No More Hurdles: Ahkianne’s Return to Health

Something Didn’t Feel Right

Ahkianne Wanliss knew something felt off when she felt pressure in her abdomen during the day and lower back pain at night. But the symptoms came and went, so she didn’t think it was anything too serious.

“ I’m a runner, and I work out a lot,” says Wanliss, an attorney who was a sprinter on her college track team, “and I commute long distances for my work, so I stand a lot too. I didn’t attribute it to anything specific, just the general aches and pains of being a New Yorker.” A short time later when Wanliss saw her OB-GYN for her annual checkup, she discovered the true source of the symptoms: a large uterine fibroid—a common, noncancerous growth of the uterus that is especially prevalent in Black women, who are about three times more likely than white women to develop fibroids. Her symptoms only grew worse. Wanliss’s stomach was so bloated she stopped wearing fitted or high-waisted clothing. She experienced an extremely painful period, which was occurring every three weeks instead of the usual four. And she struggled to get through the workday due to a constant urge to urinate.

Finding Answers and the Right Care

That’s when she saw Dr. Michael Lewis, Vice Chief of Gynecology and Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Dr. Lewis immediately saw that the problems she described were textbook fibroid symptoms. “Dr. Lewis knew exactly what I was talking about and reassured me that this could be handled swiftly and I’ll go back to feeling myself again,” Wanliss says. “I trusted him.” After a brief surgery, Wanliss was back on track—and even went on a long-planned trip to Italy three and a half weeks later. Today, her life has “pretty much returned to normal.” She commutes to work every day, her abdomen is once again flat, she no longer feels pressure or pain, and her period is now regular.

Back on Track

“I feel lighter and more energetic,” she says. “I really do love to get out there for a run.” And she remains grateful for Dr. Lewis, not only because she got her life back but “for hearing my concerns and knowing that what I was feeling wasn’t made up in my head. And for that, I’m forever thankful.”