Hello, good morning. Happy Sunday. I hope things are going well for you in your efforts to shrink your fibroids.

If you’ve read my most recent posts then you know that I am scheduled to have a hysterectomy and Oopherectomy on Monday March 7th 2016. And if you’ve been following my blog for a while watching to see if I ever manage to shrink my fibroids naturally, then this new development might disappoint a bit. After all these years and so many different things tried, being sure at some points that I was achieving success, here I am right back where I started and now with no choice but to go forward with the surgery I was hoping to avoid.

What does this mean? Does it mean that it’s not possible to shrink fibroids naturally? Since other people say they have done it, I will not come to the conclusion that it cannot be done just because my efforts at doing it failed. In the years since I started on this mission to shrink my fibroids naturally, I enjoyed long stretches of time where my situation was manageable. While my fibroids never really shrank per se, I was able to regain some control over the situation so that I wasn’t walking around looking and feeling like a bloated blimp all the time.

I believe that it’s possible that some people do have success in getting their fibroids to shrink naturally; but then there are cases like mine. In the first place, it is not known if the larger mass in my abdomen is in fact a fibroid. Apparently, it is so large it was compared to a bowling ball by the doctor who will be performing the surgery on March 7th. He made the remark that I will feel much better when I’m not walking around with a bowling ball in my stomach. So whether it’s a fibroid or not, there’s no disputing that it’s extremely large. And the size of it is such that it appears to now be impacting on some of my other organs in damaging ways.

So the situation for me is a little bit more serious at this stage. I might be trying to shrink a tumor that cannot be shrunken, thinking it’s a fibroid when it’s not. Even if it is a fibroid, it’s way too big for me to have any hope of being able to shrink it using any natural remedy. I’ve tried for several years, and I remain happy that I was able to manage the situation as well as I was able to do. Because they told me in 2009 that my situation was urgent and the hysterectomy needed to happen within weeks. It’s 2016 and between 2009 and now I had some of the better years since this issue started. I had a good long stretch for a period between 2012-2014. Then I had that emergency situation at the end 2014. But I got things under control again and had a pretty good 2015.

I’m sure I could continue on in the same way and be able to say that things were under control in 2016; but now we’re talking about the possibility of cancer. And although even the surgeon has said he’s inclined to doubt it will turn out to be cancer, it would be the height of irresponsibility for me to choose to gamble with my life. I realize I’m gambling with my life either way. Having the surgery is a risk  and not having it is a risk.

Interestingly, since January 20th when they did the CT scan I’ve been having difficulties with my stomach. Not sure what that’s about, but the discomfort has been extreme, almost as if the mass is in a growth phase and not slowing down. The results of the January 20th 2016 CT scan showed that between December 2014 and January 2016, the mass grew quite a bit. Of course it’s not possible to tell at what point during this time the growth happened. But from my experience I did not have the kind of discomfort I am experiencing right now where I’m back to having my sleep affected by the pressure of the mass in my upper chest. So the timing of this is interesting to say the least.

But what is clear, is that however things may have looked to me judging my situation by the fit of my clothes, what I was seeing was not reflecting what was going on in reality. And if the mass in my abdomen is allowed to continue growing, this situation could become quite dangerous even with cancer taken out of the equation. So the conclusion I have reached is that these things need to be removed because they are not shrinking. Far from that, they are growing and there’s just not enough room to house them.

If you’re trying to shrink your fibroids naturally, don’t be discouraged by my situation. I feel that I did have some success; but it was always up and down. And when you’re talking about a mass that’s comparable in size to a bowling ball and that goes through growth spurts, you have to be realistic. My situation has reached the point where I have to accept that there’s nothing more I can do and I can’t keep the mass in if it’s going to be growing out of control. Your situation might be different.

Good luck on your mission.

