Fibroid Tumors
mssteelbody
Posts: 7 Member
Do any of you suffer from Fibroid tumors and does the exercise and diet change ease your pain? For me, it's been so-so, I have only been at it since April so it may be too early to judge. I don't want to lose weight, I just want to feel better. Can anyone give me some advice? I don't want to have a hysterectomy.
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I was never told anything about an exercise/diet change by my doctor. I've never been overweight, so I personally have no idea whether weight makes a difference in terms of symptoms. It matters for a lot of conditions, so I wouldn't be surprised. I haven't noticed much change in symptoms from increasing or decreasing exercise, either. I do feel better overall physically (less aches and pains in general) when I exercise daily, so maybe my fitness does help but I just don't realize it because I've always been active?
I just have one large, monster fibroid. I'm thin, so I can actually feel the outline of it if I lay on my back and press on my lower abdomen. You can't see it just looking at me, though. It isn't THAT big! Plus, I have pretty strong abs that keep everything pretty much sucked into place.
Doesn't cause a lot of pain most of the time, but it's mostly obnoxious because it pushes on my bladder (and makes me feel like I have to pee even when my bladder should be empty) and it feels like the mass moves inside me when I bend over or make some other movements. That is super creepy. I'll follow this thread. It will be interesting to see what other women say...
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I feel your pain. I have external fibroids (outside of uterus as opposed to inside it) caused by birth control. They don't cause me pain when exercising, but they press on my rectum and bowls and cause painful constipation and excruciating pain in my tailbone area when I have my period. Losing weight has not changed anything and surgery is not really an option for where they are. (can't go in the usual route, would have to cut me open through my perenium).
You don't necessarily need a hysterectomy, they cam remove just the fibroids through the vagina. It's a simple operation that can offer a lot of relief.5 -
I've had fibroids for a few years now, a 5cm one and a 7cm one. I do get pain in the general location of them but have noticed my healthy diet & exercised has definitely improved the pain for me. I gave up dairy and meat (apart from fish) which I believe has contributed. I read up on fibroids and you should avoid high fat processed meats, refined sugar, refined carbs, alcohol. I've done all this anyway regardless of fibroids and noticed a difference. Then last year I went back to eating junk, not doing any exercise etc and they got worse. I'm now 5 month into eating healthy again and exercising regular and starting to get periods and pain back to almost normal. I'm not saying this works for everyone as everyone is different, but it certainly helped for me.3
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Thanks ladies, I really needed to hear this, it gives me hope. Felt like I was going through this struggle alone.0
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You're not alone. I have 2 fibroids in my uterus 13cm each.the size of cantaloupes! Amazingly i don't look pregnant, just a small bulge. i don't know how. I do see them when i lay down on my back. I almost went through w a hysterectomy last year but chickened out! I cant lay on my stomach nor sides for long at a time without awful pressure. i avoid alcohol and red meat at least if i do indulge its rarely. I do want these suckers gone but bc mine are so huge( doc said they are even filling up my stomach cavity area somehow)i would risk my ovaries needed taken out too and i dont want that. You are not alone.3
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I know i didn't really answer your question. Mine haven't shrunk no matter what I've tried but they are maintaining.2
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If u can keep your ovaries get the hysterectomy!!!1
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I had a 16cm fibroid and a 2cm fibroid. I lost 45 pounds with them (but didn't know I had them at the time as they were only causing some vague symptoms like occasional constipation). Went to the doctor for something else and she found a mass in my abdomen (that was the 16cm one!). Ended up going with the hysterectomy, which had to be open because of the size. Kept my ovaries (I am 40). I didn't want kids, and birth control was increasing my hypertension, so that was also a factor. Also, my gynecologist said if you have multiple fibroids, you're likely to get more, and I didn't want to have more than one abdominal surgery.
Exercise made absolutely no difference for me with respect to fibroids, nor did diet. But I wasn't having pain, either. Periods were normal.
