Fibroids

[tootyfruitypickle]

I'm hoping that you guys can give me something to hold onto while I wait for a scan of my pelvis. I'm in an absolute blind panic that i have cancer, I am high risk so I am in such a dark place.

However, I've just been reading about fibroids and I want to try and focus that this could be the cause to get me through the time I have to wait for scan and results. I have adenomyosis already.

Symptoms - basically when I do vigorous exercise, especially running, I get acute pain on the left side of my pelvis. It lasts for about ten minutes. I don't feel it any other time.

I have INSANE periods, blood clots and the lot. Feel it at it's worst on the left side. Recently the clots have been quite bonkers but I've just put this down to perimenopause. The other month, I had a lighter period but it lasted for 3 weeks. Since then the periods have been normal (for me). I take transexamic acid and I can still do very little during my period and will be up in the night with pain every single month for the first two nights of it. I can't really do anything when on as I feel quite cloudy. Periods have probably been like this for about 6/7 years but the clots perhaps just the last 2.

Have a tummy but think that is just fat!

Please tell me that fibroids is a possibility here?

Other thing is that smears are usually unpleasant and hurt but i had one recently and I was trying to push the poor nurse off me and screaming as the pain was so bad.

Sounds exactly like my experience with fibroids!

@emmathedilemma
Honestly I could kiss you ! (In a covid secure way)
I just sat and weeped when I read a series of posts on runners world about fibroids. I don’t bleed in between periods though?

I’ve had cancer in the past and I’ve been right back there in the past two days, haven’t slept a wink.

Good to think there are other possibilities as to what it could be.

My mum had a hysterectomy in her 40s. I don’t want to ask why as dont want to worry my parents , but I wondering if she did for this reason. At the time they told me it was for contraceptive reasons (eek!) but that can’t be true .

I had a hysterectomy due to large fibroids and adenomyosis in my early 40’s. Good luck💐

Thank you @pilates. . I’m telling myself this is the most likely scenario. Quite happy with a hysterectomy I’ve had more than enough of periods as they are really affecting my life. In fact any diagnosis that is not cancer is most welcome .

The insane periods certainly sounds like me. Turned out, after years of flooding, pain and various tests, I had numerous fibroids and polyps (no cancer). Had an ablation of my uterus and haven’t had a period or a problem since. Changed my life. Please try not to worry op x

@Purplecatshopaholic thank you. My DD is used to our period days now, we have a day a month when I basically have to stay on the sofa . I got these investigated about 7 years ago which is when I got the adenomyosis diagnosis. But I think it probably has got worse because I do get the clots now and feel this definite downward pressure in my pelvis when they’re coming ! I’m late 40s.

I have fibroids and adenomyosis. I don't get pain during a smear or internal exam (or sex) but they are all different. But otherwise your symptoms sound quite like mine. I don't bleed between periods in general either. Do you ever get any pain when you ovulate? My pain is in a very similar place so I knew it was ovary pain iyswim. Obviously no one can diagnose over the Internet. Are you seeking medical help? Sounds like you need a transviginal scan.

I didn't bleed much between periods when I got diagnosed with fibroids, the bleeding just got heavier over a couple of years until it was almost impossible to leave the house - i could get through a superplus tampax in an hour so was having to wear pads as well. It was worst for the first couple of days but then my periods starting stretching from around 7 to 10 or 11 days. I started on tranexamic acid and had a coil fitted and it was only once i had the coil that i started spotting between periods too. That didn't really work and I had them treated with uterine artery embolisation which seems to have gone a good job of reducing the bleeding (still early days but seems to be settling down well). I do however still get random stabbing pains, mostly on my right hand side and occassionally on my left. I feel it when I run but also at other times. I had an ovarian cyst picked up on an ultrasound once which was big enough (>5cm I think) that I had to go back for follow-up to check it had gone down. It had, but I wonder if it comes and goes and that's what i feel. I was tested a couple of times to make sure I wasn't anaemic and whilst my iron was on the low end of normal they wouldn't class it as anaemic. However, I didn't realise how little energy i had and how much this had affected my running until I had the treatment and have been able to get back into it more. In hindsight, I think I should have been treated for the iron levels given my levels of exercise as what some people can function on is probably different to what others need as "normal".

I saw the practice nurse this week and have been referred for ultrasound.

Running pain was what prompted me. Literally pain so bad I have to sit down in the road. Then it passes. I wouldn’t be able to run again with it , I’d be too tense as the pain was bad. Felt tender as the nurse prodded me on left side and middle.

