My name is Allison and I'm 37 years old as of this writing (DOB 3-11-65.) Hubby and I have been married since 1990. We have no children but are lucky to have three young nieces, two courtesy of my sister and one thanks to his brother. Aside from friends and family the two things I love most in the world are baseball and the Beatles, and not necessarily in that order. I'm fanatical about both.
I was a late bloomer in that I didn't start my period until I was 14 years old and it was generally uneventful. However, once I reached my late 20's the flows started getting heavier and the clots started getting bigger. I never questioned this and assumed it was normal. Around 1995 I started bleeding a little after intercourse so I made an appointment with the gyno and she discovered I had uterine polyps. She scheduled me for a D&C which was done on an out patient basis and that took care of the problem.
Fast forward to December, 1999. I hadn't seen the gynecologist in about three years (bad me!) and finally a friend convinced me to make an appointment. I wasn't having any problems but was definitely due for a regular check up. During the pelvic exam my doctor was able to feel a large fibroid tumor. I was terrified because I'd never heard of fibroids before and the word "tumor" has such bad connotations. An ultrasound was scheduled for January, 2000. The size of the fibroid was 6cm, equivalent to a lemon. There were also two smaller fibroids, one subserosal like the big guy and the other completely within the uterine muscle. Since I was completely asymptomatic at this time I was put on a "wait and see" mode.
In late June I started having serious lower back pain and felt constant pressure. I scheduled a doctor's appointment, then another ultrasound, and found out the big fibroid had grown to 8cm. Also at this time my periods got extremely heavy and the clots were huge. We scheduled a myomectomy for September 25, 2000. I wanted a hysterectomy but because of my age at the time (35) my gyno thought a myo would be better for me. The surgery went very well and two of the fibroids were removed. At the time of surgery the largest had grown to 10cm. My doctor was not able to reach the third one because of it's location.
A year later, September 2001, I started having those familiar feelings and aches. I knew there was a chance I'd have new fibroids in the future but surely not this soon! An ultrasound was performed in October and sure enough I had three NEW fibroids! Back I went on the "wait and see" program and was told to come back in four months for a follow up ultrasound. March of 2002 I did that, and learned of a fourth new fibroid. Yikes! My doctor and I discussed having a hysterectomy back in October so she told me to call her when I was ready.
I put it off and put it off, mostly for work related reasons. Didn't matter than my flows were beyond heavy and that I was leaking through a super tampon AND a night-time maxi pad. Even a leaking accident at work didn't get me to make the call. But in June of 2002 the pain was so bad that all I could do was cry, and that's when I called the doctor to schedule surgery.
On June 26, 2002 I had a surgical consultation with my doctor and selected August 26, 2002 as my date. She put me down for a LAVH or possible TAH. I wanted to keep my ovaries.
In early July I decided to re-visit this glorious website, hystersisters.com. I lurked here two years ago and knew I'd get great advice and support from the other sisters. From my first post this was true! I was welcomed with open arms and made to feel at home. Since I had the abdominal myomectomy previously I knew what to expect in terms of hospital stay and recovery but I still had questions and usually got them answered quickly and with love.
On August 26th I had a TAH and kept my ovaries. Recovery has been so easy, almost too easy. This was the best decision I've ever made. Along with the fibroids the lab report revealed adenomyosis which surprised both me and my doctor. She believes the myomectomy may have caused the adeno.
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