Amy Had to See Many Doctors Before Finding Dr. Seckin

The shocking diagnosis

I was diagnosed with three “chocolate cysts” in my right ovary back in Oct. 2010 when I had abnormally bleeding between periods. I was 26-years-old and did not know of any reproductive organ problems. I was shocked by the bad news and asked many questions about “chocolate cysts”. That’s what my OB/GYN doctor called it. However, she seemed to think it wasn’t a serious problem as long as it was benign.

I was having severe pain on the right side of my lower abdomen every time I have my period as well as moderate pain on other days. This was really unusual, I thought.

Switching doctors

I switched to another OB/GYN doctor. But she did not have any knowledge about chocolate cysts, which I realized afterward. She prescribed me birth control pills and said they’d help relieve my pain. However, she said my chance of getting rid of the pain completely was 1%. She was unwilling to talk about it with me and didn’t know how to answer my questions.

The third doctor

I spent four months with her and switched to another doctor again and was hoping to find a better doctor to save my life. My third OB/GYN doctor told me that I had endometriosis and that it was going to be hard to get pregnant until the cyst was removed or that I shrank it by taking birth control pills continually.

I took pills for eight months without significant success. I then decided to stop the pills and tried to get pregnant. Eventually, my plan failed. My doctor told me that even if I had the surgery done, the disease would come back again and that it would spread all over my body. I was terrified and felt like I was waiting to die. I’m young and I have a lot of things I need to do. I couldn’t believe the truth.

Finding Dr. Seckin

I started doing a lot of research on endo because I believed there must be a solution out there. I typed “endometriosis expert” on Google, and checked out each page that popped up.

When I opened Dr. Seckin’s website I was delighted that he was a world-class doctor specializing in endometriosis and that he was in NYC, too.

My husband was very happy, too. I was not the only one who was suffering from the disease. My husband was also suffering from seeing me tortured by the disease. He’s taking care of every aspect of my life. I must say I’m the luckiest one in the world. In early 2012, we felt we had hope.

The visit

I visited Dr. Seckin in March. He was so nice and patient to go over the disease with me. I had a long conversation with him without any stress. He’s very knowledgeable and confident about treating the disease. I strongly believed I had found the right person to take care of my case.

The MRI result showed I had a 5 cm cyst on my right ovary. Dr. Seckin said he needed to take it out. My insurance didn’t cover out-of-network expenses, but it was expiring in August and I was able to renew it with out-of-network coverage. I waited another five months and went back to schedule my laparoscopy surgery.

The surgery

Finally, I had the surgery in September. On my surgery day, a famous Chinese doctor from Beijing visited Dr. Seckin and witnessed the whole operation. I’m from China, too. I’m sure I’m lucky that I came to NYC and met the best doctor who is recognized internationally.

Other prestigious doctors from other countries come to visit Dr. Seckin and learn the advanced techniques he uses and processes he applies in surgery. I was so happy that Dr. Seckin did my first surgery.

The post-op visit

I recovered from surgery within few days and had to go back to see Dr. Seckin. Every staff member in his office is very nice. They truly care about you and your wellness, I must say.

The laparoscopic diagnosis had been frightening to me; I had endometriosis in many parts of my body. Even though Dr. Seckin removed most of the adhesions and cysts from my pelvic sidewall, ovary, ureter, and bladder, he said I might need another surgery if I get symptoms on other parts of my body. He showed me pictures of my heart, lungs, and so on. They were all covered with the disease. My disease was 8th scale out of 10. I almost passed out when I heard that. I felt I was going to die soon.

Dr. Seckin consoled me that my life was going to change because he had “killed the snake.” He said those adhesions might go away by themselves and I could get pregnant but that I needed to take birth control for three months. That relieved me a little. Whatever the result is, I just want to get pregnant because my husband really likes children even though he didn’t push me at all.

A word of advice

If you have endometriosis, I strongly urge you to take action as soon as possible to prevent the disease from spreading further. Time is really crucial, so are good doctors. As Dr. Seckin says, “Early intervention is the key to effectively resolving this disease.”

I share my experience with you because I want to guide you in the right direction since personally I had an excellent experience with Dr.Seckin and I wish all women with endo would be totally cured. No more suffering, we’ve had enough.

I deeply appreciate Dr. Seckin and his staff in dealing with my case. The world needs more doctors like you. Thank you.

Author
Tamer Seckin, MD
Date: October 3, 2012

Dr. Seckin is an endometriosis specialist and women’s reproductive health advocate. He has been in private practice for over 30 years at Lenox Hill Hospital with a team of highly skilled personnel.

Dr. Seckin specializes in advanced laparoscopic procedures and is recognized for his expertise in complex cases of deep infiltrating endometriosis of the pelvis. He is particularly dedicated to performing fertility-preserving surgeries on cases involving the ovaries.

He has developed patented surgical techniques, most notably the “Aqua Blue Excision” technique for a better visualization of endometriosis lesions. His surgical techniques are based on precision and microsurgery, emphasizing organ and fertility preservation, and adhesion and pain prevention.

Dr. Seckin is considered a pioneer and advocate in the field of endometriosis.