I had a uterus once…I’d like to believe she’s in space now.
I had been a half-hearted uterus owner until I had to make the choice to have it removed. I had a lot of respect for the organ, and it’s role in making us all possible. But I had never planned on having children, thus was bitter about the monthly mental and physical anguish caused by a body part I never planned to use for its intended purpose.
My decision to have a hysterectomy was the final straw in a long process of trying to figure out “what the problem was.” The problems that bothered me most were incredibly painful and unpredictable periods, and a very small bladder capacity. Turns out that I had a grapefruit-size fibroid sitting on my bladder. What bothered me about the process of turning to doctors for a number of exams and appointments is that none of them had thought to consider the impact of my fibroids. I’d been told multiple times that I had them, but they were nothing to worry about. I had to be the one to suggest that maybe fibroids were my problem during a pelvic exam after the pap process was over, and upon “investigation” my doctor said - “Wow, yeah, you have a pretty big fibroid there. I’d guess that’s at least 9 centimeters.”
Once this was determined, a number of potential solutions were suggested - the most extreme of which was the hysterectomy. During my decision making process on how to deal with the fibroids, I spoke with a friend who’d recently had a hysterectomy, and two things she said stuck with me: “best decision of my life” and “I thought that all my problems were because I was overweight and older”. In her experience, all the ailments she had just attributed to aging and weight were actually tied to her own issues with fibroids which had doubled the size of her uterus.
The final straw when trying to decide between a hysterectomy and a uterine artery embolization was a 25 day non-stop period. I just wanted the organ gone, and one week after my surgery, I agreed with my friend - best decision of my life. No more horrible periods, no more tiny bladder capacity, I slept through the night for the first time in years. Never underestimate your need for uninterrupted sleep.
What I’ve learned from having to part ways with my uterus: never assume your age and weight are the sole cause of fatigue and bladder issues, be informed about your body, never underestimate the impact of fibroids, and ask your doctor many questions.
