Fibroid question

Can anyone tell me if you have or have had a fibroid that was found on vaginal ultrasound that your gynecologist couldn't find during a pelvic exam? I was diagnosed in November of 2013 with a uterine fibroid. The ultrasound report didn't give the size but did show a posterior fundal myometrial fibroid, simple functional cyst on each ovary, a nobathian cyst on cervix, enlarged uterus, and a slightly thickened endometrial lining. My gynecologist said after the painful pelvic exam that my uterus was approximately the size of a 10 week pregnancy (I know that's not very big). Anyhow, he preformed a uterine biopsy that came back with no signs of cancer. I have been taking oral provera since November for 13 days prior to my period. I have heavy bleeding, large clots, very painful cramps, bloating and pelvic pressure, along with hip, lower back, and pain just above my pubic bone. I also have very painful ovulation which feel like I am sitting in a knife nit to one side or the other just straight up inside. I'm 39 with two children ages 16 and 20. My husband had a vasectomy after our youngest was born so our family is complete. My gynecologist has given me the following options: provera pill, IUD, ablation, or TVH (keep ovaries). I opted for the provera pill as I was terrified of surgery. IUD just freaks me out and the more I read on it I'm even more against it. Since November and beginning the provera pill I feel extremely grouchy and I am not noticing any improvement, I fact I feel as if they have worsened. I feel as if my abdomen has gotten larger and am now struggling to button my pants. I'm not sure if the fibroid has grown or if I've just gained weight from the holidays. I feel like I'm just ready to take the step to have the hysterectomy done. Can anyone help or give me your experiences?

I will give you my experience, albeit long and not pleasant. I'm sorry I tried everything under the sun to shrink it, stop massive bleeding, etc. I waited and wound up with a 14lb., yes pound, fibroid that took 2/3 of my blood supply to sustain itself. Subsequently I woke up on Oct. 27, 2013 to not one but two strokes due to low blood flow to the brain. I required 4 blood transfusions to make it to the following morning. I was only spotting at the time. 3 days later I was transferred to a specialized hospital 2 hours away to have an emergency hysterectomy with one of the best Davinci surgeons in the country. That was my only option since Davinci would be the surgery with the least amount of blood loss. My hemoglobin was a 10 at surgery after the transfusions. It was a 5 when I was transfused. I made it into the medical journals since my case was EXTREMELY rare.

My surgery lasted 6 hours because of morcelation. My surgeon would not give up. Otherwise it was a total success. Still had plenty of post op questions which this community has helped me greatly. I followed doctors orders to a "T" and was cleared at 6 weeks. Even to this day I am careful about lifting, get weird sensations occasionally but nothing I can't overcome.

I am happy to say, 14 months after surgery, I am actually living the life I only dreamed about before surgery. I was petrified to have surgery, hence my screen name. I have been an anxiety sufferer most of my adult life. I am recovered from the strokes with only slight weakness in my left arm and hand. Most days I forget about it.

I now go out when I please, take vacations without a separate suitcase for sanitary products, wear beautiful underwear, white pants, have white sheets and soon will have beautiful hardwood floors in my master since I ruined the carpeting with all of the "flooding".

My only regret and I mean only, is I didn't have the surgery when it was recommended. My fibroid was much smaller then.

This is a personal decision for you. No one can make it for you. I had no choice and am greatfull with every breath I take.

I wish you all the best in whatever you decide. Keep us posted!!

Hey there, if by pelvic exam you mean external palpation then yes, i had 4 such examinations over a period of 6 weeks and absolutely nothing could be felt by any of the 4 different medics. I found this amazing as i'm pretty tiny so i didn't think a whole family of fibroids and an ovarian cyst could hide in amongst my innerds. Seems they did though. Whilst my largest fibroid was tiny in comparison to many other ladies here (just 6cm diameter) it was only picked up in a trans-vaginal ultrasound. Ditto the 4cm ovarian cyst.

Thanks ladies for your responses! Petrified, Wow, your experience sounds pretty scary.
Coumarin, my gynocologist pushed and prodded from the inside and outside. He even apologized because he was trying so hard to locate it through an internal pelvic exam. I must say that it was a pelvic exam like I've never experienced and hope to not experience again. I'm not sure if the fibroid is just tiny or just so far up and posterior that he couldn't locate it. I feel ridiculous complaining of pain, pressure and fullness, if in fact the fibroid is so small he can't even find it through an exam. I know I've read many things on this website where women have had huge fibroids so I can understand why they would have so much pain, pressure and fullness. I really wished I knew exactly how large mine is. For some strange reason when I had the TVU done (at a smaller hospital) the report did not give a measurement of the fibroid.