Raw And Personal

I am currently at home recovering from surgery on my uterus. I am sore and so over the air/ gas pain that comes with surgery. But I am happy I did it as it was long overdue. Grab on to something, because I’m about to get open and honest, and raw and personal about how I got to this point.

Having my babies was one of the great joys of my life, but it changed my body is so many ways, some of which I was completely blindsided by. After my son was born, I noticed my periods began to become very irregular. Thankfully I began using an app to track everything, which became vital when trying for baby number 2! When I became pregnant with my daughter, we found out at 16 weeks that she was going to be born with several health challenges, including needing open heart surgery shortly after birth. I made a decision in that moment to stay as positive as possible so that the good vibes would radiate down to her. And I’m glad to say it worked! She was born a fighter and is as happy as can be, even after all she’s been through! But even more changes came to my body, worse than ever. I was not prepared for the roller coaster I was about to ride on for almost 5 years.

After my daughter was born and things started to get back to normal, my OBGYN moved locations, one where I was not wanting to drive to. I started to notice that my periods became extremely heavy. At first I thought it was just a side effect from giving birth or from having a C-section. But alas, something needed to be done on top of needing to find a new OB. Once I found a gal who I clicked with, she prescribed me a medication that I needed to take every day of my cycle, at 6 pills a day. It seemed a bit much, but it worked. And then one day, it lost its effectiveness. Around this time, I was placed on an anti-depressant as well. I felt like any of the side effects that were listed with a minuscule percentage were the symptoms I got; facial rash, weight gain, drowsiness. I also could not handle any amount of alcohol without blacking out. It was a scary time and not healthy for me or those around me. The next step was to try going back on birth control. I was hesitant because I had such a terrible experience with it in my 20’s. But I was assured that for someone of my age, this particular pill would work magic for me. It did not. I gained back the weight I lost after getting off the anti-depressant, I became irritable and angry for no reason and my periods did not improve. All of a sudden, I was not the person my husband married, the fun friend I used to be, and far from the mother I had hoped to be. I felt so lost.

I continued meeting with my OB and she planted the bug in my ear about a procedure called a Uterine Ablation. I really didn’t want to have surgery but knowing it was another option, I at least put it in the back of my mind. I had also been referred to a more natural and holistic doctor. After doing some blood work and partial body scan, she determined I had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and prescribed me with a natural progesterone chewable tablet. I certainly had some of the symptoms of PCOS that the progesterone helped, but once again my periods were not improving. I went back on the 6 a day pill regimen and strongly started to consider the ablation. I also started to research Endometriosis but didn’t think that I had it because I never really had the pain that is associated with that condition. Once we decided that I would do the ablation, I already felt a sense of calm that it was the right time. I had some very close calls with my periods and I was tired of being scared to leave the house. That is no way to live a life. I was secure in knowing that I had explored all of my options and surgery was the final straw.

Now we are up to yesterday. I had a ablation to remove a layer of lining in my uterus. I also had a Salpingectomy, or Fallopian tube removal. This was to prevent any further pregnancies after the ablation, which could cause complications. I was hesitant about that at first, but I have two kids, one of each gender, and I’m ok with that. It was time for me to get back to focusing on being the best mother to the kids I have, and not worry about having any more. My doctor revealed to my husband that sure enough, I did have endometriosis down there and she removed two layers of tissue from the outside of my uterus. The combination of everything she did should really help me in the future and for the first time in a long time, I am very hopeful of that! My recovery should be short and easy. So far, I’m enjoying being catered to at home and waited on!

To wrap up, my advice to anyone reading this is to listen to your body. Don’t wait like I did. I’ve known something wasn’t right for almost 10 years but I waited until I thought it was really bad. Turns out, it was really bad for a very long time. My 30’s could have been so much more meaningful and happy. But they say that 40 is the new 30 so I’m bound and determined to make this the best decade yet!