My Uterine Fibroid Tumor and Endometrioma Cyst Surgery and Story

I want to share my personal story and journey of having a Uterine Fibroid Tumor and Endometrioma Cyst.  As shocking as you might be if you read my last post on losing my right ovary, then you might be a little shocked.  It seems that my female reproductive system is acting up a lot in the past decade.  On December 16, I went to see my OBGYN, I was feeling anxious and nervous about getting my ultrasound results, yet I tried to look positive.  I also felt excited to finally find out a diagnosis or something that gave me light to my so many unanswered questions.  “Mary, you have an 8cm diameter tumor in your uterus and also a mass in your right ovary that appears to be an Endometrioma Cyst.”  My heart sank and I began a new anguishing journey to save my chances of becoming a mother.

I woke up one morning saying “wow I look pregnant, that’s so weird.”  I vividly remember that day feeling confused because I knew the only way my ‘belly’ looked like that was when I’d eat something that made me bloated.  I knew my eating habits were always good and following a Ketogenic diet removed my constant bloating caused by Leaky Gut Syndrome.  I let it go thinking it was just some random reaction in my digestive system, but it stayed in the back of my head.  Mornings are usually the times when we feel our “skinniest.”  It just didn’t make sense how I looked like 3-4 months pregnant.  Back in 2014, my OBGYN told me I had a fibroid, but it was 2cm in diameter and very small.  He suggested it was best to follow up with pap-smears, pelvic exams, and ultrasounds to monitor its growth.  Given I felt fine and didn’t have health insurance, I didn’t go back for my yearly check-ups and simply carried on with my life.

November 2017, I was finally able to get health care for OBGYN only and immediately scheduled an appointment.  The fear of another ovarian cyst or if the fibroid had grown more was always in the back of my head, but I tried not to focus or think negatively of it.  I practice the Law of Attraction so I tend not to focus on the negative to avoid attracting more negative feelings or situations into my life.  Yet, not experiencing any symptoms kept me unworried and feeling everything was okay.   As soon as Nurse Practitioner did my pelvic exam, I felt an overwhelming amount of painful pressure in my abdomen.  I knew something was not right.  She didn’t say a word and said I’d get results in a few days.   I didn’t get a diagnosis or the ultrasound prescription I wanted.  She said I needed to make the appointment with the OBGYN.  A few weeks passed and I finally got my appointment and ultrasound order.   A Uterine Fibroid or Ovarian Cysts are only visible and detected via ultrasounds.  A pelvic exam can be tricky to detect them.  I saw the ultrasound and my eyes widened seeing how big it had gotten.   I couldn’t believe it.  It was twice the size of my uterus and had grown 3-4 times since 2014.  Yet, the Ultrasound technician never mentioned a mass in my left ovary.  I left and waited to see the OBGYN two weeks later and he broke the news, “Mary, you have a Uterine Fibroid Tumor that’s 8cm in diameter and Endometrioma Cyst.”  I thought, “endo what?”  He didn’t really explain what it was, he just said I needed to find a way to have surgery soon.

I left the office crying and literally afraid to lose my chances of being a Mother.  So many things went through my mind, “what if I lose the ovary.” “what if the ovary is not pathologically functional,” “what if I lose my uterus,” “what if I have to get a hysterectomy.”  I was in anguish because I want to have a baby.  That’s all I could think about.

Having a Uterine Fibroid Tumor and Endometrioma Cyst is not the end of the world, but for me, it felt it was the end of my chances of being a Mother.  I’m huge in personal development and mindset and thank goodness that kept me sane and mentally strong.  I knew I had to find a way to have the surgery.  The healthcare I got, did not cover anything outside of that clinic.  I found a way to make things happen, I applied for financial assistance at the hospital and created a GoFundMe that helped me part of my portion the hospital approved.

My surgery was February 9th at 2 pm.  The doctor was able to remove the Uterine Fibroid and Endometrioma Cyst and save my chances of being able to have a baby.  The surgery was a success and I’m so very glad it was over.  I’m currently sitting here, narrating my story 1 week postsurgery.  I was released the next day and now I’m home recovering.

