At A Personal Choice we perform over 800 tubal ligation reversals a year. We have patients who travel from across the United States and from around the world for tubal ligation reversal. Our patients come from many walks of life. Our current blog is about Patricia, a nearby patient from Mooresville, North Carolina (NC). She is a 46 year old mother of three older children. Her determination to succeed provides inspiration for readers who are struggling with some of life’s ordeals.
Reasons for Tubal Ligation
Patricia had complications during her last pregnancy. She had a placenta previa (low lying placenta) and delivered the baby six weeks prematurely by c-section. She had her tubes tied during her c-section because of her difficult pregnancy, pressure from her ex-husband, and the advice of her doctor. At the time she was only twenty-four years old. She has regretted her decision ever since.
Patricia’s marriage did not work out and she divorced her husband. She was a single parent of three children for twelve years. She worked hard, put herself through school, and pursued a degree in psychology. When she was 39 years old, she met her current partner and love – Charles. Charles is two years younger than Patricia, has never been married, and does not have children. After dating for two years, Patricia remarried at age 41and began to think about having her tubal ligation reversed.
Tubal Ligation Reversal Delayed
Patricia and Charles are a very interesting couple. Patricia has many different interests. Charles is an electrical engineer and a private pilot. While Patricia was raising her children and going to school, she noticed how different each of her children were in their skills and ability. She wanted to promote their health, confidence, and physical fitness. One day she had an idea of a new sports ball that would nurture the abilities of each of her children. Together, Patricia and Charles combined their efforts to design, manufacture, and create a new sports ball called the “Yackle Ball”.
The Yackle Ball caused their lives to take a temporary detour. The creation and marketing of this new product caused tubal ligation reversal and pregnancy to take a back seat for a few years.
Desire for Parenthood
Patricia’s involvement with the Yackle Ball was one of the reasons that she didn’t have her tubal reversal surgery sooner. But there were also other reasons for the delay in getting her tubes untied. She was uncertain if her new marriage with Charles would survive. She and Charles both have strong personalities that often clashed during the first few months of their marriage. Charles was uncertain about becoming a father. Patricia had some fears about being an older mother and whether she would be able physically and emotionally to meet the needs of a newborn. Both of them had fears about the possibility of having a child with special needs.
Recently, during a grueling week promoting their new invention at trade shows, Patricia and Charles noticed how many parents and children came to their trade show table to see their Yackle Ball. Later that night, Charles had a disturbing dream in which he saw himself childless. The next day he asked Patricia, “Do you really think you are not too old for this?”
Patricia had hesitated about tubal ligation reversal for five years. She did not waste any more time. She immediately stopped cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, and called A Personal Choice for the next available appointment. There was a last minute cancellation by another patient and Patricia took that appointment without hesitation. Within four days of making her decision, Patricia was at her appointment with Dr. Monteith for her preoperative consultation for tubal reversal surgery. Patricia will be having her surgery next week immediately after her QVC channel appearance (read below).
To be continued…
This is part one of a three part blog series. Part two of this series is Tubal Ligation Reversal at 46: Patricia’s story (part 2). Part three will be published soon and will be a report of how Patricia’s tubal reversal surgery went.
Readers can see Patricia on the QVC channel
Patrica will be demonstrating her new product on a segment of the QVC Channel called ‘Nifty Gifts’. This will be a live broadcast on December 10th, 2008 between the hours of 9-11AM. Patricia will be having her reversal surgery the day after her live broadcast- so wish her well.
We also welcome readers to leave comments for Patricia and Charles on this blog or on the Tubal Reversal Message Board.
Comment by Dr. Monteith
I continue to be impressed by the lives and stories of our tubal reversal patients. Patricia, while being a single parent, decided to create something to improve her life and the lives of other people. Not only did she have an idea, but also she went the extra distance to develop her idea into a marketable invention. Patricia’s story can be an inspiration to all us who struggle to overcome life’s obstacles and to pursue our dreams and aspirations.
