For the past year I have been battling uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are hateful, non-malignant tumors that grow within the uterine wall. I have eight of these bizarre things growing inside me. EIGHT! You can read about the symptoms of uterine fibroids from the Mayo Clinic and let me just say I have every freaking symptom listed (plus a few that the good old Mayo is not aware of yet) including, but not limited to, bitchiness and murderous thoughts of family members. On most days the world is a giant chalk board and humanity is scraping their fingers down it all day long. Does that paint a clear portrait of how irritable I am? I am told if I can live with these body growths until after menopause, they usually shrink and symptoms decrease. I am also told the average age for menopause is fifty-one. I'll be forty-six on my birthday. That's five years people! My GYN has given me a few options: (A) Try birth-control pills for a few months; (B) Endometrial ablation wherein they burn the endometrial walls; (C) Partial hysterectomy (taking out the uterus but leaving the cervix and ovaries). I'm on my second round of birth-control pills and thus far have seen no improvement. In fact, some of my symptoms are worse. I've heard from some that the ablation procedure works well for a few months but risks involved with this procedure (though rare) are serious. A partial hysterectomy initially sounded appealing until I began reading on the topic and the sexual side effects that the procedure can cause. I'm getting old, but am not dead. I still enjoy my sexuality so ripping out something that might change that appeals not to me!
Dear readers do you have any experience with this problem? If so, would you please share your experience here with me? I value the opinions and experiences of other women (men too if your wife, mother, sister, girlfriend, etc. has gone through something similar). I'm also open to holistic procedures if you have experience in that area. Any thoughts are welcome.
Thanks for reading, Rosie.
4 comments:
My partial hysterectomy was the BEST THING I EVER DID for myself and those around me! I suffered from Adenomyosis, and was a bitch on wheels most of the time, and it aggravated my fibromyalgia as well. I had mine done in December of 2008, using the LASH procedure (laporoscopic). I was driving again in about a week, and back to work in 10 days. My doctor told me I could have the ablation, which would result in about a 70% reduction in the bleeding, or I could have a hysterectomy (pretty much 100% reduction). After a little over 31 years, during which I NEVER skipped one, and had 2 a month a couple of times, combined with knowing that my mother didn't stop having hers until she was 60, I was all over the hysterectomy instead of an additional 19 years of monthly bleeding, even at a reduced rate! I still have both ovaries and about 1/3 of my cervix.
Generally I feel great, I haven't had hormone issues, I no longer live with menstrual cramps, and my BITCH only comes out occasionally, as opposed to every 2-3 weeks, for a week or so at a time.
Hey Rosie,
Sorry for your discomfort, that is the fate of many women. I am now 70 but painful endomytriosis caused me to opt for a full hysterectomy at 37. Liberated! Best word to describe how I felt after and ever since!
My advice: second opinions are always good. Trust how you feel and listen to your Holy Spirit voice inside to help you make the best decision.
All the best,
Gail
I feel like (granted, this is all determined by sampling a paragraph of your writing) I would really enjoy you as a human being.
LOL! I like to think the same thing! Thanks for the comment. I like your blog page. You should include an email address. :)
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