I've been clean for a year. Yep! No Fibroids! What? You didn't know? Well, let me tell you what a difference a year makes.
I'm not sure how much you know about fibroids but it's a condition, not a disease, that affects 3 out of 4 women -- many of them Blacks. It's not always easy to tell since the symptoms vary. I, thankfully, had no pain but I suffered from inconsistent periods that were sometimes extremely lengthy as well. I know, way too much for TV! Anyway, after finding out what the problem was and finding ways to deal with it -- mainly birth control -- it only got worse as I grew older.
So in late 2008, my doctor suggested three procedures. Be clear on this: nothing cures fibroids. There are treatments to work around them, shrink them and/or remove them. That said, I was offered uterine artery embolization (Google it), myomectomy (where they cut you across your abdomen and remove the fibroids with a chance that they will return) and hysterectomy. I chose hysterectomy.
Gasp! Really? Yes, really. It was a medical decision that worked best for me based on where I am in my life and how I plan to live the rest of it. Not to mention that the other procedures don't guarantee that there will be NO reappearance of fibroids. The procedure was laproscopic, I had the best surgeon in the world (GW rocks!) and again, I'm celebrating a great year!
Why am I sharing all of this information? You know I'm not the personal-info-sharing kinda girl, BUT...
I've learned a lot in this year. I lost my job, gained a certificate (Paralegal), traveled a bit, made some new friends and purged some old ones, re-connected with some folks and celebrated and mourned with others. I've got a great family network and have learned to lean on others (yeah, hard lesson there). This has been a year of re-dedication and self-reflection and I'm a better ME because of it. Maybe by sharing, someone else can be uplifted or will know that better days are coming. Maybe someone will now understand while I smile and keep it moving -- no worries, no grudges. Maybe, and this may sound selfish but just maybe, I just wanted to put it out there.
I'm living my life ON purpose!
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