Big fibroids but few symptoms, should I just wait?

Hi there, I'm new here and tossing up about having a hysterectomy.

I have fibroids that mean my uterus now reaches to my navel, but my main symptom is iron deficiency anaemia for which I'm taking iron tablets.

As I'm 51, I'm close to menopause but a blood test shows I'm not there yet so I'm just wondering if I can just wait to see what happens.

While I realise the fibroids will not shrink away entirely, I'm loathe to undergo a TAH, possibly even have my ovaries removed, and end up with a huge scar (the surgeon has already said it's likely to be a vertical incision) etc etc just to get rid of the anaemia. I work shifts and hadn't even realised that my tiredness was anything other than the tiredness that comes with shift work.

Has anyone else had to wrestle with a similar dilemma?

I did to a point. My biggest issue was that my bladder was being squished and I was becoming incontinent. I didn't even associate the incontinence with the fibroids until just a few months before surgery when I couldn't do anything without trying to find some place to go to the bathroom. After I had my surgery, all of a sudden, my bladder was happy again.

Otherwise, I didn't have any symptoms aside from looking a few months pregnant. Menopause didn't seem to be cooperating with a prompt arrival so I ended up with the surgery. My doctor told me that really he should have done a vertical but he went with a bikini cut upon my request and like you, I could feel my uterus reach right up to my navel.

I hope this helps with your decision.

I too have several fibroids of various sizes and was waiting for menopause. It could take years. I was almost symptom free until 2 weeks ago and the pressure and pain got worse. I was already peeing all of the time. Sometimes I'd pee a little on the way to the bathroom. Now I am constipated a lot. I also have low back pain. One of the fibroids is pushing out the back wall of the uterus and toward my spine. I am driving my self CRAZY over whether or not to have the surgery. I hate the idea!!! I think you will know when you are ready. Me I just feel crazy with stress.

My story started about a year ago when my Dr. noticed that my blood level was getting low and my iron was also running low.
So she made me return for a follow up appt. After 3 months, and once again, the count was getting lower yet. Within time, I had noticed that my periods were getting heavier and heavier, I started to get easily tired and also doing a little bit of wetting my undies. I felt like a kid again. My hubby was getting a little frustrated when I would ask him to find me a bathroom all of the time whenever we were out, it seemed that I alway wanting to pee. So, in November 2012, she sent me to a Gyn/ Onc. and guess what?
He said that there was no time to waste anymore and that I needed to have the Surgery. My blood level at that time was down to 8, I was anemic, in pain and exhausted. Also let's not talk about how awful I looked . So we decided to have the DaVinci procedure for January 31, 2012. My uterus showed with the trans ultrasound that I had 4 huge fibroids with an enlarged uterus. So I had no choice.
The surgery went well.
We are all different with different needs and wants. Only you can make that decision. For me it was the right one. I feel great
now. I'll admit that at times I still get tired and I have a slight weight gain problem since the surgery but at least there is no pain.
So,
here you can listen to others and their stories, your in a good place to ask any question you like.
Good Luck with any decision you make.

Truly a personal decision. Check with a couple of doctor's though, the advice I received for decades was bad. My surgeon said she wished she could put me in front of a medical school class to explain why they should take these things seriously.

I now realize I had symptoms from this fibroid for two decades, I started having pain at intercourse. Constipation.

Neck and lower back pain? Never associated with this tumor, but already I'm feeling relief.

My gynecologist of the last four years told me to wait for menopause because it would shrink. Bad advice. There were times I couldn't even urinate. I'd have to literally stand, stretch and bend sometimes to get the thing to move enough for me to pee and it didn't always work. That could have caused bladder and kidney problems. And also menopause doesn't always shrink the fibroids.

And my surgeon after examining me asked me how in the world was I able to poop? For the first time a doctor put together the constipation I'd been experiencing for decades with the fibroid -- a grapefruit sized tumor was literally sitting on my rectum and my problems of gas and constipation were dismissed by my previous two doctors as being related to the fibroid.

Even Livestrong.com knows better than that. Doctors aren't perfect. Get a few opinions from various sources, can't encourage that enough.

So I'd ask your doctor (or two or three of them) if there are any health complications possible from not doing it.

There are no guarantees but I'm already feeling relief and feel like myself again, which is wonderful!

I started down this whole road because I was very anemic due to my very heavy periods, my GP suggested I go for an ablation, when I had the ultrasound they found a very enlarged uterus and multiple fibroids, my uterus as also up to my navel and one of my fibroids is 7cm at the top of my womb pressing down on everything. So an ablation was never gonna work, and given my family history of problems (2 sisters and my Mum all had hysterectomies, I was giving the option to do it now. I ummed and aahed for a little, but my gut instinct was to go ahead. Since then I have been researching the symptoms of fibroids, and I am thinking that there are a lot of things that I didn't think were connected that I am probably going to find after my op were related after all. I can't sit through a two our film without having to pee, and will often feel pressure like i need to do "number twos" but there's nothing there. (Duh, took me a while to join the dots). I am having my op on 13 June, and looking forwards to it because i know my quality of life once i recover will be far superior to what it is now

Trogdor - you sound just like me. That is how I feel too. I also have a backache but my back is already challenged with Scoliosis and 2 metal rods. My female relatives have all had this same fibroid problem. My Mom, Sister, Cousins and Aunts. Is your surgery scheduled? Mine isn't yet.

LLL, scheduled for `3th of June, in a weird way I'm looking forwards to it being done, although I am starting to worry because although i have booked 6 weeks of work, my boss keeps saying "Oh surely you'll be bouncing back after 3 weeks?'. Um, probably not....

Hi. I am new to this site, but i think i can relate. I am three weeks post op with a lavh. I had a uterus filled with fibroids. I was told a normal uterus weighs around 150 to 200 grams. Mine was a grand 700 grams! I a 54 years old and like you, was not very symptomatic...or so i thought. I can tell you that removal of my uterus ( and cervix...huge fibroid sitting right on it) has made me realize that walking around with that huge organ was making me feel quite bloated and full at all times. i have a wonderful light feeling...obviously the way we should be feeling all the time. Surgery is never to be taken lightly, and i might add that it took me over a year to be persuaded. However, i am quite happy with my decision, as I feel amazing!

Just wanted to add that I kept both ovaries, as I did not want to be thrown into menopause. My doctor asked me what i wanted to do and i told her to leave them as`long as they are healthy. Again, personal choice.