“I had very painful menses and strong bleeding for quite some time and pain medications or pills did not seem to help me. I was left with the option of surgery. My doctor took the time to explain to me carefully the pros and cons of open surgery vs laparoscopic and robotic surgery. In the end I chose robotic surgery because it was less invasive and had a shorter recovery period. The pain was a lot less than what I had expected and I was able to go back to my normal activities in 1 week. With robotic surgery, my fertility was preserved and perhaps it even got better because my blocked fallopian tubes were opened (neosalpingostomy). I would definitely recommend this procedure to other women!”

“I was in the hospital for 2 days for my robotic assisted myomectomy. I was up and about 24 hours after my surgery. I returned to my usual routine after 1 week. I spoke with my friends who underwent open surgery and they told me that it took 5 days for them to be discharged from the hospital and 2 months to fully recover. If you ask me if I will recommend this surgery to a friend or family member, my answer is, Yes, I already did!”

“I had 3 very big myomas extending up to my belly button, most doctors I saw before recommended open surgery with large cuts on my tummy because of the size of my tumors. They even said that it could only be removed with a hysterectomy. However, I wanted to preserve my uterus and I was looking for a type of surgery that had small incisions and that would provide me with a quick recovery period. I came across robotic surgery and chose this option. I recovered within a day and was back to work in 2 weeks. Most of the doctors I consulted before told me it was impossible to do minimally invasive surgery with the size of my myomas, but as I have experienced, it is possible! I have no regrets in choosing St. Luke’s and its team of robotic surgeons to do the myomectomy for me.”

“In July 2012 I was diagnosed with Adult type Granulosa cell tumor of the ovary. My doctor recommended robotic assisted hysterectomy. She did speak about the more conventional method via a large incision through the abdomen. However, I asked her to continue with more information on the da Vinci® Surgery. I especially liked hearing about the ‘less invasive’ procedure, ‘less painful’, and the ‘shorter recovery time’. My biggest concern about this treatment was getting all the cancer out. I had every confidence in my doctor to proceed as she suggested and after preliminary tests, she scheduled my Robotic-assisted total laparoscopic hysterectomy for September 12, 2012. 1 day after I had very little pain and was able to walk around my room. Upon inspecting my body, I was relieved to see only four 2 ½ inch by 2 inch post op bandages! On follow up, after checking my biopsy results, my surgery was declared a complete success and all tests were negative for malignant cells!!! I would like to add that I received excellent care from the robotic gynecology team, their staff and the St. Luke’s personnel. It is because of their compassion and competent care, among many other significant factors, that I was able to return to Guam well on the road to recovery.”