The hysterectomy wasn't necessarily fun at the time, but looking back (it was October 31 of last year), it wasn't so bad. I had to take 7 weeks away from the office but I can work from home which I did after the first week, so there was no loss in income. I have a high-deductible insurance plan but had already met it before the surgery so I didn't have to worry about costs.2 -
NewChapterInMyLife wrote: »You're not alone. I have 2 fibroids in my uterus 13cm each.the size of cantaloupes! Amazingly i don't look pregnant, just a small bulge. i don't know how. I do see them when i lay down on my back. I almost went through w a hysterectomy last year but chickened out! I cant lay on my stomach nor sides for long at a time without awful pressure. i avoid alcohol and red meat at least if i do indulge its rarely. I do want these suckers gone but bc mine are so huge( doc said they are even filling up my stomach cavity area somehow)i would risk my ovaries needed taken out too and i dont want that. You are not alone.
Cantaloupes!? Ugh. Mine is only the size of a large grapefruit. The doctor said the uterus is the equivalent of early second trimester. At least I'm not "showing." I still don't know how it manages to fit in that small space without my belly poking out. It's squishing everything else around it I suppose, hence the pressure. I guess I should be grateful that mine is so "small"!
Have you looked into Uterine Artery Embolization?0 -
I had fibroids about 18 years ago. I was given 3 options - go on the pill until menopause, take Depo shots until menopause, or partial hysterectomy. I chose the partial hysterectomy. They left my ovaries. As it turns out, they should have taken them too - I ended up with a 16 lb ovarian cyst that almost killed me. I would have the partial hysterectomy. My life was so much better after it. (Except for the 16 lb ovarian cyst years later!).4
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Thanks Ladies, great advice. Much appreciated.1
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Mine are very large - my uterus is the size it would be if I were 5 months pregnant. (But since I'm over weight I mostly look over weight.)
But, probably because of where they are located, I don't have pain, just pressure, especially when I ovulate, when they blow up. I can't run out and get an MRI all the time (they are too big for ultrasound) but do measure and track it in MFP in https://www.myfitnesspal.com/measurements/check_in > Other Measurements.
I'll be lying on the floor doing yoga and thinking, "Wow, they feel big" whip out the tape measure, and yes, they are big. This lasts for about a week around ovulation. They swell a little after my period starts as well.
Just remeasured for the purposes of this thread - my abdomen circumference is 3" smaller than it was three days ago on June 1!
I had extremely heavy, can't leave the house periods, but now I'm taking tranexamic acid and I've halved my blood loss and gone from Walking Dead to Walking Wounded those two heavy days. It was a bit of a process to get my VA GYN to approve it and then get it from the pharmacy as it is not in the VA formulary for this use, but well worth it. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2011/1015/p883.html
I think I have successfully used foam rolling to push one of my fibroids up off my bladder. I do this *very gently* and have been doing it for a year now - not sure when I started noticing I could go longer without peeing.
I'll reiterate - do this gently and don't look for immediate results. I got a $15 foam roller from Walmart and adapted the hip flexor exercise.
I don't want a hysterectomy and am holding out for menopause and the resulting decreased estrogen levels to shrink my fibroids. I'm almost 52 - come on menopause already!5 -
I had a hysterectomy when I was 38 because I had massive fibroid. Kept an ovary though. Hysterectomy was the best thing I ever done and would do it again. Even back then didnt need that baby basket anymore!2
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My fibroid pinched off my bladder so I couldn't pee at all. It was the size of a grapefruit.
Can you count on yours shrinking that much thru menopause? You could keep the ovaries but there is no use for the uterus but aggravation.
My hysterectomy was the best thing ever!!!3 -
My fibroid pinched off my bladder so I couldn't pee at all. It was the size of a grapefruit.
Can you count on yours shrinking that much thru menopause? You could keep the ovaries but there is no use for the uterus but aggravation.
My hysterectomy was the best thing ever!!!
