This post has been a tough one to write, only because finding the words let alone typing it all out is a lot. I would hate to come across like a cliche.
Many of you might have seen one or some of my latest Instagram posts. I finally shared some very personal feelings and life situations that have taken place in the last year that have brought me to reveal my current struggle with even more Anxiety and some depression.
Many of you might have seen one or some of my latest Instagram posts. I finally shared some very personal feelings and life situations that have taken place in the last year that have brought me to reveal my current struggle with even more Anxiety and some depression.
The struggle is real and this past year has been one of the toughest for me personally and emotionally, simply mentally draining if I'm being honest. And just when I think it's getting better or going away, well, another aspect of life comes into play due to my current health situation. As I am now finally able to start feeling somewhat normal again and feeling more at ease, I'm finally ready to share it with you guys.
Let me start by saying that though its been a hard year and we're still making progress, and feeling much better about the future than before, I am hopeful of the future and my marriage and of course now with surgery having gone well for the removal of the growing benign tumor that was sitting on my bladder things are looking up for sure.
Also, please note that I'm no expert when it comes to the subject and the knowledge I am about to share with you is only from experience and my personal experience at that. The cause of uterine fibrosis is unknown and like myself, being that we tend to eat healthy 75-80% of the time, and live an all around healthy lifestyle, we can be the healthiest person on earth or close enough to it but for women this health issue can still be unavoidable.
Uterine fibrosis is something that I didn't know a thing about until I walked out of my healthcare provider's office back in October of 2016. The reason for the visit was my concern for my menstrual cycle having started to be extremely heavy, almost for concern of me becoming anemic because of it. I wasn't sure what was causing it and had only googled it, but I didn't want to rely on the information I had found on the web. My body also started to feel different. My fatique was more than usual as well. Therefore I also considered it might be a thyroid disorder of some kind, but again, I wanted to get all the right information directly from the source.
Common complications of uterine fibroids include menorrhagia with symptoms of anaemia, dysmenorrhoea, pressure symptoms, abdominal distension, and infertility. Infertility appears to be an incidental finding rather than a consequence of the fibroid, except in cases of submucosal fibroids. Other complications include degeneration, torsion, prolapse of a submucous fibroid, ureteric obstruction, venous thromboembolism, intestinal obstruction, and malignant transformation.
Okay, a lot of words I don't even know or understand still but again, these are just common issues that Fibroid tumors may cause.
In my case, my Uterine Fibroid tumor when first detected started at only 2cm now it had grown well over 4cm. It was sitting right on my bladder, therefore it also caused its share of bladder infections, abdominal pain (almost constant), discomfort when exercising, constipation, and the list goes on my friends, so I'll spare you some of the details.
Their cause is unknown. Truth is a lot of women like myself, put up with their tumors for a couple of years or more before seaking the proper care. I was told a little over two years ago that surgery was an option but it was small and it was possible that it would shrink, if I wanted to wait and see it that would happen. So not only did I not have the proper insurance to cover surgery back then but I figured it was safe to say that I was hopeful it would shrink or go away on its own.
Far too often, women put up with symptoms and incredible pain because they are not aware of what is ‘normal’ and they feel stigmatised by talking about women’s problems.
Researchers found that the majority of those women had a “significant emotional response to their fibroids, ranging from general worry and concern to fear, anxiety, sadness, and depression”. Hello I lived proof that all of that was exactly right. I went through all of it, and due to that reason I knew my family was being affected by this as well. Especially my marriage. I'm thankful for having such a strong support system from my family and friends and for my husband to have been able to understand where all of these emotions were coming from. Truth is it hasn't been easy and now that this fibroid (tumor) is now gone, I'm really anxious to feel normal and more like myself again without the worry of emotional or anxiety symptoms arising out of the blue.
Though its only been a day since my surgery, and still have quite a bit of recovery and healing to go through before I'm back to being 100% myself physically and emotionally, I have to say that I find relief in the fact that it's finally out of me. I'll have to re-train my bladder to function as it used to before the tumor came about and that alone will take anywhere from 3-6 months. But the simple thought of knowing that my physical body will once again be well enough to exercise without the discomfort of pain or any other symptoms is amazing. I'm viewing my future with a whole different perspective, positivity and with so much more faith than these last few years. I know that God doesn't give us anything we can't rise above eventually at least not without learning a lesson from it for the better. This has been a challenge for me physically and emotionally but I'm thankful for it, because it opened my eyes in a hundred different ways and directions.
I view the world of physical health differently, my appreciation for my loved ones and my own well being so much more than before. This tumor messed with me big time and I'm glad I was strong enough to see beyond it and to teach myself more than I needed to know for myself.
