Colleen Crothers has chronic endometriosis and waited in pain for surgery for years
Like thousands of women in Northern Ireland, Colleen Crothers waited decades for medical help to treat chronic endometriosis – and, now thanks to an all-island first, she’s hoping her long road will be a thing of the past.
“Robotic surgery came too late for me,” she said. “I hope other women won’t have to wait as long.”
She is talking about a new breakthrough for female patients in Northern Ireland – the Da Vinci gynae robot at Belfast City Hospital.
Operated by humans, the robot’s wrists can twist and turn in tight pelvic spaces and it is said to be more precise at complex surgery than a human hand because it is steadier.
Belfast’s Da Vinci robot is the first of its kind on the island of Ireland and one of only a few across the UK.
It has the potential to massively reduce complex gynaecological surgical waiting lists in Northern Ireland, which affect thousands of women’s physical and mental health and their ability to have children.
With an average wait of about seven years for complex surgery, which involves several specialities, delayed treatment means some women require a hysterectomy, like Colleen at 41.
She has lived with chronic endometriosis all of her adult life, having first begun to experience chronic period pain aged 14.
But it took another 22 years before she was referred to gynaecology and a scan confirmed she had both adenomyosis and endometriosis.
“I missed out so much of family life due to daily pain – pain that went on for years,” she said.
“I can’t have children – I have had to have a hysterectomy and I’m in early menopause.
“To be told you can’t have children is hard to swallow,” she said.
An urgent case, Colleen missed out on a Da Vinci operation by just weeks earlier this year.
Da Vinci 5 has multiple towering robotic arms which are operated by surgeons
She knows the robot’s arrival could mean a much better outcome for girls and women coming behind her.
“This type of technology is fantastic and it’s amazing that it is now here.
“If anything like that can help another woman, I’m happy she won’t have to suffer like I have.”
And while her surgery was conventional rather than by a robot, finally getting the treatment she needed has been a relief.
“The outcome was good – my tummy feels lighter, and compared to before I am more or less pain free.”
‘It’s really exciting’
Da Vinci became part of the Belfast City Hospital’s gynaecology team in May.
It cost £2.4m and was funded through charitable donations for gynaecological services within the trust.
To date it has performed 130 surgeries – 105 of them being on women with complex endometriosis – and four consultants have been trained to use the robot.
It means that complex gynaecology cases are being treated as a priority and are not being bumped when other surgical cases, including cancer cases, come in.
BBC News NI was given access to see the Da Vinci in action – and, like a real-life sci-fi creation, it has multiple towering robotic arms that hover over the patient.
While humans are also in the theatre, it gives the surgeon a digital boost with incisions more precise and less invasive.
Dr Hans Nagar, a consultant gynaecological surgeon and oncologist, is one of the surgeons trained to operate Da Vinci. He said women with complex endometriosis had previously been ill-served in Northern Ireland.
“They require complex surgery involving different specialists and now Da Vinci lets us do that,” he said.
Hans Nagar is among the surgeons trained to operate DaVinci
“It will take some time to bed in but I believe it will make a big difference and there will be other robots going elsewhere in Northern Ireland.
“That encourages young staff to either stay or to return after a time in Canada, Australia, the UK and the Republic of Ireland,” Nagar added.
New regional endometriosis centres
On Monday, endometriosis services across Northern Ireland are to get a financial boost when the health minister is expected to announce an investment of £1.95m to improve services.
That includes a £700,000 investment in two regional endometriosis centres located within the Belfast City and Altnagelvin Area hospitals, which will help develop specialist services for women with complex endometriosis problems.
Each health trust will also receive £250,000 as part of a phased investment for those women with less complex symptoms.
Ahead of the announcement, Health Minister Robbie Butler said the investment marked an “important milestone in efforts to improve women’s health services” in Northern Ireland.
“By strengthening specialist and local services, reducing variation and expanding access to modern treatment options, it will help ensure more women receive the care they need, when they need it,” he said.
Could this robot help cut gynae waiting lists?
Although Colleen has had her operation, she continues to need specialist care for endometriosis.
The symptoms she lived with for years included heavy bleeding, severe cramping, pelvic pain and tissue growing and getting trapped in the wrong places.
A night in the emergency department – where she was screaming with pain – brought things to a head and her consultant advised surgery as soon as possible.
In June, she had surgery, which included a hysterectomy and a full bowel shave to try to remove endometriosis tissue which attached her womb to her bowel.
She said the pain felt like she was being stabbed in the stomach – pain that has now been relieved thanks to surgery.
What is endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, most commonly around the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and pelvis.
The problem with endometriosis tissue is that it behaves exactly like the womb lining but it is trapped in the wrong place.
Lauren Best, a theatre nurse, said the arrival of Da Vinci and a dedicated endometriosis centre was what women in Northern Ireland needed.
“I know how important it is for women to get back on their feet as quickly as possible and I am seeing that happen as Da Vinci means less scarring and quicker recovery time – that’s good for patients,” she said.
Lauren Best says robotic surgery reduces recovery times
Nagar said he hoped all those who gave donations that led to the purchase of DaVinci could see the money had gone to good use.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who donated to all the patients, their families, including those who have lost a loved one – their donations are helping others, and we all very grateful,” he said.
Four months on from surgery, Colleen is also grateful.
She is back to work, walking her dog and said she is finally getting her buzz back.
While she is having to deal with early menopause and knowing she will never be a mum, the fact she is pain free is, at present, enough.
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