{"id":36817,"date":"2025-04-16T07:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T07:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=36817"},"modified":"2025-12-31T21:51:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T21:51:49","slug":"why-a-preventive-hysterectomy-might-offer-peace-of-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/why-a-preventive-hysterectomy-might-offer-peace-of-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Why a preventive hysterectomy might offer peace of mind","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2021, Judi Feliciano\u2019s mother died from endometrial cancer. She had been diagnosed a year prior.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father passed away four months before she did,\u201d Feliciano says. \u201cIt was awful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the diagnosis, her mother never had any health issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one,\u201d she adds. \u201cShe was 78 1\/2 and never had any problems. Watching my mother die was horrible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feliciano, 62, says she\u2019s also never had any medical issues and is proactive about her health. She stays on top of annual checkups and recommended screenings.<\/p>\n

When she began having some pelvic discomfort in the last year, she went to see her OB\/GYN. Her Pap test showed abnormal cells.<\/p>\n

Her doctor said she would keep an eye on her symptoms and check her again next year, but there was nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut after what my mother went through, when I heard I had abnormal cells, my antenna went up,\u201d Feliciano says.<\/p>\n

Her daughter, who has fibroids and has had a partial hysterectomy, advised her to see her doctor Amir Azari, MD<\/a>, an OB\/GYN with MultiCare Women\u2019s Health.<\/p>\n

Weighing the risks and benefits of surgery<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Feliciano met with Dr. Azari and told him what was going on. He did another Pap test and an ultrasound. The ultrasound was normal, but the Pap test again showed abnormal cells.<\/p>\n

\u201cJudi had family history of gynecologic cancer, symptoms of pelvic pressure and persistent abnormal Pap results,\u201d Dr. Azari explains. \u201cWe had a discussion about the risks and benefits of either monitoring her situation or removing her reproductive organs. She made the decision to protect herself and her health by preventing potential future cancer by having a hysterectomy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told Dr. Azari, \u2018I\u2019m past menopause \u2014 I no longer need those organs; I want peace of mind. Take it all out,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cSo that\u2019s what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feliciano underwent a hysterectomy in late January. Dr. Azari performed her surgery using a new single-port robotic technique.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis new method requires only one small incision through the belly button, compared to four or five incisions in the abdominal area using the previous multi-port robotic system,\u201d Dr. Azari explains.<\/p>\n

The single-port approach leads to fewer complications. It means faster healing, less blood loss and less pain. Plus, is causes virtually no scarring, compared with traditional multi-port robotic surgery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI no longer have to worry about dying from the cancer I watched my mom die from.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Feliciano says she had no bleeding and came out of surgery with hardly any pain.<\/p>\n

The single-port robotic platform is a unique and advanced technology. It has only been used for gynecologic surgeries in the past two years by a few major medical centers in the U.S. \u2014 Los Angeles, Chicago and Phoenix \u2014 and now Tacoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients are usually out of the operating room in just a little over an hour and discharged from the hospital the same day,\u201d Dr. Azari says.<\/p>\n

That was the case for Feliciano.<\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Azari is a master at what he does,\u201d she says. \u201cI didn\u2019t have to stay overnight, and I felt so good after surgery, he had to remind me that even though I felt good, I was still healing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feliciano, an executive secretary at the U.S. Department of Corrections, enjoys hanging out with friends and family, drawing, painting and taking vacations. And because she had the surgery, she can continue to do all those things without worrying about getting gynecologic cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel lighter; more relieved,\u201d Feliciano adds. \u201cI no longer have to worry about dying from the cancer I watched my mom die from. I have peace of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2021, Judi Feliciano\u2019s mother died from endometrial cancer. She had been diagnosed a year prior. \u201cMy father passed away four months before she did,\u201d Feliciano says. \u201cIt was awful.\u201d Before the diagnosis, her mother never had any health issues. \u201cNot one,\u201d she adds. \u201cShe was 78 1\/2 and never had any problems. Watching my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":451,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,115],"tags":[169],"class_list":["post-36817","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-profiles-stories","category-womens-health","tag-robotic-surgery"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy a preventive hysterectomy might offer peace of mind - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After her mom died from endometrial cancer, and Judi Feliciano began having pelvic pain and abnormal Pap results, she made the decision to protect her health and have a hysterectomy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/why-a-preventive-hysterectomy-might-offer-peace-of-mind\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why a preventive hysterectomy might offer peace of mind - 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