Now, I want to share a few overlapping symptoms that you can experience with an ovarian cyst and uterine fibroid. It is important for me to share these, in case you are reading this and find yourself experiencing any of them.

Uterine Fibroid Tumor and Endometrioma Cyst Overlapping Symptoms

Ovarian Cyst common symptoms (for more info check my previous post on Ovarian Cysts)

• Pelvic pain that is dull or sharp aching.
• Pelvic pain before or during the menstrual cycle.
• Painful periods PMS.
• Abdominal bloating or swelling.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Painful bowel movements.
• Painful intercourse, very painful and major discomfort.
• Pain in the lower back or thighs.
• Breast tenderness.

Uterine Fibroid common symptoms

• All listed for Ovarian Cysts
• Heavy or prolonged menstrual periods.
• Abnormal bleeding between menstrual periods.
• Iron deficiency anemia due to heavy bleeding or excessive bleeding.
• Pelvic pain caused by the tumor pressing on pelvic organs.
• “Looking Pregnant” and not knowing why.
• Frequent urination because the fibroid presses against the urinary bladder.
• Urinary incontinence.
• Unable to lose weight or being stuck at your weight.
• In some cases increases chances of infertility.

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Between 20 to 50% of women of reproductive age have fibroids and higher after age 25.
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What is a Uterine Fibroid?

Fibroids are muscular tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus (womb).  Fibroids are almost always benign, which are not cancerous tumors.  According to my OBGYN, there is a 1% chance of cancer probabilities in the center of the fibroid.   There are a few types of fibroids depending on which layer of the uterine wall they are found.

1. Submucosal: fibroids grow into the uterine cavity (inside the uterus).
2. Intramural: fibroids grow within the wall of the uterus.
3. Subserosal: fibroids grow on the outside of the uterus.

Not every woman will experience symptoms.  Some, don’t have any and some have very severe symptoms.  My pain was unbearable the first-day menstrual periods and on pressing my abdomen mainly.  I also started having lower back pain around September and it’s when I knew something was not right, aside from the fact that I looked pregnant daily.

What causes a Uterine Fibroid?

Currently, there is no evidence pointing out clearly the exact causes.  It is assumed it can be hereditary or that each tumor develops from an aberrant muscle cell in the uterus, which multiplies rapidly because of the influence of estrogen.  This is why it is so important to become aware of this and avoid anything that can increase estrogen levels (soy, foods, stress, cortisol, plastic, etc).

What is the name of the surgery to remove Uterine Fibroids?

It is called a general Myomectomy, which is more invasive and causes a large incision in your lower abdomen.  When I lost my right ovary, I ended up with a 13 cm scar and my worry was being opened again in the same area, but thankfully doctor chose a Robotic Laparoscopic Myomectomy, which is less invasive and only 4 small incisions were made.

Given the fact I have 4 small incisions, you might wonder how on earth did they remove an 8cm diameter tumor and an ovarian cyst?  I know, I had the same question.  They use a technique called Morcellation, which is a surgical instrument used in hysterectomies and myomectomies.  I was asked to sign a consent form because it is FDA warned they may spread uterine cancer, in case the Uterine fibroid had any.  Basically, morcellation works by splicing up a large mass/tumor into smaller pieces inside the belly cavity to be able to extract through small incisions and avoid opening up the patient.

Now I want to explain what an Endometrioma Cyst is.

In my previous post, I talked about Corpus Luteum Cyst and other types, but I didn’ not mention this one because frankly, I was unaware of its existence.

Basically, it’s Endometriosis tissue that spread beyond the outside of the uterus.  I will do a separate post on Endometriosis. Endometriosis grows outside of the uterus and can spread to nearby organs. In my case, it spread to my Left Ovary and fallopian tube creating a cyst.  In other words, I had endometriosis in my left ovary and fallopian tube.   My symptoms were same as above on my list.

I hope you found this post full of knowledge and information to help you take care of your female reproductive health.  I hope you share it with someone that can be experiencing the same symptoms and let her know I feel her pain.

Thank you for reading my loves,

Love,

Mary Miranda from My Fit Healing

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