photographer, and two sons, ages 8 and 11.

She recalls with a laugh something her younger son said after the da Vinci procedure relieved her pain. "He said, 'Mom, you're much nicer since you had that surgery,' and I thought how my sickness and pain must have been difficult for my family, too. Overall, I'd recommend this procedure to anyone."

While clinical studies support the effectiveness of the da Vinci System when used in minimally invasive surgery, individual results may vary. Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits.