From BoffinMumsFibroid: Come here all you fellow fibroids and bring me your success stories

[BoffinMum]

I am a lovely fibroid the size of an orange and I have successfully infiltrated BoffinMum's body causing all sorts of mischief

Roll up, roll up and tell us what you are up to and how big you have grown.

By the way, my role model is the alien that burst out of Sigourney Weaver's body in Alien. Except I do not plan on bursting out!

It's a fleshy lump. I imagine it a bit like a lump of liver you'd get from the butcher. Or perhaps a nice Cumberland sausage. If I have mine evicted I will be asking the surgeon to take some photos.

And it's obvious where it gets the material to grow from - it is a parasite which leeches all the joy and pleasure from the rest of your body and spews out blood in return.

TroubleAtMill - yes the Mirena will help with the bleeding. Mine helped control the bleeding for 2 and a half years. But during this time the fibroid kept growing and has pushed the Mirena out of the way so I am on the slippery slope to extreme blood loss again. Every fibroid is different and every one grows at a different rate, Mirena is often the option doctors like to try first as it's easy, cheap and not invasive. It works very well for a lot of women.

If you want to really gross yourself out you can google "fibroids" and then click the images tab.

Did that Luna yesterday and really wished I hadn't

They look like placentas in many ways.

Now I know it's there I can't stop thinking about the thought its there and I'm carrying it around

I'll be honest that although I'm anxious, I can't wait for my hysterectomy, the hospital gynae promised I wouldn't have to suffer another period as I'm so ill with them and suffer 'impressive' blood loss as he put it, but that means I'll need one in the next week or so!

I haven't got the biopsy results yet, so Im hoping its nothing nasty, I'm trying not to worry, but its part of the course I suppose. I just want rid of it now.

Whoever designed the human female reproductive system and came up with the idea of fibroids didn't do a very good job.

According to wiki:

"Uterine fibroids are rare in other mammals, although they have been observed in certain dogs and Baltic grey seals."

Fennel - if fibroids are benign why have you got to have a biopsy?

Lol Luna, I think a man designed it!

Hi trouble I think its because of my age (50), although he said he's pretty sure its a fibroid, they cant rule out that its something else, so have done a biopsy and an mri and I've been fast tracked through the system. The bloody thing is sat in my cervix which is causing issues, its a bit like being in labour all the time - horrible.

I will hopefully find out that it is a simple fibroid, depending on how its situated will determine which hospital I can go to for surgery, so I'm hoping its my local one where the staff are lovely. Fingers crossed!

Good luck Fennel, sounds like they're being over cautious but good to be double checked. I'm not sure where mine are located, think he said inside the womb. Since I've known there there I seem to picking up on every twinge, pain etc. Also cannot stop going for a wee - the scan showed it was pressing on my bladder. I hope this won't go on for ever!!

Thanks trouble I know what you mean about picking up every twinge, once you know its there it's hard to stop being aware of it.

I'm sure it wont go on forever for you, but waiting is miserable when you are feeling rotten, there are quite a few things that they can do to try to get rid of them I think, hopefully yours will be resolved soon!

I hope so too Fennel, next stop my GP to see what she says, I'm ready to try anything also need to lose weight and this has woken me up to that!

I'm in my 50s. I had an us scan, biopsy, MRI, hysteroscopy - all benign - and now two and a half years on have just had another us scan.

1. Apparently chickens get them too.
2. They have a similar protein structure to keloid scars.
3. Anti-fibrotic drugs currently used for lung disease might be a treatment in the future.
4. Esmya seems to be having another trial to see how many repeat courses women can have. Currently it seems to be four. I think if they trial it for use over several years the drug company will be delighted and so will a lot of surgery-averse women.

I am sure my displaced Mirena is picking up Radio 2 right now. 😁

So I saw my consultant today. Lots of to-ing and fro-ing and ifs, buts and maybes and the long and short of it is that I'm booked for a hysterectomy on 22nd Nov.

Better get Christmas sorted.

Good luck, Luna. I think I'll be in in the new year for same.

