Health Wonders - Summer 2008 - (Page 3)

Making a would never conceive a child. Now she can afford to smile at that thought as she cuddles with her infant son, Brayden. For years, Sims dealt with endometriosis, a condition in which tissue from the uterine lining grows outside the uterus and adheres to the ovaries, fallopian tubes and elsewhere in the pelvic cavity. Affecting as many as 10 percent of women of reproductive age, endometriosis is a common cause of discomfort and infertility. ragina sims had been told for years that she Miracle Ragina Sims welcomes a baby boy after thinking she may never be a mother Having Hope “Ever since I was 14, I would have so much pain and bloating that sometimes I couldn’t move,” says Sims, now 23 and a resident of Madison. She was hospitalized frequently but endured the discomfort for years until she sought the help of Samir Ahuja, M.D., an OB/GYN at University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center. Free Tour More than five decades of experience in providing sensitive, caring obstetrics and gynecology services were applied toward the creation of the Center for Women’s Health at Geauga Medical Center. The center features 17 comfortably appointed private rooms for mothers and their growing families, coupled with stateof-the-art technology to meet today’s medical and surgical demands. An esteemed team of board-certified obstetricians, neonatologists, anesthesiologists, nurses and lactation professionals work side by side to deliver high-quality, compassionate care. Tours of the Center for Women’s Health are conducted every Sunday afternoon. To schedule your visit, call 440-285-6450. “Her condition was one that is often associated with infertility and difficulty conceiving,” says Dr. Ahuja, who first saw Sims in 2006. By this time, Sims and her husband had adopted a baby girl, Mariyah, now 18 months old, but Sims still wanted to experience her own pregnancy. He recommended laparoscopic surgery to remove the inflammatory tissue from her uterus in an attempt to facilitate conception. Sims did conceive, as Dr. Ahuja discovered several months later when he prepared to perform a follow-up procedure and discovered it wasn’t necessary. However, she miscarried in late 2006. But the experience gave her hope nonetheless. In early 2007 she was pregnant once again and elated at how her health status improved. “Being pregnant was the best I’ve felt in years,” she says. “It was so nice, not having all the pain.” A Treatment of Sorts Getting pregnant is often considered a “treatment” for endometriosis because of hormonal changes that eliminate menstrual periods for nine months, according to Dr. Ahuja. As a chronic condition, endometriosis often requires ongoing treatment and sometimes culminates with a hysterectomy after a woman decides she no longer wishes to bear children. Sims’ second pregnancy was a success. She carried the baby to term and delivered a healthy boy right into Dr. Ahuja’s hands in November 2007. Brayden arrived with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, but Dr. Ahuja reacted swiftly and the baby’s vital signs were stabilized. “My doctor is a lifesaver,” Sims says. “Right now I feel 99.9 percent better. Now I can get down on the floor and play with Mariyah.” l Summer 2008 For more information about services, call 440-285-7757. 3

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Health Wonders - Summer 2008

Health Wonders - Summer 2008 Contents Geauga Changing with the Seasons Baby Love Under Attack with Arthritis Surgery that Gets You Back in Action Faster What's New at Geauga Medical Center Meet our Physicians

Health Wonders - Summer 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.