I'm glad your hysterectomy went well for you. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. For me, I'd rather have the aggravation than face the potential risks.4 -
mssteelbody wrote: »Do any of you suffer from Fibroid tumors and does the exercise and diet change ease your pain? For me, it's been so-so, I have only been at it since April so it may be too early to judge. I don't want to lose weight, I just want to feel better. Can anyone give me some advice? I don't want to have a hysterectomy.
i had a 11cm one. I am currently 1 week post- lap myomectomy.
from what i read during my pre-op research, fibroids are caused due to oestrogen dominance. so if you can get to regulate oestrogen, your symptoms should be controlled too. for that, exercise and a diet rich in fiber was recommended.
Now, even if this theory is empty, it wont hurt to do two good things which are generally healthy.
give it a try before you take a more aggressive action.1 -
mssteelbody wrote: »Do any of you suffer from Fibroid tumors and does the exercise and diet change ease your pain? For me, it's been so-so, I have only been at it since April so it may be too early to judge. I don't want to lose weight, I just want to feel better. Can anyone give me some advice? I don't want to have a hysterectomy.
i had a 11cm one. I am currently 1 week post- lap myomectomy.
from what i read during my pre-op research, fibroids are caused due to oestrogen dominance. so if you can get to regulate oestrogen, your symptoms should be controlled too. for that, exercise and a diet rich in fiber was recommended.
Now, even if this theory is empty, it wont hurt to do two good things which are generally healthy.
give it a try before you take a more aggressive action.
I exercise (pretty vigorously - trail running, mountain biking, etc.) daily and have a balanced, high fiber diet, and I still have a huge fibroid squeezing my bladder. Maybe it would be worse if I didn't?
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kshama2001 wrote: »My fibroid pinched off my bladder so I couldn't pee at all. It was the size of a grapefruit.
Can you count on yours shrinking that much thru menopause? You could keep the ovaries but there is no use for the uterus but aggravation.
My hysterectomy was the best thing ever!!!
I'm glad your hysterectomy went well for you. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. For me, I'd rather have the aggravation than face the potential risks.
I'm the same, the thought of having a hysterectomy scares me a lot more than the fibroids, though I'm 45 so have a long wait for the menopause. I'm just playing it by ear for the moment, if they get worse and disrupt my life so much I can't enjoy it I'll consider my options again.mssteelbody wrote: »Do any of you suffer from Fibroid tumors and does the exercise and diet change ease your pain? For me, it's been so-so, I have only been at it since April so it may be too early to judge. I don't want to lose weight, I just want to feel better. Can anyone give me some advice? I don't want to have a hysterectomy.
Added: went for a walk yesterday and as I was ovulating I had bad pain from the fibroids and the walking didn't help at all, so I think exercise can help in between periods/ovulation but maybe not so much during. Best advice though, listen to your body.0 -
I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.0
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mssteelbody wrote: »Do any of you suffer from Fibroid tumors and does the exercise and diet change ease your pain? For me, it's been so-so, I have only been at it since April so it may be too early to judge. I don't want to lose weight, I just want to feel better. Can anyone give me some advice? I don't want to have a hysterectomy.
i had a 11cm one. I am currently 1 week post- lap myomectomy.
from what i read during my pre-op research, fibroids are caused due to oestrogen dominance. so if you can get to regulate oestrogen, your symptoms should be controlled too. for that, exercise and a diet rich in fiber was recommended.
Now, even if this theory is empty, it wont hurt to do two good things which are generally healthy.
give it a try before you take a more aggressive action.
I exercise (pretty vigorously - trail running, mountain biking, etc.) daily and have a balanced, high fiber diet, and I still have a huge fibroid squeezing my bladder. Maybe it would be worse if I didn't?
That is very interesting.
I think it should make a good motivating factor for us to be on track.0 -
I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.2 -
musicfan68 wrote: »I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.
So very true! I was sick of going to emergency room to be cathetized cause of the inability to urinate.
You know...at times fear of complications need to be set aside to take care of a task at hand!
Hopefully that fibroid shrinks so as to not pinch off other functioning organs but fear is not an option vs the obvious solution.
Crossing the street is a risk but I still cross the street. 2 -
musicfan68 wrote: »I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.
When you have health anxiety as I do, the thought of having to stay in hospital, having an actual operation, infection, blood clots, something going wrong, living on my own after the operation would cause me so much panic I wouldn't be able to do it unless it was life threatening and there was no choice.
