Question - Large fibroid tumor

Hello Ladies,
I am pre-opp July 27, but thought some of you may have had a hysterectomy for large fibroids. Mine has grown very rapidly in the last few months to the size of 4 1/2 month pregnancy (or maybe a little more now) I don't really know what to compare that to in size. At 3 mo. size. doc said it was grapefruit size. But any way, I have this constant bleeding and spotting and it is awful! If someone has had this please tell me your experience with this? Crazy, but did you loose weight after? I have gained and was trying to determine how much of this weight is the related to the tumor. Just getting nervous here... I will have TAH on the 27 July.

Thanks for any info!
Karla

Hi Karla,

I had a SAH on 6/29 to deal once and for all with a large fibroid (12cm grapefruit) plus one smaller one. I can sympathize with the constant bleeding. I had long heavy periods and was anemic. My doctor put me on the pill to control bleeding, and then after a few months I started breakthrough bleeding that wouldn't stop. So I went on a higher dose of the pill, and stayed on it every day for almost three months. My surgeon took me off ten days before my surgery (to reduce the risk of blood clots), and I bled all ten days with no sign of stopping. Bleagh.

I lost some weight by going off the pill, but didn't lose weight immediately after surgery (took a few days--I think IV & H2O & lymph replaced the fibroid). But within a week, some clothes that had stopped fitting because of my bulging fibroid started fitting again. That was really nice!

--Liz P

Karly,

I too had fast growing fibroids. In one year I went from a normal size uterus with no fibroids to a uterus overtaken by alien fibroids. Two large ones. However, I do not know how large according to the "fruit of the womb" scale.

I had 6.5 and a 8.5 fibroids. I did (3) months of lupron shots to shrink my fibroids for surgery. That got them down to a 1.0 and 8.3 and my Dr. did my LSH. I am very pleased with my surgery results.

And - according to another internet site I went on in pre-op, it said a fibroid was large if it was 5 cm or larger.

Sounds like you are having some normal pre-op fibroid symptoms: heavy flow and weight gain. I also had pelvic pressure, bladder incontinence, some constipation and even if I turned over in bed, I felt the bad boy fibroids move.

Now, in post-op, my fibroids are gone and I am pressure free. No more periods, no more bloat and no more b.c. My bladder and colon work great. I am a normal weight for my size and I lost the tummy bloat.

I feel good!!!!! And you will too!! Good Luck.

i had multiple fibroids, the largest being about 10 cm. the doc said my uterus after he removed the large fibroid was the size of a volleyball because it was full of fibroids. i was at the size of a 4 1/2 to 5 month pregnancy.

i too had lots of bleeding and spotting beforehand.

when he did the sah/bso (i kept the cervix-everything else went) he also found cysts and a blood filled cyst on the ovaries. Additionally a parasitic fibroid on my fallopian tube.

I lost 11 pounds in the hospital and have kept it off for the last 3 and a half weeks. reading the path report, the weight loss from the surgery itself was probably around 3-4 pounds that includes the uterus, fibroids, all the other parts and the blood loss.

take care and please realize that the hardest part for many of us is the waiting.

wolfie

Fibroids do not weigh as much as you'd think, even though they certainly do take up a lot of space!!!

Thank all of you ladies for the info!
I too have the pressure on the bladder and back from the fibroid.
WOW! Volley Ball Size... I guess that is what mine is too. I will be glad for my stomach to go back down. I do look pregnant and it is very frustrating. Well, my aliens will be getting evicted in 3 more days! (The volley ball and all of it's little friends) Can't believe it is almost here!
Keep writing to me ladies...tell me your fibroid stories!

Thanks & Hugs!

Karly

Hi ladies again!
I have another question???
Did any of you get really tired all of the time from the fibroid?
I even get short of breath going up stairs or taking a walk.
I have been coming home from work and passing out..taking a long nap in other words.
Could you feel it petruding out? I feel mine it is hard as a rock,
especially on the left side of my abdomin. Like right now I am sitting in desk chair w/left leg up on chair and it is hitting uterus.
Feels strange, or if I lean against the kitchen sink to do dishes, same thing. If I lay on stomach to sleep, same thing.
Weird...just wondered if any one else experienced this.

Thanks & Hugs!

My situation sounds similar to yours -- except that I had multiple fiborids -- I think more than 10. ANyway, my uterus was big -- I had the heavy bleeding and passing clots -- and was uncomfortable.

I had my hysterectomy on June 29 -- so far -so good. I have lost 6 lbs in three weeks -- but that is not because of the fibroids -- it is because I am eating healthy and taking better care of myself since the surgery. I have cut out desserts and unnecessary carbs -- not all carbs -- just the worthless ones! I feel better and the lbs are coming off. You will be surprised that the fibroids do not add significant weight to you - even though you might look as though they do.

Good luck with your surgery.

Thanks ladies for all of your input. It is hard to believe you can have something as big as a volley ball in you and it does not contribute much to your weight!
I do have multiple fibroids, but the "big boy" is the one I always talk about. It was really shocking news when I found out I had it!
I was so dumb. I had never even heard of such a thing until it happened to me!
I hope I will be back to normal in the near future.

Thanks & Hugs!

Hey Karly,

I had my monster fibroid removed earlier this week by SAH. "Marvin" (for Marvin the martian) clocked in at 10 inches long, 5 wide, and 4 deep. The doc weighed the darn thing and that alone was 5 lbs, 13 oz, so you may very well lose some weight.

The major problems I had with my fibroid were back pain and pressure, squeezing of the kidneys, and a little shortness of breath at the very end just before surgery when it had reached it's largest size. Like you, I could feel mine by pressing on it, but always assumed it was the spare tire I carry around my belly. NOT.

Anyway, surgery wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected, although I do have a huge abdominal incision (my fibroid was too big to be removed safely with a bikini cut). I've lost almost 10 lbs in the four days since my surgery and hope to lose more.

Good luck with your surgery!