What you *may* have to look forward to...

[Guest guest]

--- margaretleo2001 wrote:

> I'm sorry you have had such a hard time but I think

> you give a picture that may be a bit too negative.

I just wanted to echo this. I know plenty of people

have worse experiences than I do, but my own

" wait-and-see " approach has not been as unpleasant. I

just want people (especially newbies) to know that it

doesn't have to be as negative as 's described.

I do currently have many of the symptoms she related -

but I was first diagnosed with fibroids about five

years ago, and we've been waiting-and-seeing ever

since. Only now are they beginning to cause symptoms.

Here's what I'm dealing with now:

- Gradually heavier, longer, and less predictable

periods, with weird " gushing " occasionally, and one

clot about the size of my thumb. I haven't woken up in

a pool of blood, but I did soak through a tampon and

my clothes during a 1-hour meeting last month. Not

fun, but I'm not afraid to leave the house either.

- I'm not anemic but I *am* tired all the time and get

winded easily when working out. I think it may have

something to do with the extra blood my fibroids

require.

- Constant lower backache, and if I press on my belly,

there's always some pain and heaviness in there

somewhere. I do rely on NSAIDS which I know are hard

on the liver, but I get nasty estrogen-drop headaches

near my period, and 800mg Ibu is the only thing that

takes care of them. Conveniently, they are also

wonderful with backache and cramps.

- I am currently on the Pill to help with the

bleeding, in addition to providing birth control. I am

in the process of switching to a higher-dose one to

see if that controls it a little better. Since I've

been on the Pill for the better part of twenty-odd

years, I don't really look at this as being a problem.

- My doc has not suggested Lupron or any other drugs

at this point, although I suspect we will be having a

surgery discussion in the next couple of months.

- I have gained about twenty pounds since my

diagnosis, mostly around my middle, without making

significant changes in my diet or my activity/workout

schedule. It may partly be related to aging (I'm 38),

but I also suspect it is mostly due to the fibroids.

- I am beginning to have bloating, bladder and bowel

pressure, and constant heartburn. In general, my belly

feels like it did when I was four or five months

pregnant. It's hard in the middle, and I think I can

feel my uterus all the way up to just below my navel.

I am scheduled for an ultrasound in a few weeks (last

one was about a year ago), so I don't know how big my

fibroids are, but my doc says it is entirely possible

for fibroid growth to cause all of those symptoms.

- I have indeed had to buy bigger pants and skirts due

to my fibroids and the associated weight gain. Since I

was not a small woman to begin with, this has been

hard on my self-esteem. My husband has been

wonderfully accepting of me but I still don't like it.

Buying men's jeans (by waist and inseam) has helped a

great deal, because I can get them to fit around my

38 " waist without being huge everywhere else.

- I have recently spent a good deal of time

researching fibroids, mostly on the web and via books.

I am lucky enough to have a great doc whom I trust and

who has never even mentioned hysterectomy. So yes,

it's taking some time to educate myself and process it

all, but right now it's not because I'm running from

doctor to doctor, or doing paperwork, thank goodness.

I don't mean to minimize the awful things that other

women are experiencing, not at all - I'm beginning to

have some of those symptoms myself and it isn't fun. I

just want people to know that it doesn't always have

to include all of those things within the first year.

While it can be pretty unpleasant, it can also happen

much more gradually and gently.

My two cents...

==Cat

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