Bye, Bye, Fibroma!

 Lab work came back normal and surgery has been scheduled. For the sake of women who may be searching their own options, this is my game plan.

Endometrial Biopsy: this is when a very thin suction tube is inserted past the cervix to collect a sample of the endometrium to make sure there are no conditions present that would make ablation (will talk about later) dangerous or ineffective. Instructed to eat an hour before and take ibuprofen in case of soreness. No tampons for 2-3 days after.

Surgery Day!

Three different procedures are being done at once. I go in an hour and a half before surgery to do paperwork and labs/blood work. Some medications are discontinued a week before, some 2-3 full days before; this will be explained in each case.

Lap RSO: this is short for laparoscopic right salpingo-oophorectomy. Laparoscopic surgery is done with a sort of tiny camera doctor on a tube, inserted through three small abdominal incisions; just near the navel, below the belly, and the largest will be on the left side about the level of the navel. Gas in used to put distance between the abdominal wall and organs to minimize risk of damage to nearby organs and tissue. The fallopian tubes, right ovary and fibroma will be cut, inflated into bags, broken down enough to be removed through the small incisions. This is because the right ovary has been inside the fibroma and cannot be saved but luckily the left is viable so it can provide me with regular hormonal balance. I opted to have the fallopian tubes removed so that there is less chance more fibromas or fibroids will grow back. 

Hxscope D&C: this is short for hysteroscopy with Dilation & Curettage. A hysteroscopy is to check the current condition of the uterus. Like with the biopsy, the cervix is carefully dilated then, like the laparoscopy, the hysteroscopy is meant to see and investigate the inside of the uterus. You may already know but D&C is also used to make sure a miscarriage is fully ejected and that sepsis or over-thickening of the endometrium does not cause prolonged pain and complications. Once prepared, ablation can happen.

Novasure Ablation: this is a procedure that is not done if fertility is preserved because the endometrium might be permanently stopped which makes pregnancy impossible. This is meant to regulate or stop my periods and remove risk of anemia and extreme fatigue. The endometrium is burned off. This procedure eliminates the risk of prolapse that a hysterectomy comes with but also keeps the uterus from persisting with issues started with the fibroma complications.

If the ablation doesn’t help, the hysterectomy is then the optional next step but I am hoping it will be enough. Removing more than is necessary always comes with long-term risks and after these procedures, the fibroma damage should be removed and mitigated, chances of fibroid or fibroma growth greatly reduced. Hormone therapy unnecessary with one viable ovary to continue that until natural menopause.

Recovery post-op will be restrictive in the first week or two. I have an exam one week following the surgery to touch base, perhaps do blood work again to check antigen levels, perhaps give me results on the fibroma biopsied following removal. If all goes well, I’ll be able to see my nephew graduate high school with a new lease on life!

For the time being, I am still not airing this out on social media. I believe I might post about it the day before the surgery because I do want to raise awareness but I also want privacy while I am dealing with the days leading up to it. I am still in pain and limited and don’t want to feel obligated to update or gracefully accept sympathy throughout. I’ve told people I’m close to and I do blog here but I’ve never hyped up my blog so I have very few followers anyway. If I didn’t message you, it’s because I know you’ve read my blog so I will keep this updated in that case.

I am on private FB groups for fibroid support and I highly advise any woman who is going through this frustrating journey to wellness to join them. Many even allow you anonymous posting if you are afraid someone you know may find out what you’re not ready to talk about. It can be much easier to talk with strangers than to get the emotions of people invested in you. No shame in that!