It was said so casually, I almost didn't believe it. Don't get me wrong - our family doctor is absolutely amazing with us; he just happens to be very frank & direct. Prior to this follow-up consultation, I had my suspicions. For instance, I noticed during the ultrasound that the technician was noticing something by the way she looked at the screen and seemed very silent.
Also, in about 1996, my mother was diagnosed with fibroids (similar symptoms to what I later experienced); she did end up having a hysterectomy. I vaguely recall her recovery time - she was in the hospital maybe about 5 days - there'd been some minor complications with her IV. As a 9 or 10 year-old-kid, I never really thought this would happen to me someday. (If memory serves correct, my grandmother had one in the 70s or 80s, but the procedure would've been quite different then, than it is nowadays).
Anyway, I'd been doing a little bit of research as to what could possibly be causing my horrid menstrual symptoms... so when it was confirmed that I do indeed have fibroids, it made sense. And yet, a big part of me hoped it wasn't true. Two sides of one coin, I suppose...
The whole conversation during the follow-up appointment lasted maybe 5 minutes. The doctor came into the room & greeted me, then sat at his desk and called up my file on his computer. He had a printout with him from the technician, with a confirmation that I not only have several fibroids, but they are different types.
Subserosal: Grows on the outside wall of the uterus; often causes no symptoms when small, but can grow large enough to cause interference to surrounding organs (which could explain my IBS symptoms).
Fundal: Just means the top of the uterus. Anterior just means frontal, and lateral means to the side.
Pedunculated: Having grown a bit of a stalk.
Intramural: Grows within the actual wall (not the lining) of the uterus; can distort the uterine cavity, which in turn may prevent or end a pregnancy (I was told by the doctor that the chance of a pregnancy is not likely, for this reason). Though I was not diagnosed with one, a submucosal fibroid would be even worse for fertility!
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| Image from Azuravascularcare.com and is subject to copyright |
Aside from the technical descriptions above (which I looked up BTW, I'm not this knowledgeable on my own), basically my uterus is riddled with non-cancerous growths, but they still impede the ability to become pregnant - and they cause a great deal of menstrual issues, as well as some IBS symptoms!
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| I drew this in May 2017 during my Kawaii365 project. |
So after he confirmed the fibroids, he told me it's highly unlikely I'd be able to carry a pregnancy anyway, so to stop the [potentially fatal!] bleeding long-term, he suggested I go forward with a hysterectomy. This was all a lot of information to take in...
Trying to sound brave, I asked, "Well, is there any medication or hormonal treatment, like maybe birth control pills?" He hesitated briefly, then looked at my file and saw that when I went to the ER a couple of years ago, I had been given Cyklokapron to help stop the bleeding and prevent complications such as anemia. So he gave me a prescription for more.
So now, just during the week (or more) than I'm bleeding, I'm to take 3 of the pills per day, along with iron supplements to get my levels back up so I don't end up anemic. This is a great short-term approach, but those pills are very expensive, and cause stomach upset as a side-effect. So I've made a tough decision...
Tune in later to learn more about this decision.
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Though this blog is not intended to provide - nor replace - medical advice, I would like to suggest that if you find you're experiencing heavy (or heavier than usual) menstrual bleeding, excessive spotting, periods lasting longer than 1 week, or any flow or pain that interferes with your daily activities, that you seek medical advice immediately. This may mean a walk-in clinic or even an ER. If I hadn't taken this seriously, it could've eventually cost me my life, and so you should take your uterine health very seriously.
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