I’m having surgery on Tuesday. And wouldn’t you know it…it’s also my birthday! *singing* Happy Birthday to me! : ) Actually, it’s a birthday gift that no other will be able to out-do. I’m having a 12-13 week fibroid removed. Yep, that’s right…my little bundle of joy is the relative size of a 4 month-old fetus. The procedure is called a myectomy, more specifically, a laparotomy, where the fibroid is removed through an abdominal incision. This fibroid is anything but, a bundle of joy. My November menstrual was so painful, I thought I was having contractions. The pain spanned all the way to my knee and had become unbearable during my December menstrual. At an emergency appointment, I asked my gynecologist, what are my options.
Fibroids are very common, especially among black women. According to one study, uterine fibroids are three times more likely to show up in black women than white women. Thank God medical progression has provided more options for our generation than the hysterectomy treatment that past women were confined to endure. Fibroid sysmptons are, but not limited to an enlarged abdomen (almost like you’re pregnant), pressure on your bladder (I have a hard time holding my Number 1), heavy menstrual periods, and clotting. Please see the federal government’s Women’s Health site for additonal and valuable information on the matter.
Luckily, I, and I say this with complete gratitude, have a benign fibroid. My wonderful gynecologist, has prescribed me to take Loestrin (a birth control pill for shorter, lighter periods), but to skip the brown pills that normally signal the menstrual period. Pre-Loestrin, my periods were heavy and clotty, due to the fibroid. According to my doctor, skipping my period, starves the fibroid, in hopes of…well, I guess you could say, killing it. The menstrual period offers the nourishment a fibroid needs to stick around and grow. At first, not having a period was a sigh of relief when she initially broke the “good news”. Unfortunately, the additonal dose of estrogen in Loestrin has me sensitive, moody, and experiencing a simultaneous wave of hot flashes.
I’m not mad about foregoing my birthday celebration. I’m blessed to know that I’ll be healthier and livelier after this little worrisome, uninvited guest, is removed from my uterus. I encourage all women to stay on top of their health and monitor your menstrual periods throughout the months. Anything you may have questions or concerns about, please relay those thougths to your gynecologist. And if you are afraid, understand that your family needs you to stick around as long as you can. Don’t neglect yourself. Make you a priority and hug your uterus. : )
