by Janet Abena Quainoo
Most women across the world are concerned about their body shape. Therefore, some of them exercise and eat a balanced diet among other healthy lifestyles to maintain good physical form.
Regardless of all these healthy lifestyles, some are faced with health challenges that they do not expect. A typical example is a fibroid.
It is estimated that a higher percentage of women will have the condition in their lifetime.
Some of them see the symptoms and are able to seek medical attention early, whereas others are not able to see it. According to the Office on Women’s Health, some women have them by the age of 50. However, most women do not have any symptoms and may never know they have fibroids.
Fibroid tumours can be an endless source of pain, bleeding, frustration, and it is among the most resistant health problems confronted by modern medicine.
That is one reason why an increasing number of women are seeking relief through alternative or holistic treatments such as nutritional therapy, herbal medicines, and other, noninvasive, “natural” modalities. Unfortunately, the results, even with alternative natural treatments, have been mixed.
Cecilia Adams, a Registered General Nurse shared her story on surviving fibroid with our Correspondent in Ghana.
In December 2019, Cecilia started noticing a stubborn bulge on her tummy. She initially attributed it to late-night eating and decided to stop, but there was no improvement. With time, Cecilia totally ignored the changes in her abdomen, thinking it was part of growing up until her stomach started getting bigger when she ate or drank something small.
One sunny day, she went for a program and a lady described her to her friend as ‘the lady who is pregnant. The description from her friend really got to her and compelled her to visit the hospital to see what was actually wrong with her.
In November 13th, 2020, she went to see a doctor, and she was asked to do a scan and a few tests after which it was then confirmed that she had Multiple Uterine Fibroid and that she needed to undergo surgery to remove it because it was big. She could not hold her tears. She cried right in front of the doctor since she could not believe it that the once “flat tummy Cecilia had fibroids”? How? A lot of thoughts ran through her mind.
According to Cecilia, the Doctor referred her to another specialist, and he also confirmed it, but she still decided to get opinions from two different hospitals and the same information was given.
The doctor at the second hospital suggested she got pregnant and when she was due, they would remove the baby and the fibroids but she was not ready for a baby.
The Doctor then suggested that she could get an injection to shrink the fibroids, so she decided to go for that but she was told that she needed to take about three of the injections and one was costing about One Hundred and Ten Dollars (110), and also, she was informed that the side effects of the injection were severe menopause.
Cecilia then started to read a lot on fibroids and it was then that she decided not to do the surgery but go on diet because she was not ready for surgery as she had heard a lot of dangers associated with it.
In December 2020, she started bleeding profusely with severe pains. She bled for about four weeks, and it was then that she went to the hospital again and did another scan this time, the fibroids had increased in size and taken over almost all her uterus, it was then that she decided to do the surgery.
According to Cecilia, it was not an easy decision since she was informed that she had a 50-50 percent chance of having a baby after the surgery.
Two weeks to her 29th birthday on the 28th of January 2021, Cecilia had the surgery. It was a scary one because she almost lost her life due to a lot of blood loss. She said eighteen of the fibroids were removed. Just two weeks after her surgery, Cecilia’s neighbour asked when she was going to marry and have a baby. She was faced with the same stigmatization at her workplace when her surgeon and some nurses kept asking when she would have a baby.
According to Cecilia, having a good support system is a huge coping mechanism for anyone going through the ordeal of fibroids. Cecilia had huge support from friends and family, which motivated her to do the surgery. She was supported emotionally, spiritually and financially. The surgery was done at the hospital where she works and so was pro bono. She only had to pay for her medications.
Cecilia’s advice to those dealing with fibroids is to talk to their doctors frankly so as to know all the treatment options available and make the best decision.
She said, fibroids are usually harmless but their location, amount and size make them dangerous. Cecilia’s were multiple, some were in the uterus and others were outside the uterus. Other people get pregnant whiles having fibroid and it’s removed through a cesarean section when they are due, while others are unable to get pregnant at all.
IS SURGERY THE IDEAL WAY?
Treatment for fibroids depends on the location, amount and size of the fibroid. Cecilia’s was multiple and the size was big which required surgery. Due to its amount, size and location, there was no way Cecilia could have had a baby because it was likely she would have had a miscarriage if she had gotten pregnant.
TIPS THAT COULD DECREASE A WOMAN’S RISK OF HAVING FIBROIDS
While the cause of fibroids is still unknown, there are certain things that can make one predisposed to having them and avoiding these could decrease one’s risk of developing them at all. According to Cecilia, there is a need for ladies who have not been diagnosed with fibroid to take care of their health and pay attention to the changes in their bodies.
Smoking, alcohol consumption, sedentary lifestyle, late child-birth, hereditary and race (Research shows that black women are at high risk of getting fibroids), are all factors that make a woman predisposed to having fibroids.
Regular check-ups at the hospital, eating lots of fruits and vegetables as well as having regular exercise and enough rest is a good start. If there is a family history of fibroids, then a woman should plan well in order to marry early and start having kids on time.
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