Large Fibroid

Hi Happy Face,

Welcome, you've come to the right place. All these experiences will give you knowledge you need to ask the right questions and make the right decisions. Do your homework researching.
My experience was I waited too long (5yrs) and I lose an ovary b/c it was attached to my biggest fibroid. My uterus was 20 wk pregnancy size.
I was afraid and put things off until I was having symptoms that were out of control (pain, pressure, and hemorrhaging. . .oh what fun) I was controlled by my fibroids. I know lots of you women know what I'm talking about!
You will come the right decision in your own good time and having lots of opinions can help get you there sooner.

Good luck with your journey!

Liz C . . . . I hear you about white pants! I avoided them like the plague! Not anymore! Yippee!!
I like the statement "spent a few days mourning my girl parts." That's what I am doing right now!

I had large fibroids (yes, plural!) and the same symptoms as you describe. My Dr. said hysterectomy, but I said NO! I'm not ready. This was a year and a half ago. We tried low-dose birth control pills to regulate my cycles and control the excessive bleeding (so much so that I was extremely anemic). They worked for awhile, but eventually the fibroids overwhelmed even the hormones! At the time my Dr. wanted to do a hysterectomy, and I said no, he said that if you wait longer, it may be more difficult. I didn't listen. Finally I decided to have the op and by that time the fibroids were so large it was touch-and-go whether he could do a laproscopic assisted. He ultimately was able to, but I was in surgery over 3 hours, and lost alot of blood (borderline transfusion). Therefore, my recovery has been slower. I wish I would have had the surgery a year ago! Don't wait too long. By the way, I'm 49.

My story is similar. I started having problems about 8 years ago with very heavy periods.I wanted to avoid a hysterectomy at all costs. Anesthesia and I do not get along. I get violently ill. I did the pill thing, hysteroscopy, and D&C. I was finally diagnosed with fibroids. They weren't that big but when they did get bigger, I had an UAE along with the thinking that I was 48 and would hit menopause soon. I had about 18 months of normal periods. Then is was hit and misss. One month I had a horrible period, even had to wear depends at night, but the next month nothing. This went on for another 6 months and then I had no period for 5 months. I figured Istarted menopause since I was 51.
Wrong! The entire month of July I had a heavy period.
My doctor found a fibroid that was growing out of control right near my cervix. It was not there in June.
She scheduled surgery for 2 weeks later. I am happy to be done with it and my wonderful doc worked hard with the anesthesologist that I didn't get sick when I woke up. They used a patch behind my ear before I went in the OR.
I am nearly 2 weeks post op and doing well.

TAH kept ovaries

I was diagnosed with fibroids 10 years ago, but didn't have any problems, so didn't do anything at that stage. I'm now 53 and for the past couple of years have had heavy bleeding, was anaemic, and went again for a scan. The multiple fibroids were still there - actually my womb is 4x bigger than it should be. I still didn't want to do anything, thinking all along that the fibroids would shrink after the menopause. This the doctor told me was correct if I had a couple of fibroids, but I had multiple, and there was no way that they would all shrink. I happened to mention a couple of my bladder problems to which the doctor said that these problems were caused by the pressure of my womb on my bladder, caused by the fibroids. That was the turning point for me. I realised that if I didn't do anything now, I would have more problems later - no way do I want any problems with my bladder or bowels. So I opted for the hysterectomy, which will take place in November. I think it's better to have the op now at my age, rather than 10 years down the line.
Good luck with your decision.
By the way Happyface, I have also never had surgery in my life, so I am also very very scared.

ruthe,

Sounds like you had a really tough time. So happy you're doing well now!

I tried so hard to keep my uterus too. I finally decided to get rid of my fibroids, at 48, after reading so many stories from women like you.
I'm 4 wks postop and happy to free from the pain, the angst, and the non-stooooop periods!
Your story really helps so many women in making that agonizing decision! Thanks.
Isn't this website great?!!

