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.
March 11, 2010 at 10:30 pm
And another thing. I have heard anecdotally that green tea shrinks fibroids. I am adding some into my daily routine.
March 12, 2010 at 11:55 pm
Sorry to hear of your bad pain episode Susie. Sounds like you had good medical care. It reminded me very much of my fibroid degeneration experience. It is good that the drs examine every possibility – appendicitis, gall stones, bowel occlusions & kidney problems can all cause intense pain so it is important to exclude those as it could mean an unnecessary operation. It is very hard to undergo all the tests though to investigate these things when you are in such pain! The only thing to try to hang onto is that usually these degeneration episodes are over in a day or two & the baby can still remain perfectly unharmed. I had my degeneration episode at 6mths & I was put into the maternity ward in case I ended up in preterm labour. On reflection I wasn’t keen on that as everyone else had new babies & I could hear them crying, but I guess I was close by to all the relevant equipment should there have been further issues. I really don’t think there is much that can be done to relieve the degeneration pain as it is so severe & because of the risk to the baby of pain medications. It helps to know what it is though & this site is really useful for hearing others’ experiences.
March 13, 2010 at 10:44 pm
I finally was discharged today after 5 days in the hospital. It was an extremely intense experience. I had an MRI and numerous ultrasounds. Baby looks wonderful , active with a strong heartbeat and is even measuring big.
Yesterday, I had a scare as my blood counts dropped and doctor was concerned about internal bleeding which meant a very bleak outcome. Luckily the repeat ultrasound and blood tests, showed improvement and it was likely fluid from the degrading fibroid, not blood. I am so so relieved..
I was loaded up on pain meds, and assured that it would be ok for both me and the baby, since this was an acute phase and it was critical that my pain became controlled for the health of both of us. I was sent home today with meds to keep things under control. I am thankful that at this point, my pain is more tolerable and am hopeful that the most difficult part is over.
I think it would be wonderful to find some experts with clinical experience on the subject to write up articles for women suffering from degrading fibroids while pregnant. The information is so scarse for such a cllinically challenging situation. Perhaps we can find some physicians to write up some specific information to share – not for medical advice, but for us to better understand the potential situations..
Sorry once again for the exhaustive post…
I am so humbled by this experience and grateful for the support and response from this site. Thank you!
March 14, 2010 at 12:02 am
thank you nic for sharing..this is a wonderful forum
March 14, 2010 at 1:55 am
Susie, thank goodness you and baby are okay. You are right in that something needs to be written about fibroid degeneration. We need step by step action plans, understanding of the drugs and the best ones for this pain, when to insist on hospitilization, the whole nine. It seems that most get through to the other side but when you experience it for the first time, it’s scary. Hopefully some experts will come across this forum and help.
March 14, 2010 at 2:14 pm
ANM, thank you.
I am going to the teaching hospital this week, if my body allows it, to see a well repected perinatologist and a high risk OB, to get more information about my situation and to see about getting some more generalized, but relevant information to help us all. I was given drugs that are considered generally safe in pregnancy, however one of the drugs I was given (one time in ER and one time in hospital as well as an RX to go home with) is NOT considered safe from any of the literature. As you mentioned, a more global understanding of fibroid degeneration and some action plans are needed. I am so very hopeful to get to the other side..where I can get out of this acute phase. I will certainly post anything that might be even remotely helpful to others. Nobody should have to endure this level of fear and pain, especially during pregnancy. Information is power.
March 15, 2010 at 6:43 am
So glad you got such good care. It makes all the difference. I, too, was on the maternity ward a couple times. I always ended up sleeping with the TV on low to block out the sounds of the babies.
March 15, 2010 at 4:53 pm
I just wanted to say that you ladies are great.
Susie stay strong and hopeful. I can’t wait to hear what information you come back with. Although I am not pregnant yet, I have two small fibroids and having this information up front will definitely help me to stay calm and know what to do. Obviously I hope I don’t experience any hardships when I do get pregnant again but like you said, knowledge is power.
Donna thank you for continuing to post here even after you have had your baby. You give a lot of us hope that although some may have a difficult road or bad episodes, it can be done. I’ve even written down a lot of your tips about the ice bags and trying to stay ahead of the pain. In fact, I am keeping a journal on all the stuff I have learned from a lot of the women on this forum.
I’m not sure if anyone knows this but I have a question. If you have a fibroid that for some reason doesn’t grow, will it degenerate or is it only the ones that grow and outgrow the blood supply that degenerate and cause pain. I go to an acupuncturist and she said that when I get pregnant she can help me with treatments and herbs to prevent the broids from growing. She’s had success with this treatment with other patients. Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about what happens if they are just there but dormant so to speak (no growth). And has anyone tried acupuncture and had any success? I go for other reasons but she did say she can help with this.
March 15, 2010 at 8:30 pm
ANM, I don’t know for sure, but I’m fairly confident that only the ones that grow would degenerate. Otherwise, things stay stable.
I have at least six fibroids, and some of them really didn’t grow during the pregnancy. Two of the ones that did degenerated.
I tried acupuncture to get pregnant, and she gave me some herbs beforehand to try to shrink the fibroids. She said I would need to stop taking them when I became pregnant, but if I didn’t know for a few weeks, it wouldn’t be a problem. I have also heard to cut dairy and that has a positive effect on the fibroids. I was already cutting out so much by that point, including even decaf, that I didn’t want to completely cut out dairy as well (but I did cut down).
I know several people who used acupuncture as infertility treatment. I guess it worked for me — I got pregnant, but then had trouble staying pregnant.
March 16, 2010 at 12:11 am
I received the same info as Donna did, nice to see some consistencies. The ones that grow actively might degenerate, which is the painful part. Many will stay the same and will not be an issue. Hard to generalize and its very individualized with respect to each person and each fibroid. I too have about 6 fibroids..all small, one angry and big.
I saw an expert today (not a fibroid expert, but just a perinatologist who sees lots of women with different conditions) – she confirmed much of what I now know..and i will in the days to come post some general information. Donna really has hit most of the key points.
With regard to my condition, the big ugly fibroid continues to degenerate, and one week out, is still quite painful. No telling how long this will continue, however I am tapering the pain meds when I can, using ice and heat (not sure which one works, so I do both) and lots of rest. I did ask about the exposure to the pain meds I had in the hospital and at home and have been told by 3 MDs that this is not a concern – its a short term use and baby will be ok – important to stay on top of pain for your own health. I am still amazed at what I went through and thankful for each moment that I feel any relief!
Another thing – critical to stay super hydrated and to eat small meals regularly. I basically didn’t eat or drink much last week and it made things confusing with regard to anemia and potential appendicitis. I am drinking water round the clock, trying to eat regularly, so that all systems are moving
It does bring relief.
One wonderful part is that I have seen the baby a lot this week, he is super active, growing and everyone tells me he has no idea about what is happening on “the other side” – which is wonderful to hear.
The best part is that I felt the baby kick for the first time, when I came back home after my MD appts. No confusing that feeling! It was super strange and fun and a great way to end the day!