I had my appendicitis out after it burst and was in hospital for 2 week because of infection, so things can and do go wrong with what should be a simple operation. It's not always just about having a simple operation, for me a simple operation doesn't exist.2 -
musicfan68 wrote: »I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.
When you have health anxiety as I do, the thought of having to stay in hospital, having an actual operation, infection, blood clots, something going wrong, living on my own after the operation would cause me so much panic I wouldn't be able to do it unless it was life threatening and there was no choice.
I had my appendicitis out after it burst and was in hospital for 2 week because of infection, so things can and do go wrong with what should be a simple operation. It's not always just about having a simple operation, for me a simple operation doesn't exist.
Yes...there are complications to everything we do including operations but in some cases
(Appendicitis) the alternative is do nothing which leads to death 1 -
musicfan68 wrote: »I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.
When you have health anxiety as I do, the thought of having to stay in hospital, having an actual operation, infection, blood clots, something going wrong, living on my own after the operation would cause me so much panic I wouldn't be able to do it unless it was life threatening and there was no choice.
I had my appendicitis out after it burst and was in hospital for 2 week because of infection, so things can and do go wrong with what should be a simple operation. It's not always just about having a simple operation, for me a simple operation doesn't exist.
Maybe you would benefit from therapy to deal with your anxiety. Blood clots and complications are actually pretty rare nowadays. I've had over 100 surgeries throughout my life for various things, some very serious. I have never gotten an infection or blood clots, or anything else from having surgery. With your appendix, it wasn't the surgery that caused the 2 week stay and infection, it was because you didn't have your appendix out early enough before it burst. Once it bursts, it causes massive infection. It is always better to deal with things before they get to a dangerous point like the appendix bursting. And sometimes it just can't be avoided.1 -
musicfan68 wrote: »musicfan68 wrote: »I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.
When you have health anxiety as I do, the thought of having to stay in hospital, having an actual operation, infection, blood clots, something going wrong, living on my own after the operation would cause me so much panic I wouldn't be able to do it unless it was life threatening and there was no choice.
I had my appendicitis out after it burst and was in hospital for 2 week because of infection, so things can and do go wrong with what should be a simple operation. It's not always just about having a simple operation, for me a simple operation doesn't exist.
Maybe you would benefit from therapy to deal with your anxiety. Blood clots and complications are actually pretty rare nowadays. I've had over 100 surgeries throughout my life for various things, some very serious. I have never gotten an infection or blood clots, or anything else from having surgery. With your appendix, it wasn't the surgery that caused the 2 week stay and infection, it was because you didn't have your appendix out early enough before it burst. Once it bursts, it causes massive infection. It is always better to deal with things before they get to a dangerous point like the appendix bursting. And sometimes it just can't be avoided.
Again...irrational fear can freeze an individual which is not beneficial and in many cases make things far worse.0 -
musicfan68 wrote: »I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.
When you have health anxiety as I do, the thought of having to stay in hospital, having an actual operation, infection, blood clots, something going wrong, living on my own after the operation would cause me so much panic I wouldn't be able to do it unless it was life threatening and there was no choice.
I had my appendicitis out after it burst and was in hospital for 2 week because of infection, so things can and do go wrong with what should be a simple operation. It's not always just about having a simple operation, for me a simple operation doesn't exist.
Your fears are valid.
Some information on adverse effects of just hysterectomies:
http://www.hersfoundation.com/facts.html
http://www.hersfoundation.com/effects.html1 -
I underwent a uterine artery embolization this past December, as I had a uterus the size of a 16 week pregnancy. There were many in there, and many were large, so they could not take my uterus out laparoscopically. The OBGYN suggested I look into this, and I was an ideal candidate. I could feel them when I put pressure on my belly or when I lied on my belly.
The fibroids were wreaking havoc on my workouts every month. I was having horrible PMS, pains in my lower right-abdomen (found out it was my biggest fibroid sitting on my bladder, and I am still dealing with the pain six months later). When I would start, I would just suffer for 3 days. I was so tired and bleeding so much, I didn't want to do anything.
