My uterus is under attack. This is me every month:
I don’t know exactly when this fibroid initially began to take over my uterus. I had been on birth control pills for a gazillion years up until September of 2016 when I developed a DVT aka a blood clot in my right calf. So I traded my oral contraceptive for blood thinners which caused me to have the menstrual cycle from hell, or at least I thought they did. Could it have been that my uterus was already under attack by the fibroid? I don’t know because I was about 50 pounds heavier, and to me, that lower belly pooch was nothing more than my F.U.P.A. In the spring of 2017, I went to my gynecologist, and she noticed the fibroid. At that time she didn’t order an ultrasound because we really did not know the extent to which it was bothering me. Remember, my body had either been doped up on contraceptives or anti-coagulants up to that point, so what was normal menstrual behavior was unknown. I left the doctor with a new method of contraception and pushed the fibroid to the back of my mind.
WEIGHT LOSS REVELATION
In the summer of 2017, I decided to take back my health and fitness and joined Weight Watchers and started going back to the gym. This was not my first time on this weight loss journey, but I decided that this would be the last time I started over. I began working out three to five days a week and tracking what I was eating. Unlike years past, I didn’t allow myself to fall completely off the bandwagon when I had a cheat meal or two. I had begun to develop discipline and consistency that was allowing me to see steady, sustainable weight loss. By the spring of 2018, I decided that I was over my new form of birth control because I started to have the worst cramps ever. Therefore, I made an appointment with my doctor to remove the IUD and just let my body be natural. By then, I was probably about 30 pounds into my weight loss journey. At this appointment, my doctor felt the fibroid again and told me to monitor my symptoms during my cycle over the next few months to determine if my fibroid was actually interfering with my life. If indeed it was, we could decide what the next steps would be during my annual exam that summer.
I returned to my beloved OB/GYN on July 31, 2018. I was 40 pounds lighter than when I started my journey the previous June. I was extremely more fit and toned than I had been during my visit that spring which made the ten pound difference seem much more significant.
“Hey, skinny,” my doctor greeted me. We chatted for a bit and then she began to conduct her exam. It was then that she realized how massive the invader in my uterus was.
“Your stomach is flat. This fibroid though…”
Working out as much as I do, I always wondered why I could never lose my lower pooch. However, it was clear to the touch and the eye that I was not dealing with stubborn belly fat at all. There was a hard mass sitting smack dab in the middle of my uterus that was making me look slightly preggo.
The good doctor gave me a script for a transvaginal ultrasound, and I called to schedule the appointment at the hospital she’s affiliated with. I had my ultrasound about a month later because the odds of scheduling an appointment within one to two weeks are the same as winning the Mega Millions. The ultrasound tech had to work hard for her coins that day because the fibroid was pushing my ovaries far to each side. I knew then that we were dealing with something major.
Three weeks later I was back at my gynecologist’s office waiting to hear about the size of this fibroid that I could now see poking out whether I was standing up or laying down. This is when I found out the size of this fibroid. Eleven centimeters. Eleven centimeters smack dab in the middle of my uterus. The average uterus is about six centimeters. Mine is about eighteen centimeters. It’s like I’m five months pregnant, but I’m not.
“This is why you haven’t gotten pregnant while not being on any birth control,” the good doctor said.
“So what do you want to do? It’s too big to go in laparoscopically, so we would have to perform a myomectomy. It’s a c-section cut at the bikini line and it’s about 4-6 weeks recovery time. I don’t want to perform a hysterectomy if I don’t have to because you’re still young and could decide to have a baby. Come back in a month and let me know what you want to do. “
THE DECISION
A month later after having another wonderful experience during my cycle, I went back and told her that we’d have the myomectomy in February. I was going to wait until the summer, but why would I do that? Who wants to experience horrendous menstrual cycles if they don’t have to? Who wants to be on the sick & shut-in list during the summer? Not I.
So here we are in February of 2019 a few days out from my actual surgery. My FMLA paperwork has been filed. My husband is preparing the den as my recovery space. My mom has submitted her FMLA paperwork so she can be my nurse; I should really get a bell, LOL! I’m wrapping things up at work and having one of my teachers shadow me so that she can serve as interim in my absence. I’ve been slowly removing things from my diet that some say contribute to uterine fibroids. I’ve been getting in as many workouts as possible because I won’t be able to work out for a while after my surgery. My Netflix list and DVR are full of shows for my viewing pleasure. I’m doing everything and asking every question possible to put my mind at ease because I have not had to stay in the hospital since I was 10 years old.
Although I am anxious about going under the knife, I am looking forward to having this invader out of my uterus. Having talked to multiple women who have had the procedure themselves, I hear it is life changing.
Keep me all in your thoughts and prayers, and I will keep you all posted on the recovery process.
