My Fibroids Story .

My Fibroids story started in 1997. I was pregnant and needed to have a scan. I was told by my doctor that I have a little fibroid but it was not an issue. I didn’t pay much attention to it seeing that I was told by my doctor it wasn’t a problem, to be honest I even forgot about it. Fast forward to 2002, I started a weight loss program, started taking fat burners and lost a significant amount of weight. It was during this time that I started to experience very bad pains in my abdomen and heavy periods. I then realized from massaging my stomach to somehow find some comfort that I felt these hard masses. It was a terrifying moment for me; my first thought was Oh My God Cancer!!! I still did not remember the Fibroids my doctor told me about during my pregnancy. I waited for a few days, afraid of the outcome. I stopped taking the fat burners I was using for weight lost and found that the pain eventually subsided. Even though I was not feeling the pain anymore I could still feel the masses. As long as I didn’t feel the pain I thought I could go on with my life. I was always of the mindset that as long as you ignore something it would eventually go away. (Not a good thing).However the masses did not go away but I learned to ignore it. The following year I started a new corporate job, and had developed a habit for drinking coffee. I began to notice that the pain in my abdomen that I experience before had return. There were days when I was unable to go to work because my periods were too heavy and I didn’t want to take the risk of being embarrassed. There were also days when I would have to leave work early because I had accidents where my clothes would get soiled. By this time I had already started gaining weight and I recall having very bad back pains. It all began to take a toll on me mentally and I eventually left my job. It was at this time that I convince myself to see a doctor, who directed me to take a scan. The scan showed seven Fibroids with two of them being the size of a grapefruit. The doctor then suggested to me to have them removed, he also told me that because of the size of the Fibroids, I would have to have a hysterectomy. The only thing I remember asking was, what was the cost of surgery, how long I will have to be in hospital and if there was anything to there was any other way besides surgery. Again being the person I was, I waited. I didn’t want to have surgery. I was very afraid and I was self employed. I thought about the time I would need to recover, how my bills will be paid. My health at that time was not a priority. So again I waited and hoped that the fibroids would just shrink, after all I had heard stories of women passing them out and them shrinking .During my periods I would experience passing huge blood cloths, the pain was often unbearable. I sought another doctor’s opinion and was met with the exact suggestion of having to have a surgery and hysterectomy. I really didn’t mind having a hysterectomy; I was rather excited about the possibility of not have a period every month. I was actually afraid of the surgery it’s self. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be a little worried about going under the knife. In 2010 I decided to start dieting again, as I approach my weight lost goal I notice that the smaller I got the visible my protruding stomach became. People had then began to ask if I was pregnant . My symptoms got worst I was going through a bag of sanitary napkins in a day. The duration of my periods went from three day to seven days. I tried every remedy I heard about, nothing seemed to work. I was always very fatigue, and had a few fainting spells. On many occasions when I would travel for work I would always find myself being tired and was unable to do my jobs effectively. I can recall a time traveling with Miss Bahamas to Las Vegas to attend the Miss USA pageant, and falling out on the airport’s floor because my iron was low. In January of 2011 I had to be admitted into hospital because of the magnitude of pain I was feeling, I was unable to walk the pain was excruciating. Because of the position of the pain, the doctors assumed it was appendicitis. They told me that the surgery would only be to take out my appendix, and that I would have to return to have the fibroids taken out at another time. I was immediately taken back by this because I thought it was the perfect time to get it over and done with. After undergoing many test and scans I was given pain killers which worked perfectly. The pain went away and they were able to rule out the issue of appendicitis. Unfortunately I was not able to have any type of surgery because my blood count was very low. I was given two blood transfusions and was put on contraceptives to help with my periods. The doctors suggested that I concentrate on building my iron before scheduling my surgery. I was very uncomfortable with it all, and decided to leave the hospital after four days. I went home, I started to take the necessary iron tablets and eat all the foods that were high in iron. I increased my faith in God because I knew if I was to get through this; it would only be by the grace of the almighty. Within the time of me leaving the hospital that day, I went through 7 months of bleeding because of the contraceptives the doctors prescribed. I was no able to work , I couldn’t stand too long I couldn’t sit too long , the only way I found comfort was laying on my back . But through it all God gave me grace with a new team of doctors, that made the experience a little easier (just a little). The road to my surgery was filled with many days of blood testing, CT scans, long days and night at the hospitals making sure that everything was ok to for me to have this procedure. I was checked into the hospital on November 8th 2012; I was persuaded that God was with me and my doctors. I was just ready to get it over with; I was ready to live my life again, because I had lost so much because of Fibroids. I lost special moments with my son, I lost time with my family, and I was of no use to myself or anyone. I was also very angry at myself for procrastinating. The night before my surgery I was given some laxatives to clean my bowels; I wasn’t allowed to eat after a certain time. I didn’t sleep that well because of laxatives I had to make frequent trips to the bathroom. November 9th 2012- The next morning I was brought papers to sign, I really didn’t read the papers correctly; I was just ready to get rid of the aliens that had invaded my body for so long. My doctor told me that they may be able to save my ovaries but they couldn’t be sure until they would’ve opened me. At this point I was just find with whatever they told me, I was not worried I was not bothered, I knew my God had me. I remember I was given a needle in my shoulder and remember waking up in extreme pain. Vaguely I recalled seeing my family and doctors standing over me. The fibroids they removed was in total 11 pounds, I was finally free of the curse, I finally had a flat tummy , I was finally free to live my life the way I wanted to all those years… or so I thought . The day after my surgery I was told by the doctors what had happen during surgery. They were unable to save my ovaries; I was given a Total Abdominal Hysterectomy. During the process of my surgery my bowels were damaged. I was told that another team of doctors had come in to perform the repairs. I instantly went into menopause what did all of this mean…? It meant that the journey had just begun for me. The pictures you see of these fibroids are pictures that represent procrastination, fear, and ignorance. If I had not waited, if I wasn’t so fearful, if I had the understanding, just maybe things would’ve turned out differently. The price you pay for living with fibroids are very high. I know there are many women who will have the mindset that I once had. They are not asking the right questions, in fact they are not asking any questions, they are not doing research, and they are waiting and hoping that that the fibroids will just fade away. I encourage all women to know what going on in their bodies. It’s important for you to know because your quality of life might be at stake. This is the reason Wombs of Promise was born, to provide you with information in order for you to make the right decisions for you. I am here to support you because I know firsthand how living with Fibroids can affect you mentally and physically. I however thank God for my scars that have now become my purpose and the journey continues.