Yep I’m not making any assumptions but I’m not sure how long I’ll be waiting and I’m struggling with the anxiety as my first thought was that it was definitely ovarian cancer as I have higher risk. So to get through I need to get my brain in the place where I feel it could be other things as well x

I’m knackered by 7. And I shouldn’t be as don’t have small children. But I’ve been tired for a while and have assumed is just one of those things. My brother at the weekend was a bit when I said I couldn’t book dd onto an evening sports activity as I’d be too tired to drive her. So maybe it has got worse.

With transexamic acid a superplus tampon can last 2/3 hours. Without it under an hour .

You are describing fibroids. Totally.

You aren't describing ovarian cancer. Which is very rare before the menopause (of course it happens but it isn't common) My mum had ovarian cancer and her symptoms were nothing like you are describing here

How old are you incidentally? I'm 48 and up until 2 years ago, I'd had 30 odd years of periods being light, pain free,'arriving on the dot of 28 days and lasting 5 days. Now they last 6 days, come whenever they feel like and I now know what a heavy period is, put it like that! I saw the dr as I'm a believer in getting stuff checked out and a scan showed nothing at all - it's just peri menopausal stuff

Yours sounds like a fibroid to me

Ovarian cyst? If you have adenomyosis it is certainly possible. I felt a large lump in my pelvis & was in pain (literally felt like it appeared overnight). Went to gp, bloods shows elevated c125. Ultrasound confirmed cyst & I was referred to gynae. MRI then confirmed large endometrial cyst, severe endometriosis, adenomyosis & a fibroid.
I'd had heavy periods for years, but thought that was just me/my body.

Endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts could cause all those symptoms, and be exacerbated by hormonal fluctuations during perimenopause so please don't panic.

Did they do a CA125 blood test? This is an marker test for ovarian cancer (again don't panic!) but is very often raised with benign conditions like cysts or endo. (Mine was slightly raised but caused by cysts - had one removed during laparoscopy where they only found slot of scar tissue from c section, since then cysts have appeared then resolved). I had some pain even though it wasn't a large cyst and peri visited some very heavy periods on me.

Basically, much more likely to be one of the above than cancer!

Oh my. You are so kind. I had breast cancer ten years ago. I have slightly increased risk but luckily I don’t have the key gene that makes the risk very high. My panic is mainly over DD as I am very much her only parent.

So sorry your mum had to go through that @MargeryBenson. It’s such an awful disease.

@CoffeeBeansGalore thank you also. That whole process must have been very scary. Useful to know it might take a while to know what’s going on.

Just shows we must all get checked. I was so shocked to get referred. When I rang up I actually apologised for bothering them during a pandemic just because I had pain when running, but not at other times, I was really just checking I didn’t have a tear along my c section. Think that’s why I panicked as I was just in, referred, and out, no discussion and I was so shocked.

Still haven’t had referral letter so need to dig in for a wait I guess. They did do it as an urgent referral thankfully because of my history.

Thank you all again, I’m functioning again now !

@EllenRipley I think I have tons of scar tissue , my c section is a bit of a mess.

When I went for my breast cancer scan years ago there must have been 100 people there waiting and I was the only one to have cancer, and they all had cysts or symptoms, so you’re right, the odds are it’s something else thank you.

The more you say, the more the pain sounds like adhesions?

I'm in a similar position. So you have my sympathies. Could it be endometrial hyperplasia?

Did you take medication for the breast cancer? It doesn't sound like ovarian cancer though, if that's what the one you were concerned about, those symptoms as usually more IBS type and it's usually a post menopausal condition.

Ill have a look at that thank you @Someonesayroadtrip
Sorry you’re having issues too.

I looked at anaemia as well and my inner eyelids are basically white so it does seem my periods are not right ! I’m loading up on the spatone and iron rich foods and hoping that makes me feel less fatigued and will ask for a blood test once I’ve got my diet right .

I had chemo yes . And surgery. I’m basically full of scars !

Definitely have no IBS symptoms , thank you.
I slept properly last night due to you all on this thread xx

Spatone is great, but seriously just go see your GP. If your low they can offer you iron tablets which will be more effective than spatone and it will move things along of you need scans or investigations. I wish I had gone sooner but you always think things will just get better on their own don't you?

You didn't take tamoxifen then? Sometimes it's prescribed after breast cancer.

No I was hormone negative. Had herceptin for a year.