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My name is Monica. I have fibroids. My fibroids are large enough that they have transformed my figure into something I am still trying to learn how to live with. In the meantime while I try to learn how to live with my fibroids I am also trying every possible method I can find to try to shrink them naturally because I am afraid of the idea of a hysterectomy. I lived with fibroids from 2007 - 2016. I started documenting my experiences on this blog in 2012. On March 7th 2016 I had a hysterectomy out of concern that I might have ovarian cancer. It did not turn out that I had ovarian cancer. The cancer scare forced the hysterectomy I was trying to avoid, and so, I became fibroid free as of March 7th 2016. I will try to keep this blog up and running in the hope that it will be of some use to others going through what I went through.

9 COMMENTS

  1. i have a feeling you will be much relieved after the surgery. I have seen masses so large that they had their own huge network of blood vessels. Taking care of those vessels becomes a danger in itself. Is there enough time to set aside blood for your own surgery, in case you need a transfusion? I was told I couldn’t (back surgery) because the blood needed to be kept for 30 days for screening (not sure how they worded it). Not knowing what kind of mass you have in there can take its toll on your emotional well being too. I’m looking forward to hearing how much lighter and happier you are after this!

    I’m projecting I can have better health insurance within a year or two. I will give myself that long to correct my body of processed foods and chemicals. This is probably the lightest period I’ve had since starting my supplements. It’s only been about 2 months, and I’m not taking all of them consistently yet.

    I just can’t trust Medicaid doctors anymore. Many are judgmental, assuming you’re a poor, dumb minority. Others are scammers, interested in lining their pockets via surgeries/cesareans. I have a disabled child, so it’s been near impossible changing my financial ‘status’. I’m working hard on that one (despite the fatigue and caregiver demands). I think 2 years max is enough to see progress or changes. And hopefully, by then I will have new insurance (or no need for it). Either way, I will try to remember to come back and post final results. Peace

    • I’m not sure about time for setting aside blood. I will have to ask. They never indicated this was something to consider. If it requires 30 days then I imagine there’s not enough time left now. I understand what you mean about assumptions and judgements and trying to maximize profits at the expense of certain types of patients. It’s the primary reason I generally avoid going to the doctor. I hate being made to feel like I’m being looked down upon or worse being treated with a dismissive attitude because I don’t have a certain social status. But sometimes you have to just ignore these things and know who you are regardless how people treat you.

      I wish you all the best. There’s plenty that’s in our control. So let’s keep fighting, whatever stage we happen to be in this process. It’s our lives and no one should be expected to fight harder for us than we for ourselves.

  2. Please do not get morcellation. You must be careful to remove it whole. It could have cancer in it. You will heal well. Don’t worry.

  3. Hi Monica and fellow fibroid fighters, I have only just stumbled across your site and have read a lot of the articles and replies. I just want to say a huge thank you for sharing your stories ladies, I am encouraged. Monica, you said the right thing though the fibroids didn’t shrink you gave it a good shot and made important lifestyle changes and I for one am really happy you have been open and honest. I am on the journey and do often fall by the wayside, but I will continue to work on building my will power and persevere. I will attempt to come back and share my story from time to time. I aim to have this ‘4+ month pregnancy’ gone by the end of the year, or at the very least reduced by half (great idea to set a timescale Barista). I have removed a great deal from my diet but now thinking that I do need to completely remove fish (the only flesh I consume though probably only once at most twice a month, I have no other animal products in my diet). The only other thing I definitely need to free myself of is ‘potato chips’ a frequent go to in between meals.

    Continue strength to you all, my sisters – peace & love forever!

  4. I’m not sure if this is still being used but i will try anyway. I’m 32, I have fibroids biggest being 6 n half cm going towards my belly button. I don’t want to take hormone tablets but no also have been told it will take two years to get an operation so if go private it will cost £9,000. Obviously there is worse cases out there but I have poor mental health and I feel like this is taking over my life. I hope someone will reply x

    • Hi Iona, it’s been a while since you left your comment. I don’t frequently check this website unfortunately. But I did check today. I hope that you were able to find some resources to help you as you navigate your situation with fibroids. I remember what it was like to have my life taken over by fibroids. I urge you to do everything you can to avoid having it feel like your life is being taken over by fibroids. If I can help in any way by answering any questions, I’ll do so to the best of my ability. Please feel free to reach out. All the best. Monica

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