What are your symptoms living with fibroids?

Add the fatigue of anemia, to heavy painful periods (to the point that I go through a giant box of super tampons every month - plus pads), stress incontinence from the pressure of my uterus squishing my bladder, weight gain (after having lost 47 lbs on Weight Watchers) and it's a recipe for trouble. The fibroids aren't very big either, but the doctor suspects adenomyosis as well. Not fun.

Get 'em OUT, Ntcoke! Eviction time!

I cannot say enough happy happy things about life post-myo. Normal stomach, normal energy level, normal bladder, you name it. It is SO worth finding a doctor who can help you feel comfortable without however you get them out (hyster, myo, whatever makes the most sense for whatever situation anyone with giant fibroids finds herself in.)

I swear, I went in for my one-month check up, my surgeon made the off-hand comment that she liked my scarf, and she had to stop me from pulling it off my neck and giving it to her right then: I was that grateful.

Scheduled for a hsyterectomy on 16th Nov, also losing my cervix due to past abnormal smears.

My ultrasound found a grossly enlarged womb (26-week uterus) with 7 fibroids ranging from golf-ball to grapefruit in size. The largest is calcified.

My first fibroid (presumably the largest one) was found shortly after I had given birth, so I'm thinking it may have caused the enormous pain I felt shortly after conception (was sent to hospital for an ectopic pregnancy but turned out normal) and possibly even the post-partum haemorrhage.

Over the past 17 years I have had increasingly heavy periods until the one that lasted 30+ days and forced me to make the big decision - it only stopped with drugs.

Of course I have been becoming increasingly anaemic and for the past 9 months I have been taking iron tablets which help enormously. A lot of the worst symptoms were due to this - my haemoglobin was 4 back in March - and this caused breathlessness, haggard-looking skin, palpitations, muscle weakness, failing eyesight - I thought I was getting old really quickly!

I also used to have massive, painful cramps, like labour pains but without the relief in between - one lasted for about 3 hours and made me vomit into my office wastepaper basket. Hubby had to come and get me from 30 miles away. I had an ablation a few years ago and thank goodness I have not had any period pain worth mentioning since then.

I am tentatively hoping that the hysterectomy will help me to get a bit of a waist back - the flesh seems to push outward when I bend instead of inward, and it makes it difficult to reach my toes! But that is mainly vanity :-)

I had multiple fibroids, including one large exterior one. My uterus was high and tipped, so the fibroid may have been causing increased nerve pain in my hips/legs. The obvious problem was the heavy, prolonged bleeding, and the cramps, followed by huge clots. My pathology report shows adenomyosis, which would explain the clotting, but the hemorraghing and having 2 periods most months (sometimes almost continuous for the whole month!) I blame on the fibroids.

I am 4 weeks post-op today, and although I am healing slowly and still in pain, even with pain meds, I am SO glad I had the hysterectomy. My PCP called earlier this week and said I'm finally not anemic...

Found out I had fibroids in Aug. I am severely obese (360 lbs) and my gyn said no to surgery. I took my first Lupron shot in Sep and have now realized how many problems the fibroids were giving me. Yes, I had scarey bleeding and incredible pain but I hadn't realized my stomach was bloated, my constipation, my difficulty urinating were caused by these fibroids as well. Now my delimma is what will happen after my 2d Lupron shot....I can only be on the stuff for 6 months and I don't want to go back to what it was like earlier!

I have 2 fibroids, one the size of a small apple and one the size of a clementine. The larger of the two is pressing outward & to the right and I can feel it through my abdomen. It's quite annoying. I have a lot of bloating and constipation, frequent/urgent urination, some heavy bleeding (but not as much as some women, I think) and a general feeling of discomfort and fullness in my pelvic area. At times it's quite tender, even to the point of "don't touch my belly" or I'll jump off the couch!!! Some of my jeans are uncomfortable simply because the zipper bends into my pelvic area where the fibroids are poking out! I'm so ready to get them out! Supracervical lap hyster is scheduled for Dec 21 and it can't come soon enough!

Thanks Turanga, I totally agree! Hoping and praying that between the health plan and the surgeon that myo will be my option, as I do not want a hyster. Otherwise I may bag the whole thing!

I've known about my fibroids since my mid twenties when they were the size of an orange. They only strated giving me probems a year ago and scans show that there are 2 very big ones (grapefruits) and lots of small ones, that have displaced my uterous to the left and squahed my left ovary.

My symptom is: PAIN. 7 - 10 days of very bad back and abdominal ache every month. I feel like I've been run over, or kicked down the stairs and have been taking time of sick every month. Added to this is fatigue and mild discomfort all month.

I wanted a myomectomy, but my gynae consultant says a SAH is the best answer for me, because one of the large fibroids is abnormal - possibly calcified, possibly pre-cancerous (STUMP cells?) and he won't operate on abnormal fibroids.

I await a second opinion but really have had enough of all this, so will probably go through with the hysterectomy on 20 February. I ahve managed to live in harmony with the fibroids for a long time, but that time is now up.