Is anyone having problems with uterine fibroid pain during pregnancy?

November 30, 2006 — EclecticGeek

One of my visitors here is having a problem with extreme pain from her fibroids during her pregnancy.

Anna: Are there any women out there who can tell me how to endure pregnancy fibroid pain?

I’m 7.5+ months pregnant with at least 8 fibroids, 3 of which are just over 5.7 cm each and growing. They were all discovered when I became pregnant. Most of them don’t bother me but two are crammed down at the bottom of my uterus just over the birth canal. The pain from those two is so bad I haven’t slept more than 3.5 hours in weeks.

The Dr. says I am experiencing ‘degridation’ as the fibroids grow which sends a chemical into the body causing this unbelievable, constant pain. For the pain, I take frequent warmish baths, stay in bed and take Tylenol which does very little (if anything) but I’m told that Tylenol is the only pain killer that’s safe for the baby.

First – Have any of you experienced this kind of extreme pain during pregnancy?
Second – What can I do about it ?

I’m sure I’ll survive this … women are tough. But, I’d like to be able to get out of bed and enjoy a little bit of sunshine in the next two months. Heck, just having a short break from the horrible pain would be a blessing. Frankly … at this moment 8 hours of labor sounds like a cakewalk compared to months of this. =)

Your input is quite welcome.

If you have an experience or thoughts to share about uterine fibroid pain and pregnancy, please leave a comment.

Posted in Body, Experiences, Family, Fertility, Fibroids, Health, Life, NSAIDs, Personal, Pregnancy, Questions, Symptoms, Women's Health. 789 Comments »

UPDATE: My condition four months post-Uterine Fibroid Embolization

November 26, 2006 — EclecticGeek

My periods are still question marks. They average about 3.5 days. Incredible that they are now half of the previous legendary “7 days of hell”. I can actually have a period during a holiday and it not matter. What a victory!

Details of my most recent period:

Monday, November 20, 2006: Cramping and spotting started that evening. Took two 200mg over-the-counter Motrin for relief. Ended up taking two more before going to bed so I would sleep through the night. Bleeding became heavier during the night but still light.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006: Cramps were more painful (still moderate) and the bleeding heavier. I would characterize the bleeding as moderate. Was running low on OTC Motrin so I took a 600mg Ibuprofen left over from one of my procedures. No more pain that day. Took another that night at bedtime and slept like a rock on top of a log.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006: Light cramps and light bleeding. Took one 200mg OTC Motrin.

Thursday, November 23, 2006: Ah, the holiday. Light cramping and spotting most of the day. I did take one 600mg Ibuprofen (probably overkill) so I would definitely enjoy the day pain-free… and I did!

I cannot even begin to tell you the RELIEF of being able to sleep through the night. No more waking up at 3 AM in a pool of blood reminiscent of a crime scene. As I would start my sprint to the bathroom, I often expected to look back and see my own chalk outline. Yeah, that anemia can mess with your mind at 3 AM.

On a lighter (and less bloody) note, my holiday was good. Hubby purchased a precooked Thanksgiving dinner and we carried it to my parent’s house and stuck it in their oven. I really enjoyed the fellowship and food. After I returned home, I wanted a turkey so hubby purchased one more cooked meal. I stuck it in our oven and had another Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. How terribly geeky! :-D

I was trying to avoid having tons of leftovers lingering in the house but I have no desire to pig-out anymore. Amazing. So these days, I am well and happy and exercising regularly again. After I consume just a little more turkey, I’ll start working on those posts about fibroids, weight gain, and weight loss. I think you’ll find my perspective quite comical.

——————

Related Posts:
How are you feeling after your Uterine Fibroid Embolization?
Two weeks after my Uterine Fibroid Embolization
Gosh…my period turned out to be a question mark!
My condition one month post-Uterine Fibroid Embolization
UPDATE: My condition two months post-Uterine Fibroid Embolization
UPDATE: My condition three months post-Uterine Fibroid Embolization
UPDATE: My condition five months post-Uterine Fibroid Embolization

Posted in Body, Experiences, Fibroids, Health, Mind, Minimally or Non-Invasive, Personal, Recovery, Spirit, Treatment, Uterine Fibroid Embolization, Women's Health. 12 Comments »

I’ll add “my health” to the list of things for which I am thankful…

November 23, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Will keep this brief. I’m seeing my people for the holiday so being bathed and clothed today is mandatory.