The UAE post-procedure was the worst, as I had some intense pain I had to deal with, but six-months later, I'm doing great, my workouts are better than they have been in years, and I've lost 9 pounds with diet and exercise. All in all, nothing helped my fibroids except medical help.1 -
musicfan68 wrote: »musicfan68 wrote: »I had a fibroid the size of a soccer ball; I had all the problems others here mention and more. It was too big for embolization. The hysterectomy was the best thing that ever happened to me. And mine was done laparascopically--a big tumor doesn't necessarily mean open surgery.
Mine was done laproscopically also, and I was out of the hospital 2 days later - would have been 1 day except I also had my gall bladder out at the same time. Surgery isn't always as bad and scary as it's made out to be.
When you have health anxiety as I do, the thought of having to stay in hospital, having an actual operation, infection, blood clots, something going wrong, living on my own after the operation would cause me so much panic I wouldn't be able to do it unless it was life threatening and there was no choice.
I had my appendicitis out after it burst and was in hospital for 2 week because of infection, so things can and do go wrong with what should be a simple operation. It's not always just about having a simple operation, for me a simple operation doesn't exist.
Maybe you would benefit from therapy to deal with your anxiety. Blood clots and complications are actually pretty rare nowadays. I've had over 100 surgeries throughout my life for various things, some very serious. I have never gotten an infection or blood clots, or anything else from having surgery. With your appendix, it wasn't the surgery that caused the 2 week stay and infection, it was because you didn't have your appendix out early enough before it burst. Once it bursts, it causes massive infection. It is always better to deal with things before they get to a dangerous point like the appendix bursting. And sometimes it just can't be avoided.
I've had therapy for my anxiety and am doing much better, but still wouldn't put myself through surgery unless necessary. I've had bad periods all my adult life, so pain and heavy periods are normal to me and I'm used to it. I'd rather suffer like this once a month than suffer the extreme anxiety I would have before, during and after an operation and then deal with menopausal symptoms etc. Plus just because something is rare doesn't mean it won't happen. The chances of someone winning the lottery are very rare but people still play every week.1 -
You don't have to deal with menopause symptoms if you keep your ovaries. I kept mine and I've been fine. During the operation you can't have anxiety as you are not awake! After I was mostly just glad it was over.
I also had no complications whatsoever. No clots (in the hospital they had these things they hooked up to my legs, it's hard to describe, they expanded and contracted to provide gentle pressure that did not prevent me sleeping, but they were for preventing clots). Pain was minimal and well-controlled. No infection, no nicking of other organs, etc.
I gained a bit of weight afterwards mostly because during my recovery I wanted to continue to eat at pre-surgery levels despite not being able to exercise, but that is coming off now. Less than 6 months after the surgery I was capable of swinging a 20 pound kettlebell (heavy for me but I have tiny wrists) and doing a Focus T25 and an Insanity workout back to back. I am still a US size 2.
Also, please be suspicious of anyone claiming fibroids can be controlled with diet. I had someone (a fellow fibroid sufferer, no less) tell me that eating a plant-based diet could make them shrink. Which is total BS as I have been a vegetarian with a high-fiber diet for 25 years and I still grew fibroids. In my case, I have a family history of fibroids and I was 39 when diagnosed, 40 for surgery, and had never had children (because I didn't want them, not for some other reason).
Fibroids can continue to grow if left untreated and can get so big that they block the flow of urine from the kidneys to the bladder (this was the doctor's worry based on the placement and size of mine), can block the ability to urinate as described by someone else in this thread, etc. Mine also caused constipation and acid reflux, which can have problems down the road that need to be dealt with. Not addressing the problem means emergency surgery may eventually be required, despite patient anxiety. It is much better to plan and prepare, considering what recovery time can be (I was stuck at home for 7 weeks) than to end up having the same procedure on an emergency basis and have to deal with the consequences without adequate time to get ready, request time off work or arrange to work from home, take care of household or family responsibilities, etc.3
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