The Monsters Inside ME

Everyone hypes you up about starting your period when you are younger but nobody discuss all of the symptoms or issues that may come with having a period. As for me I have always had a period that was on the heavier end ,no biggie right? I mean I didn't know any other norm. I would continue through my twenties having the same routine heavy cycle monthly with horrible cramps.... this is what period feels like right? Yea right! It wasn't until one day I ended up at urgent care with stomach pains, after checking my vitals the Dr. immediately sent me to the ER due to severe anemia. With the stomach ache and the low iron he was afraid I had a bleeding ulcer. I went to the ER, they shot some dye in my veins and took me to get a cat scan of my abdomen to check for any internal bleeding..... and this is when I learned about the monsters inside me. The Dr. comes into the room and says Ms. Page has your Gynecologist ever told you that you have fibroids* in your uterus... looking confused and concerned, I answered no. He then replied well there are two that we can see, you should follow up with your gynecologist. Still concerned about the loss of blood I was admitted to the hospital and had to receive several pints of blood. They decided to keep me for observation and for a endoscopy to rule out the ulcer. The endoscopy came back that there was indeed and ulcer however it wasn't bleeding. I later went on to find out the fibroids were causing heavy blood loss due to my period, which lead to low iron, which gave me headaches, I would then take Ibuprofen for the headaches and that gave me ulcers! Boy this was just the begginign. During my period I would be so afraid to go into public for the fear of bleeding through my pants. It had become so bad that I have to wear an over night pad during the day and change it several times through out the day because it was full. I scheduled an appointment with my gynecologist and we were both puzzled about the fibroids because at my last exam 10 months prior, there were no signs of fibroids. He asked if they were causing any problems other than the heavy bleeding and I told him no. He recommended birth control to help with the bleeding. After about 3 months of the birth control I stopped because of the side effects. I would have severe headaches, nausea, vomitting, and growing hair in places that I did not want it to grow. It was a no for me. I met with my gynecologist to discuss a different plan and check if I was still fertile ( Fibroids can cause infertility in some women). My period was normal other than the heavy bleeding that along with some other test it came back that I was still fertile and could get pregnant, however the fibroids would need to be removed first or it could kill the fetus. I was fine with that because I wasn't trying to conceive at the time. My Gynecologist and I decided to leave them until I wanted to conceive or if they were causing me any other issues. a couple of years past and at a routine check up blood work showed that I was once again severely anemic however this time I did not have to get a blood transfusion, the Dr. placed me on iron pills. My gynecologist and I decided to do a laparoscopic surgery to remove one of the fibroids that was sitting in the middle of my blood supply in hopes that it would improve my monthly bleeding. It worked but only for a few years, had one more laparoscopic surgery in 2015 and again it worked for a few years. At one check up the doctor told me Ihad an additional 2 more that had grown and the ones that already existed had become larger with my largest being 7.5 cm (the size of a navel orange). I decided to make some diet changes as well. this kept them from getting any bigger My anemia had gotten to the point that I had to have iron infusions, at one visit my doctor stated " Ms. Page you do not have any iron, I don't know how you are even walking." My body was on auto pilot. I was then paired with a OBGYN that specializes in fibroids to discuss possible surgery. I was scheduled for an open myomectomy ( fibroid removal) for April 2020 but COVID hit and it was canceled. I was relieved because I was so nervous about having a major surgery where I was put cut open. I went on with life then November of 2020 I started to have severe pain and it hurt to sit in a chair for long periods of time. One day at work I got ready to stand up and I endured some of the worst pain I have ever had in my life. This sent me to the minor med where I received a X-Ray. During the follow up with my doctor she stated that I had a simple cyst that was common and that I should feel better in no time which I did. She also asked me what had I been doing because one of my fibroids shrank by 1cm! I was so excited I told her about my diet changes and eliminating coffee from my diet. The cyst went away but my iron had dropped again so I had to have more infusions. The infusions were like magic juice! I would have lots of energy after the infusions. The next month I noticed the pain would return but not as severe. It would come then go away with in a week. By February the pain had intensified to the point I had sciatic pain so bad I could not sit in a chair for long periods of time. Going to the bathroom had started to become an issue as well. Back to the doctor...... After my exam she informed me that my uterus was now not only pushing against my bladder, it was also pressing against my rectum. I have become so used to these issues /I just sat there numb, she leaned in towards me and said " Ms. Page, it's time to have surgery to remove the fibroids." in order to prepare me for surgery she gave me a Lupron Depo shot to stop my period so I can store up my blood supply. This was the worst! Hot flashes, night sweats, extreme thirst, mood swings, problems sleeping.... these were some of the side effects I have from the injection. The hot flashes with nausea are the worst! So now I sit here today 6 days out from surgery nervous but so ready to get rid of the monsters inside me.

*Follow me on my journey as I get rid of the monsters inside me and my healing process.

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*70 to 80 percent of women develop fibroids in their lifetime

*Did you know that black women are 3x more likely to have fibroids and more likely to experience extreme symptoms of fibroids?

*there isn't a cure for fibroids at this time except surgery or embolis