Vastly different last year. My existence was darkly colored by anemia. I was tired and weak and lightheaded. The funny thing was that I decided to cook. Couldn’t stand for more than 15 minutes at a time but I cooked. Yeah, I know. I’m totally crazy. This year, I have plenty of blood and energy but didn’t fix jack. My husband just returned with our “reserved” cooked Thanksgiving dinner.

One reason for not cooking is because I really wanted to make some changes to the site and have been busy with that. Another because I am truly happy this year. I know I cooked so much last year just to cheer myself up. I’m an emotional eater and food makes me EXTREMELY happy.

I no longer need food for that reason. Oh, please don’t get me wrong. I do plan on eating well and I will be happy as I consume the savory morsels. I just won’t eat to make myself happy.

Every year, I am thankful for my wonderful and supportive family. They always make me feel so loved even through the rough times. On top of that, I have more things on my “thankful” list this year:

  • my good health
  • the great doctors, nurses, and medical staff who all helped me during a difficult period
  • this site where I can talk about fibroids to any and all who will listen
  • the women who continue to visit here and leave comments (I really do appreciate every visit and every comment.)

So, this year, I’ll deeply reflect on all of my blessings and be joyous… and then I’ll eat!

To all who read this: Have a Happy Thanksgiving! :-)

Posted in Body, Family, Health, Life, Mind, Personal, Spirit, Women's Health. 3 Comments »

Welcome to blog.geekwithfibroids.com!

November 22, 2006 — EclecticGeek

The domain mapping works. Look in the address bar. That’s right. It’s different!

Instead of geekwithfibroids.wordpress.com, the site address is now blog.geekwithfibroids.com. Both will work but I think the second one is much easier to remember. This blog isn’t new but it’s moving forward in the “improved” department.

Posted in Blogging, Site News. 1 Comment »

Domain mapping? Yet another change…

November 22, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Mentioned this before but the time is now. I’m just about to use the domain mapping feature offered by WordPress.com. Originally wanted to attach this blog directly to my domain name (geekwithfibroids.com) but doing so would cause me to lose my geekwithfibroids.com email addresses. So, I’ll have to use a subdomain. This will actually work to my advantage as The Master Plan comes together. (Yeah, you can stick some crazy-sounding “mad scientist” laughter here.)

Once I make this change, the web address will be much easier to remember. Everything will happen automatically (like magic!) so you don’t have to do a thing. You can change any bookmarks if you like but that isn’t mandatory.

Got my 10 bucks. Time to get this domain mapping show on the road. Will keep you updated on the progress.

Posted in Blogging, Site News. 1 Comment »

Just about to make the change…

November 20, 2006 — EclecticGeek

In my last post, I mentioned setting up another site on my domain. I’m about ready to do that but I thought I should leave a note. I’ve been using the name just to redirect people here but this is about to change. For the vast majority of you, it won’t disrupt a thing. This part only matters if you know and use my domain name.

Huh? Okay. If the name you normally use to get here takes you somewhere else, DON’T PANIC! I’ll put a banner, button, or something you can click to get you back here. Just look for the word “BLOG” and then click. I’ll keep you updated!

[Edited to add an update: My domain is now a separate site. Please visit geekwithfibroids.com!]

Posted in Blogging, Site News. 4 Comments »

What’s next on the site checklist?

November 18, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Finished tweaking and editing the pages here (for now) so it’s time to work on the next little project. I have a .com domain of my very own and keep vacillating on what to do with it. Well, I’ve made a decision. Just have to hammer out how to implement it.

As it stands, my plan is to set up another site on my domain and then turn this blog into a subdomain. Um, EclecticGeek, what does that mean for me? You will have a much easier name to remember to get here. Yay! The great thing is the name changes automatically so you won’t have to update bookmarks unless you really want to.

[Edited to add an update: Site address is now blog.geekwithfibroids.com!]

Trying my best to get this set by Thanksgiving so I can start blogging about “weight issues” just in time for the holiday season! :-D

Posted in Blogging, Site News. Comments Off

Editing and adjusting the pages…

November 17, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Still doing some “behind the scenes stuff” to improve the site. At the moment, I’m tweaking the pages to make them clearer and easier to use. No, you won’t have to step over any stray wooden planks or paint buckets. Just a little dust. ;-)

I have a few more site changes up my sleeve. Stay tuned for updates!

Posted in Blogging, Site News. Comments Off

Look Ma, a Welcome page!