Same here. I have (at least) two fibroids: one is 11 cm and the other is 6 cm. I could feel them for months and would have extreme bloating and problems with elimination, etc. When FINALLY an ultrasound was conducted finding the "beasts", I had a couple of weeks before meeting my surgeon to scour the Internet to read everything.

I had self-prescribed a myomectomy thinking they were peduculated. But my surgeon says they are not plus she feels others. When she recommended the TAH I understood because of everything I had read (pro and con).

All I know is that I don't want to keep feeling this way and having a huge belly. I have no qualms about the surgery and its necessity. Believe it or not I am more concerned about post-op and recovery!

My suggestion: Google the word "fibroids", "hysterectomy", etc. and just start reading everything you can. You will feel so in control and you will be able to feel confident in what you decide is best for you!

I was really scared going into surgery but my doctor made the difference. I actually saw her in pre-op and she talked to me and held my hand telling me it would be alright. She had picked my anesthesiologist and was with me when she talked to me. Together they worked hard so I wouldn't be sick when I got to recovery.
Talk to your doctor and let them know you are scared and why. Hopefully yours will be as wonderful as mine was.
I was blessed to find her. She was my third doctor in 10 years. I changed doctors until I found one who really listened.

Good luck. It is normal to be scared but this website is a godsend.

TAH

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Happy Face :) I have a large fibroid which makes my uterus about the size of a 10-12 week pregnancy. (I've had an external and internal ultrasound to determine the size.) My doctor has advised me to have a hysterectomy. I am looking for someone that has been in a similar situation. I'm not sure what to do - - should I get a second opinion, or is that pointless because of the size of my fibroid? I get the feeling from my doctor that hyst. is my best option. I am 43 years old, have never had any surgery of any kind in my life, and am worried about the emotional and sexual side effects possible with hyst. Lots of questions, I know!! Just looking for advice or words of encouragement from someone who can relate to my situation!

If the fibroid is your only issue, I suggest you look into MRI Assisted Focused Ultrasound. Google that and look for a place near you. It is totally non-invasive--no surgery. I was going to have this done, but my CA 125 is elevated and I do not qualify. This is a great option, if you can do it! There are also minimally invasive surgical procedures that you can explore, (myomectomy, etc.) If you want more info, let me know. I wish you the best!

Hello Happy Face: I also have a large fibroid and after much hesitation am having a hysterectomy on Sept. 11. This website has been so helpful. I am still very scared and I can't wait till it's finally over. Good Luck Binny

I agree with others - if you aren't in immediate distress you should investigate all of your options and get one or more additional opinions. My situation was similar to yours about five years ago. My GYN discovered the fibroid - about 9cm at the time - but since I was asymptomatic, she said nothing needed to be done but when it did, the option was an abdominal hysterectomy. I started doing some research and realized there were other options for treatment - and also learned what kinds of symptoms and problems I might have in the future.

When I started having horrible bleeding about a year later I already knew I would look into a Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE). There are pros and cons to this just like everything else. For me, the big plus was that the recovery was about a week and this interventional radiology procedure did not have the short and long term risks of a more invasive surgical procedure. The negative in my opinion is that it isn't guaranteed to resolve your fibroid problems - and the fibroids aren't removed.

It works for many people but not everyone and you are in limbo for awhile wondering if it worked. In my case my first UFE did not provide long term symptom relief since the interventional radiologist (IR) who did it did not have all that much experience doing this particular procedure. (That's why I started hanging around here - deciding what to do next). I did have a second UFE done in Nov 2005 by a highly experienced IR. It was about 10cm at that time and 14 wk uterus. I'm very pleased with the results - I haven't had a period since then (I'm 49). I was also pleasantly surprised by how much it has shrunk and how much flatter my stomach is - something that doesn't always happen. I kind of feel like I have the best of both worlds - no more periods and no major surgery required.

This may be an option you want to look into. You should be evaluated by an interventional radiologist (IR) to see if you are a good candidate for this. And based on my experience I highly recommend finding someone who has done many of these - 100's or 1000's - if at all possible.

There is also a Yahoo group called EMBO where you can learn more about many womens' experience with this procedure - good and bad.

Good luck with your decision.