Uterine Fibroids

 listen to your body

After I turned 30 in 2018, I started gaining weight and my stomach was no longer flat. I thought it was because I was getting older and my metabolism had changed. Then I got down to 124 lbs during the summer of 2019 and my stomach still stuck out. 

After my winter trip to Kinshasa in 2019, I started experiencing lower stomach pain, especially whenever I did any core/abdominal exercises. 

Whenever I  would do workouts, I would feel a huge mass like a bump in my belly. 

Fast forward to November 2021 and my stomach looks like I’m 20 weeks pregnant hence the picture above. I’m experiencing constant sharp pain, I have to pee frequently and my period symptoms are more intense. 

On November 1st 2021, the pain was unbearable therefore, my mom rushed me to Urgent Care. Urgent Care referred me to the ER due to the fact that my stomach mass was abnormal.

After 8 hours at the ER, I was diagnosed with Uterine Fibroids and referred to an OB/GYN.

Two weeks later at the OB/GYN, my diagnosis was confirmed and I was referred to Gyno/Pelvic surgeon for surgery consultation. 

A couple months later, ultrasound, Gyno exams, an MRI, blood works, and more doctor appointments, I was informed that I had several fibroids growing outside of my uterus (hence belly) called subserosal fibroids and tiny ones within the muscle of my uterus called intramural fibroids. It looks like they were not cancerous. Also, I found out that my fibroids may be hereditary and I had a 50% chance of my fibroids coming back in 4-5 years and I should be thinking about whether or not I want to have children because the only way to stop these fibroids from growing is removing the uterus.

I decided to have a laparoscopic myomectomy surgery (with the option of an open abdominal myomectomy if laparoscopic was not possible) because a) I was tired of the pain and 2) I missed my stomach.

My surgery was set for May 16 2022.  While I waited, I read all the articles I could on Uterine Fibroids, watched Youtube videos and I bought bunch of Turmeric, Ginger Supplement and Fibroid teas from Amazon and Walmart with the hope I could magically make all my fibroids disappeared.

The night before my surgery, I moved in with my parents. My mom and I woke up early on May 16th and drove to the hospital. I checked in, changed and went to the pre-op room where they took my blood, gave me a pregnancy test, checked my blood pressure and I signed some documents. Then my anesthesia doctor came in and gave me anesthesia and I was told to think of a happy time/place etc. I started to think of running. 

The surgery ended up taking 7 hours. I had an open abdominal myomectomy due to the fact that my largest fibroid was 13cm and the rest was the size of an orange. I had a total of 5 fibroids removed. My surgeon only removed the largest ones, the small ones were inside the uterus and I made it clear that I want babies. The biopsy reports came back and confirmed that all 5 of my fibroids are noncancerous. 

After surgery, my throat hurts like hell. My lips were dry. I was dehydrated and the pain in my abdomen was brutal. It hurts to laugh or turn or do anything that involves using core stomach movement. 

During my recovery period, my family was AMAZING. Their LOVE saved me.  Every day I had someone coming over, checking on me, calling me and walking with me so I could get back to my normal routine. 

I was allowed to walk for 20 minutes a day and remain rested (bedrest) while my outer wounds and internal wounds healed for 6 weeks. 

My surgeon and my doctor kept reminding me that I had a major surgery and I needed to treat it as if I had a C-section and give my body time to heal. 

Resting and doing nothing was hard for me. I missed driving and being free. 

One of my stitches got infected two weeks after my surgery and I had to be put on two different antibiotics and early in July 2022, I was cleared to go back to normal life. I had to ease back to things but eventually in August 2022, I could go run. It felt so good to be able to run. Being on bedrest made me appreciate the ability to run, walk without help, drive and move around without pain.

In November 2022, I ran my first 5k in 5 years. It was nice to go back to my normal life. I now go to the doctors especially my OB/GYN regularly and do my best to listen to my body.

I learned a lot during this period of my life. The most important lesson is to listen to my body. 

In January 2023, I started doing core workout again and my lower belly/upper pelvic gave me some discomfort. The discomfort was not strong enough to be called pain but it was present. My belly/stomach area shape still looks different. I guess it will always look different. I have to embrace this new look of my stomach. No more bikinis, strictly one piece swimsuits. 

In March 2023, I officially decided to get a waist trainer and stomach binder for people who had abdominal surgery. My surgeon and my doctor kept telling me that I had a major surgery and that it was like I had a C-section, thus it should be treated as such. I ignored it until my stomach healed and I noticed how different my stomach looks. It is different including the scars. I don’t regret the surgery because I don't look pregnant anymore and the pain is gone but I look like a woman who has given birth. This is new for me. I don’t have children and have never been pregnant. 

My brain and heart will eventually accept my body as it is now but until then I will do whatever I can to minimize the negative aesthetic.

Key Facts:

• Myomectomy involves the surgical removal of uterine fibroids without the removal of the uterus.

• Uterine fibroids are growths, or tumors, that develop in the muscular wall of the uterus.

• Middle-aged women are commonly diagnosed with fibroids.

• African American (black women) tend to have the highest frequency of fibroids, although fibroids have been found in women of all ethnic backgrounds.

~xoxo