My Fibroid and I
A true dysfunctional love story.
This week I will have surgery to remove my wonderful fibroid.
Yes, you read that right: a fibroid. If you know me and my history with reoccurring health problems, you are most likely shaking your head. Another issue Chauncey? Yes, I'm the person who always has these random medical occurrences. However, I consider myself blessed because God has kept me alive.
A few months ago, I started experiencing extreme pain in my abdomen. Honestly, I thought it was just regular premenstrual pain or maybe the effects of a bad diet. After many tests, they found ovarian cysts that have thankfully gone away, but they also found my fibroids. (By the way, my doctor said I've had fibroids since 2014 but since they weren't considered large, they didn't bother to tell me.) Fibroids are extremely painful; besides the heavy bleeding and constant bathroom breaks, they are as annoying as hell.
If you are unfamiliar with fibroids, they are benign tumors made of smooth muscle cells and fibrous connective tissue. They develop in the uterus. It is estimated that 70-80% of women will develop fibroids in their lifetime—however, not everyone will develop symptoms or require treatment.
Fibroids are very common among women of all races, but they especially prevalent in the black community. While growing up I always heard about women in my family dealing with fibroids, which led to some of the women seeking the fibroids removed. As a woman with fibroids, I now understand why my family members' stomachs seemed extremely bulky. The bloat came from large fibroids!
For women who do require intervention with their fibroids, the solution isn't always as simple as taking medicine or removing the fibroid. Especially for someone like me, who is in their early 30s and hasn’t had a child. This is the only time I wish I had kids as a teenager, besides the time I wished for reality tv stardom via Teen Mom.
I now must accept the fact my life could possibly change after the surgery. I could be left without the option of not having my own kids - probably best summed up as “getting my eggs cracked” in the words of the greatest reality tv star ever, Ms. Tiffany “I Love New York” Pollard.
With any surgery, there's a chance that something could go wrong, and I could be left with the option of my reproductive organs being shut down. Multiple doctors and family members urged me to investigate taking corrective shots or simply trying pain medication. That all sounds great, but at the end of the day, it's my body. I am not a great candidate for certain pain medications due to the black woman curse of high blood pressure. Also, the corrective shots offered can be toxic to the body and I do not want to add more foreign substances to a body that's already taken too many beatings.
Honestly, if you suffer from fibroids and the corrective shots have benefited you, that's great! It's your choice and the option can be great for some people, but for me, it's not ideal. I know myself and I know what’s best for my body.
After a few weeks of deliberating, I decided to take the plunge and to get my fibroid removed on May 17th. The wait to remove this fibroid has been excruciating. I'm nervous, excited, and scared. I am excited because I could lose this extra bloat that I thought was from just eating horribly (Honestly, the bloat could still be from my diet). I'm nervous and scared because it's a significant surgery. But in all, I have faith that I will still be able to have wonderful and healthy babies in a few years. And I will be pain-free!
I will be back with an update for all the Slaybabes after my surgery. If you suffer from fibroids, please know we at the blog have your back and understand your pain on an intimate level.
Written by Chauncey and Krystle