US doctor Jocelyn Fitzgerald initially dismissed the persistent back pain she felt while sitting as if it was nothing. Jocelyn, who has treated pelvic organ prolapse, bladder and pelvic pain, was able to diagnose her own pain after some time.
He thought that his pain was due to his menstrual pain
Jocelyn, a urogynecologist, said, “I attributed the cause of my low back pain to things like PMS, stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, bad posture. When I went to the bathroom, the pain started to intensify and I started thinking about what to say to a patient experiencing the same symptoms. I said ‘I feel like the universe is telling me to get an ultrasound’ and I thought ‘if I were my patient I would get an ultrasound’.
THE SIZE OF THE MASS WAS 7 CM
As a result, a solid mass of approximately 7 cm was encountered on ultrasound. It was a large and vascular mass. No one would call it benign. I had surgery to remove the mass in the operating room where I often perform surgery. As a pelvic surgeon, I was scared while operating. I know a lot. I knew exactly what was going to happen,” he said.
His surgeon removed the mass known as cystadenofibroma, a rare but benign ovarian tumor that mimics the appearance of a malignant tumor. Dr Fitzgerald said it was “the best day of her life” to learn that the mass was not cancerous.
AN IMPORTANT LESSON FOR WOMEN
As the doctor packed up and reflected on his experience, he took to Twitter to tell others about what had happened and warned them. Jocelyn said, “Women unfortunately ignore the gynecological procedure business. Many women need pelvic and gynecological surgery. Women often ignore their bodies. Do not normalize your pain,”he said.