April Wood

For years I suffered from severe stomach cramping and heavy menstrual bleeding. Over-the-counter remedies, prescription medications and even a tubal ligation brought little to no relief.

The pain was excruciating and often interfered with my daily activities and even caused me to miss work on occasion.

Dr. Barbara McCollum diagnosed me with adenomyosis, and although there are treatments, hysterectomy is the only cure. I was actually excited when Dr. McCollum suggested a hysterectomy. I was glad to know that I would soon have relief from the pain.

It wasn’t until my pre-operative appointment that Dr. McCollum informed me that she would be performing her surgery with assistance from the daVinci robot. I was terrified. I didn’t know what to expect. It was so new.

The surgery went very well and only took about an hour.

As a working mother I was concerned with the time it would take for me to return to my normal daily activities. My friends warned me that it would be weeks before I would be back to my regular routine. I was pleasantly surprised that I felt like I could run a marathon at the two week mark, even though I wasn’t allowed to return to normal activities until the four week mark.

Hysterectomy with the daVinci is awesome. The recovery time is much better compared to “open surgery” or laparoscopic hysterectomies. I only have three tiny scars. And even better, I am no longer in pain.