Now with all of that having been said, after talking to my Doctor and my OBGYN, it only made sense to take out my uterus along with my tubes and leave my ovaries, since I chose 16 years ago to no longer have anymore children. My pregnancy with my son was a delicate one and my uterus could barely carry him to full term, thankfully I was able to but it was tough. Therefore I had my tubes tied as soon as I had him. Fast forward to now, with this Fibroid tumor removal it made sense to have my uterus taken out as well to prevent any future fibroids to grow again since they tend to start with the uterus most of the time, except in my case it started with my bladder. Which is called a Supracervical Hysterectomy to be exact. Long story short, it was a successful surgery over all.
I share my story of discovery, treatment, and recovery to encourage other women to advocate for their health. If you notice something that is abnormal, whether it is a new mole, feeling tired all the time, or a fibroid protrusion, be your own advocate. Ask questions. Get answers. It's your right. And don't assume it's just age or emotion, because clearly it can be something else.
Thank you for taking the time to come here to visit and for having read this post, I hope it helps you or helps you help someone in need of this information to help themselves.
Love you all!
Far too often, women put up with symptoms and incredible pain because they are not aware of what is ‘normal’ and they feel stigmatised by talking about women’s problems.
Researchers found that the majority of those women had a “significant emotional response to their fibroids, ranging from general worry and concern to fear, anxiety, sadness, and depression”. Hello I lived proof that all of that was exactly right. I went through all of it, and due to that reason I knew my family was being affected by this as well. Especially my marriage. I'm thankful for having such a strong support system from my family and friends and for my husband to have been able to understand where all of these emotions were coming from. Truth is it hasn't been easy and now that this fibroid (tumor) is now gone, I'm really anxious to feel normal and more like myself again without the worry of emotional or anxiety symptoms arising out of the blue.
Though its only been a day since my surgery, and still have quite a bit of recovery and healing to go through before I'm back to being 100% myself physically and emotionally, I have to say that I find relief in the fact that it's finally out of me. I'll have to re-train my bladder to function as it used to before the tumor came about and that alone will take anywhere from 3-6 months. But the simple thought of knowing that my physical body will once again be well enough to exercise without the discomfort of pain or any other symptoms is amazing. I'm viewing my future with a whole different perspective, positivity and with so much more faith than these last few years. I know that God doesn't give us anything we can't rise above eventually at least not without learning a lesson from it for the better. This has been a challenge for me physically and emotionally but I'm thankful for it, because it opened my eyes in a hundred different ways and directions.
I view the world of physical health differently, my appreciation for my loved ones and my own well being so much more than before. This tumor messed with me big time and I'm glad I was strong enough to see beyond it and to teach myself more than I needed to know for myself.
Now with all of that having been said, after talking to my Doctor and my OBGYN, it only made sense to take out my uterus along with my tubes and leave my ovaries, since I chose 16 years ago to no longer have anymore children. My pregnancy with my son was a delicate one and my uterus could barely carry him to full term, thankfully I was able to but it was tough. Therefore I had my tubes tied as soon as I had him. Fast forward to now, with this Fibroid tumor removal it made sense to have my uterus taken out as well to prevent any future fibroids to grow again since they tend to start with the uterus most of the time, except in my case it started with my bladder. Which is called a Supracervical Hysterectomy to be exact. Long story short, it was a successful surgery over all.
I share my story of discovery, treatment, and recovery to encourage other women to advocate for their health. If you notice something that is abnormal, whether it is a new mole, feeling tired all the time, or a fibroid protrusion, be your own advocate. Ask questions. Get answers. It's your right. And don't assume it's just age or emotion, because clearly it can be something else.
Thank you for taking the time to come here to visit and for having read this post, I hope it helps you or helps you help someone in need of this information to help themselves.
Love you all!
Sandra, sorry you had to go thru such a difficult time. I can relate for the emotional part of your ordeal and as well as you, I learned how to deal with something nobody can teach you how to deal with, because every case and reaction to trauma is different and personal.
ReplyDeleteWhat I can tell you is that I managed to recover from the deepest abyss and I realised half way thru my journey, that you can NEVER make this journey back to light, alone. I learned that I need to be open (same as you), to talk to those who are willing to listen and deal with my inner, crazy, dark at times thoughts. I found some people that even today I call my guiding angels and I learned how to deal with my anxiety and borderline depression. It was not my family. I was always the Alpha for them, the strenght and the constant in their life. In their mind, it was impossible for me to have any weaknesses. It was hard. They say that anxiety is not the result of weakness, but the desire to stay strong too long, no matter what and due to a reason or another, that strenght is overwhelmed by a medical or unexpected situation. My case exactly. Maybe one day, rather sooner than later, we will go into more detail. Wishing you the best! K.