Binnie S. is always on the move. Whether it’s working out at the gym, kayaking or playing volleyball or pickleball, she loves to be active. However, heavy periods and severe menstrual cramps began sidelining the government media employee about seven years ago. She had anxiety traveling to work at times, fearful that she would bleed through her clothing while on the bus to Manhattan.
“As women, I think we just deal with painful periods and accept them as part of life,” Binnie says.
Last year, however, her periods became overwhelming. Because she recently moved to Maywood, she looked for a new gynecologist closer to home. It was difficult to find a doctor, and when she did, the practice lost her bloodwork, so she looked for a more reliable OB/GYN. She had trouble getting an appointment, so she went to an urgent care center, where she was diagnosed with a fibroid in her uterus. They tried removing the large mass in the clinic, but there were complications.
“I was awake, and it was the most dreadful, horrible experience I’ve ever had in my life,” Binnie recalls. “The surgeon was tugging at the fibroid, and it literally felt like she was pulling my insides out. It was unbelievably painful and traumatic.”
Because the surgery was unsuccessful, she was referred to a gynecologist. There, she was prescribed medication to manage the pain and bleeding. The OB/GYN urged her to have the fibroid removed, but she was reluctant to have surgery again. She was prescribed progesterone when the first medication didn’t alleviate her symptoms.
“That was a horrible mistake,” she says. “My periods became brutal. When I called the doctor because I felt it was an emergency, he was angry and not helpful. I started looking for yet another gynecologist.”
That’s when she found Holy Name OB/GYNs Kiran Joshi, MD, and her daughter and clinical partner Vibha Joshi, MD. They reviewed her records, listened to her concerns and performed a thorough examination. Because of Binnie’s condition and the complex location of her fibroid, they referred her to Eric Liberman, DO, director of minimally invasive gynecologic surgery at Holy Name.
“Dr. Liberman is excellent,” she says. “He’s extremely detail-oriented and asked me a lot of questions. “I’ve been through such a long journey and through so much trauma. I prayed I’d get someone who would be the perfect fit, and for the first time in over a year, I finally felt comfortable.”
Dr. Liberman used a bipolar hysteroscopic resectoscope – an electrically charged surgical tool – to see inside the uterus and remove the abnormal tissue. Called a hysteroscopic fibroid removal, the minimally invasive procedure treats fibroids growing inside the lining of the uterus. Binnie went home the same day and had minimal pain and bleeding.
“I feel great,” Binnie says. “I felt so comfortable at the hospital. The procedure went well beyond my expectations. I would recommend Dr. Liberman to anyone.”
