8.5cm Fibroid - Very anxious - Pls help

Hello Starmomma,

Sorry to hear you are going through this, but take heart and know that there are many women who have experienced what you are going through. First, be positive. Wipe your tears and look at the positives from your visit with your gyno. They said from your blood work, they didn't see anything that would be cause for alarm and that they are performing the biposy as precaution and to cover their basis in ruling out other possibilities. This is positive.

Fibroids is different for every woman, but there are some symptoms, like you've described that are uniform. Keep your faith and hear what your doctor says. It is going to be alright. I remember feeling like you did, but it only made matters worse for me. When I decided to take a more positive approach and looked at the bright side of things, my outlook and handling of my situation improved. Know that you are not alone. This is a wonderful group here that will give you tremendous support.

I always like to think of the outcome I want whenever I am going thorough something and then I focus all of my energies on that outcome and nothing else. I refuse to entertain anything negative or what doesn't contribute to my desired outcome. This is how I handled my fibroid situation. I also prayed and meditated a great deal. Lose yourself in the things that bring you joy until you get your results back.

The good thing is that you have a diagnosis which is a great first step. You are on your way to solving the fibroid issue.

I will pray for you. Just know you are not alone and everything will be okay. :~)

Hello there,

I have been through a similar experience to you and all the associated worry as we are anxious about the unknown. We do come through it and the crisis will be over. As for the biopsy that is definitely something that Gynae Departments do as a matter of course. I don't think they are always necessary as they are a very very small risk but I know most people do. I put the biopsy off and only agreed to have it when having treatment for a fibroid. The lining being slightly thick is very likely due to the fibroid itself. I was told I had a thick lining too. I had all the worry too, but really fibroids are common and nothing to worry about. They are not cancerous. The main concern is what symptoms they are giving you and how they can be relieved or eased depending on what type of fibroid you have and the treatment options. Of course it is your decision as to what treatment you decide on and what suits you best. Please post on here if you have any queries or concerns as others have been through similar experiences, there is a lot of knowledge on here. Look after yourself, take care and try not to worry. x

Thank you so much for the replies! It certainly helps to hear from others who have been through this. I have suffered from depression and anxiety on and off for years. I was also diagnosed with OCD many years ago when I was in my late teen years. I use to look up symptoms on the Internet and then find myself having a panic attack and running to the hospital. I stopped doing that a few years ago but this recent medical issue has triggered it all again and I am just a worried mess.

I will be speaking to my doctor again tomorrow for some reassurance. I have already located a specialist who does UFE and gives the option to be sedated for the endometrial biopsy as I am scared to death of the procedure after reading reviews online.

I know that the fatigue and such is tied to the anemia and I guess it is a positive thing that it may be due to the large fibroid and not something worse. I certainly hope so. The heavy bleeding the first couple of days doesn't really bother me. Like I said, I never use to get cramps. Well, there was a time when I would randomly get knife like shooting cramps before my period but that would happen once or twice and disappear. Lately, I'm having those cramps a bit more often such as an episode the other night that lasted 30 min til I took motrin . Also, I don't know what to make of the random spotting that just started.

To top it off, I woke up today with UTI symptoms. AZO has been a life saver. Funny thing is when my doc called to give me the results of the ultrasound, the first thing she mention is that the urine culture show that I have a UTI. she said everything else from the urine culture was okay.

Hello Starmomma,

all the symptoms you describe are typically caused by fibroids. Please focus on two things:

One: it is a GOOD thing that your doctor wants a biopsy. You are one of the few lucky people on this world to have medical care and a doctor who wants to be thorough rather than sorry. Look at it as a positive thing the result if which will most likely allow you to relax. The chances of a fibroid turning cancerous is tiny tiny tiny! The thickness of your lining in in line with fibroid symptoms.

Two: your fibroid is already depleting you of all energy. Do you need to add stress to that? Stress is a killer and is bound to make you feel even more exhausted. Fight those thoughts by thinking of them as a waste of energy. The first step on the road to feeling better is not to worry before you need to worry.

Two years ago my ultrasound showed an "undefined mass" which seemed to be one of my submucosal fibroids, triple size than three months previously. The contour could not be defined due to the thickness of my lining (exactly as you say: "not seeing some kind of line going across on the ultrasound").

The doctor panicked. Everyone panicked. Such rapid growth was apparently a nasty sign. I had and urgent hysteroscopy to cut it off. Turns out the ultrasound was wrong. My fibroid had not grown. The biopsy was negative. All was fine. (It didn't even resolve the bleeding, as it happens they only cut off the part that was out. The rest came out from the wall in two weeks and I was back to the heavy bleeding). It was quite useless but I am glad they made sure. Imagine if I had spent those weeks writing my final will.

Stay positive and breath.

Cry not my fellow woman. Many have been on your journey. those symptoms you have remind me of me pre-Surgery. spotting forever and getting used to being Padded most of any given year! Request an MRI for more accurate picture of your uterus and ask the doc to walk you through an anatomy lesson about your uterus(explain everything that can be seen on the screen- good and not supposed to be there). This is how you'll Separate the knowledgeable doctors from the chaff. If th e doc can do this with Confidence they know what they are talking about. why am I Saying this? some docs don't just understand fibroids. You want a seasoned doc. they are the confident ones. Hang in there. I lived with mine for over a decade. Good news is you found yours early.

I want to rule out any serious problems for my own peace of mind but I am having second thoughts about doing the endometrial biopsy. Do I really need to have it done right now? That is what I keep asking myself. The heavy bleeding for 2-3 days during my cycle doesn't really bother me. I don't experience much cramping pain other than a day or two right before or during my cycle and that tends to last on and off for maybe 30 minutes because it's random cramps, not constant. My main issues are frequent urination and bloating. I do tend to feel pressure in my lower abdomen and back pain before my cycle.

I forgot to mention that I am 5'3 and weigh close to 170 lbs. I have gained a lot of weight over the last few years after going down to 129 lbs and I initially thought most of my problems were due to this. Although the fibroid is large, do you think it will hurt to try natural ways to shrink it?

I suggest that you go back to your doctor and tell him how you are feeling and see what he can suggests. Another suggestion do your research on the alternative treatments then talk to your doctor about them. Look into NHSChoices which gives a a choice of where you can go for treatment, find the best gynae and get a referral to them. Your doctor has already said it is not cancer, fibroids are not cancer.

I understand that it's rare for a fibroid to be cancerous. What has me on edge is the doctor wanting to do the endometrial biopsy after stating that the my lining is thick and not being able to see some type of line going across. I still haven't decided whether I'm going to do the biopsy or not though I want peace of mind.

Question, can one still exercise as normal? I mean, can one do squats and similar exercises? Are there any kind of restrictions I need to place on physical activity? I desperately want to lose some weight. Are there any supplements that help with the lower stomach bulge and just general weight loss that is safe to take?