Degenerating fibroids

[Guest guest]

I'm new to this list as of yesterday. 7 days ago I was set down with

crippling right lower quadrant abd. pain. I work as a white water raft

and back country guide so I'm in strong shape and rarely get sick...this

pain was epic. I had just completed leading a group of students on a

backpacking trip in the desert when I came down with the pain. I

thought it was appendicitis. The symptoms were classic, low grade

fever, lower right quadrant pain that didn't move, etc. etc. I went

into the hospital 5 days ago and because my white count was not

seriously elevated they decided to do a CT scan. The CT revealed that

the appendix was fine. It turns out one of the larger fibroids that I

have twisted on itself. They called it infarcted. The doctor in the ER

said see a surgeon, get a hysterectomy. I'm rowing an 18 day trip down

the Colorado river in Grand Canyon beginning March 30. I am not having

a hysterectomy between now and then. Ferget it.

So, here I am seven days later and the pain has finally gotten down to

the level of just really bad cramps. I've been eating percocet like

candy for five days and it barely took the edge off. I'm 38 and do not

wish to loose my uterus, not because I'm planning on having more

children but because I like it. It's one of my favorite organs...when

it's happy...it jumps...if ya know what I mean. So I really, really

wanna keep it.

I've been doing some reading and I heard about success shrinking

fibroids with chinese herbal therapy and acupuncture. Has anyone on

this list tried alternative methods to shrink fibroids? What about

diet? I really can't have surgery of any type right now. This is the

beginning of my busy season. I've been reading some of the posts and

there is no way I could handle 6 weeks of not working. In the work I do

there isn't sick time or paid time off. No work, no pay and you can't

row a raft down the Colorado with weak abdominal muscles.

What else is out there?

JP