Glad you're getting sorted Luna, I saw a different consultant today who seems to think that there's nothing nasty going on and its just a fibroid, but still took another biopsy anyway - I could have cried!

He thinks a hysterectomy wont be in my best interests as I've had previous surgery with drains and lots of scarring and wants to try a resection first, and then hysterectomy if that doesnt work.

I feel a bit deflated, after being told one thing and then another, plus the additional waiting that it means and now I'm sore and crampy again. I suppose the positive is that it isn't anything cancerous and the resection might solve my problems, if it doesn't I think Ill be suicidal to be honest!

Ever since I found out about mine the pain / cramping has intensified- what's that all about? I am constantly thinking about it being attached inside me. Follow up GP appointment in Friday, couldn't see a lady so seeing a male GP instead and feel anxious about that, which is stupid I know.

I know how you feel trouble, but I've got to the stage I don't care who pokes and prods, as long as they can help!
I was mortified when I was rushed to hospital because I'd left a bloody trail from my bed to the loo in the ward and coudn't clean it all up so had to get the nurse. Luckily it was during the night, it could have been much worse if visitors were in; the embarassment reduced me to tears, but the staff were lovely.

The thing is that they've seen it all before and think nothing of it. I've found male gp's and gynaes to be more understanding bizarrely, so maybe it will be the same for you. Hopefully Friday will bring some answers for you, the waiting is by far the worst thing, especially when symptoms are worsening.

My male gyne was a a lovely man, very understanding and really put me at ease.
Good luck next month Luna, get as much information as you can before your op, being prep'd will help you recover much more quickly.
I also found my symptoms started to feel worse after my diagnosis, it's like know I know what's up with me I just want to get it sorted.
I was so scared about having a hysterectomy and even though I wasn't planning to have more kids, having the choice taken away from me was devestating, which felt really odd.
However it was a great decision, it took a while for my hormones to sort themselves out but I honestly fell 100% better. Plus I can wear white without worry

Ever since I found out about mine the pain / cramping has intensified- what's that all about?

I'm the same - since I had my MRI I have been bleeding a lot more and feel very bloated and sore. I think the fibroid and its evil spawn is just trying to make its presence felt before we evict it.

I have been doing a lot of selective reading on hysterectomy - lots of hospitals put out information leaflets for patients and the Hysterectomy Association website is great too, and not American like HysterSisters. We don't have any family close by to help out in the early days but my husband's employer is very good and will allow him to work from home when I'm in hospital so someone is there for the children and he also gets 5 days additional paid leave for "dependent care" which he can take when he needs it. Mum has also offered to come for a few days but I'm not sure if she'll actually make me feel better or worse... I also have a few friends who are doctors and nurses so medical advice on tap :-)

Friends have been great too - lots of offers to take kids to Guides/Dancing/Drama while I'm unable to drive, but as the op is end of Nov and many activities start winding down for Christmas at the beginning of December it shouldn't be too bad. I have also had lots of offers of help with shopping and cups of tea and will be calling on people if I need help. Daughter is worried I won't make her Christmas show at school and has already spoken to her teacher and asked if "Mum can have one of the reserved seats for disabled people in the front row as she is having a MASSIVE operation".

My main concern is the stairs - we have a house with a loft conversion, we sleep on the top floor. We don't have a downstairs loo. Wondering if its best in the early days that I just take to my bed in the loft with the laptop as there's a bathroom next door rather than have to climb stairs every time I need a wee. Will see how I feel when I'm home I suppose.

Well Brian exploded with excitement while I was tapping my Oyster card at Liverpool St station. Had to shuffle to accessible toilets and take tights and pants off, throw them away, scuttle to Boots with just a tampon in, buy Tena pants and actually discreetly out them on while sitting in my seat on the train.

Then 40 minutes later everything was soaked so I put 2 super plus extra tampons in, fresh pant things, and managed to survive the 45 minutes after that until I got home. Went in bath and then flooded again. Not a good situation.

Oh Boffin I so feel for you. This happened to me once giving a lecture. I had black trousers on thank fuck.

Today I haven't left the house. Waiting on a call from the GP about my last scan.