November 16, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Made a couple of site changes. I’m trying to get this blog into a more user-friendly state so I thought I should add a Welcome page. Recent posts (the actual “blog” part of the blog) can now be found under My Thoughts. Sometimes, I still think it’s a little confusing for you to find the information. I hope this helps.

You KNOW you are always welcome here. Now, it’s official!

Posted in Blogging, Site News. 4 Comments »

Do you think I write like a man?

November 13, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Do I write like a man?Received a good comment from Z on this site. Decided to pay Z a visit and found a cool post about the Gender Genie. The site uses geeky science stuff (a simplied version of an algorithm) to predict author gender. You KNOW I had to use the online program because it mentioned nature.com.

I submitted these posts at the Gender Genie site with the following results:

PBS American Experience – Test Tube Babies (story of IVF research in the US) (male)

Uterine fibroid symptoms (not my idea of fun) (male)

Is there a natural alternative therapy or treatment for uterine fibroids? (female)

Would somebody tell me how much these dang fibroid tumors weigh? (male)

What are uterine fibroid tumors? (male)

So, four of my five posts were categorized as being written by a man. 80%. Hmmm. Now that’s quite interesting considering this blog is about uterine fibroid tumors – definitely a female topic!

I’m actually pretty happy with the results. My goal was to create a science-based site and (for whatever ignorant reason) society sees geeky, scientific people as male. Through my writing, I’ve accomplished this objective!

Seriously, I’m happy that we’ve formed quite a support community. I’ve learned so much from you. I hope you’ve learned from me and from each other. It is important to share personal experiences. I’ve tried to assist in the exchange by setting up an informal Fibroid Forum here as well as a more traditional Fibroid Discussion Forum at Oprah.com.

Although I have spent a tremendous amount of time with those endeavors, I have not deviated from my original mission. I will always push to discover more about the true science, medicine, and research behind the issue of fibroids and present my findings here. I know that I’m not the only geek in the world and that many women are interested in a site that deals with the body, spirit, AND mind.

Thanks for joining me in this experiment!

Posted in Blogging, Body, Geek, Life, Mind, Personal, Random Notes, Science, Spirit. 7 Comments »

How are you feeling after your Hysteroscopic Myomectomy?

November 10, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Thought I should finally start a “How are you feeling after…” post about my first fibroid procedure. From FibroidSecondOpinion.com:

Hysteroscopic myomectomy is a technique that can be performed only if the fibroids causing the symptoms are within or bulging into the uterine cavity (submucosal). This procedure is performed as outpatient surgery without any incisions. Anesthesia is needed because the surgery may take one to two hours and would otherwise be uncomfortable. A small telescope, the hysteroscope, is passed through the cervix, and the internal uterine cavity is seen. A small camera is attached to the telescope, and the view is projected on a video monitor. This magnifies the picture and also allows your physician to perform the surgery while sitting in a comfortable position. The surgery can then proceed more rapidly.

For more information:
Hysteroscopic Myomectomy (FibroidSecondOpinion.com)
Hysteroscopy (WebMD)
Myomectomy (Wikipedia)

My Hysteroscopic Myomectomy was outpatient, under general anesthesia, and caused very little pain. Since I had never gone through surgery before, I was freaking out some over the idea of general anesthesia but it all worked out well. Of course, I don’t remember any details from the procedure itself but the recovery was not that bad. The nausea from the drugs bothered me more than any pain or bleeding. You can follow my story in excruciating detail through the Related Posts at the end.

If you have a Hysteroscopic Myomectomy experience, thoughts, or questions, please leave a comment here.

——————–

Related Posts:
Is there such a thing as minor fibroid surgery?
No longer freaking out over my fibroid surgery tomorrow
Memories before my myomectomy
Memories directly after my myomectomy
Does anyone have a hysteroscopy experience to share?

Posted in Body, Complication, Experiences, Fibroids, Health, Life, Medicine, Minimally or Non-Invasive, Myomectomy, Personal, Post-Op, Questions, Recovery, Surgery, Treatment, Women's Health. 244 Comments »

I think I finally caught up with the comments!

November 9, 2006 — EclecticGeek

Wow! This site keeps me busy and that makes me happy. Thanks for continuing to share your experiences. I really do appreciate it. Think everything’s caught up but…

If you left a question somewhere and didn’t get an answer, before you take off your shoe and throw it at me, leave a comment on the Forum page. I know I’ll see it there.

Thanks to you, we have 732 total comments. Great job! :-)

Posted in Blogging, Site News. 3 Comments »
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