I remember being a full time college student working at Walgreens Pharmacy with swollen feet, and pain in my abdomen. While checking out a customer on the front register, he looked at me with a smile and asked when was I due as if I was pregnant. Of course I was offended but, I politely told him I was not pregnant.

I was about 21 or 22 when I started having sharp pains in my lower abdomen, pain in my feet, and a bloated belly especially when I was ovulating or on my period.

I can remember being in so much pain at work and while walking it felt like something burst in my uterus. I clocked out immediately and went to my OBGYN at the time. I didn’t get the response I was looking for and decided to visit another OBGYN. She performed an ultrasound and confirmed I had fibroids that were the size of a quarter at the time.

What Are Fibroids?

Fibroids are muscular tumors that grow in the walls of the uterus. Fibroids are the most likely reason women have heavy periods, and can also cause pelvic pain, bloating, and frequent urination. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, fibroids affect 75 percent of women in the U.S. with African American women being three times more likely to develop the condition between the ages of 30-50.

While fibroids are usually not cancerous, the symptoms can be very painful. Women with fibroids also can suffer from painful periods, bleeding between periods, enlargement of the lower abdomen, pain during sex, lower back pain, extreme fatigue, and reproductive problems.

Weighing My Options

Immediately after reviewing my ultrasounds, the doctor recommended I have a procedure called Myomectomy. Myomectomy removes your fibroids and can relieve bleeding and other symptoms.

The thought of having surgery scared me tremendously. I had never had a major procedure in that capacity. Besides being concerned about my appearance on the outside, I had no money for the procedure that needed to be done on the inside. Plus, I was told if I had the procedure new fibroids could possibly grow later. I thought to myself… well I’ll just keep them and when I get married, if my husband wants kids and the fibroids prevent us from having some, then I would get them removed.

I began to do research. I thought to myself if this is as common as statistics say it is, there has to be some type of cure or remedy that will help these things go away or shrink without having the procedure done. Instead of having surgery and allow these fibroids to run my life, I’ve decided to manage them naturally.

I would exercise and take herbs and natural supplements such as veggie capsules with ginger for circulatory support, black cohosh for estrogen balance, Pau D’Arco for cleansing, and Maitake Mushroom for immune support and strength.

I have to be honest, fibroids nearly ruined my life for so many reasons. Because of the changes with my body and the pain in my abdomen, I could barely sleep at night. Most nights I couldn’t comfortably lie on my stomach, back, or sides. It felt like a bag of weights was lying inside of my lower stomach. My weight escalated putting me near 200 pounds. At times I looked pregnant due to being bloated. When my menstrual cycle would come, I would experience painful cramps and excessive bleeding. I was always drained with no energy, I was anemic and my hair began to thin rapidly. I can go on and on but, this year I was ready for a change.

This is my last year in my twenties. There are several things I wanted to fix before going into my thirties. I’m anticipating having the absolute best third decade I possibly can. With that being said I knew I had to go into it fibroid free!

I didn’t want to go into my thirties in pain, feeling insecure, and with low self-esteem which is what these have caused over the years.

I called and made an appointment with my now GYN. We did X-rays to see where the fibroids were located and which ones was causing the most pain. We discussed my options my options, my surgery date and preparation for the procedure.

On May 22, my life changed for the better. I became fibroid free!

I had a laparoscopic myomectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove uterine fibroids. I remember going into the hospital excited! I probably was the most fearless individual in the hospital that day.

I have four small cuts near my belly button where my doctors went in to remove twelve small fibroids that looked like chicken nuggets. The procedure took about two hours then I went home after getting a little rest. My recovery time was about two weeks then I was back to my normal routine as it relates to work. Although it took months to fully become active, my road to recovery was amazing.

No more baggy clothes to cover a bloated belly, no more painful heavy periods, no excessive cramping, and no more pain in the abdomen. Now I’m looking forward to a successful pregnancy when the time comes.

Sis, if you’re dealing with constant heavy or prolonged periods, painful periods, bleeding between periods, pain or fullness in the pelvic area (lower stomach), bloating, and urinary frequency contact your OBGYN immediately and have ultrasounds done.