WAITING TO EXHALE
Dearest Gentle Reader,
(Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)
Time keeps getting away from me and probably because I binge watched all of Bridgerton in the last month or two, but it was worth it. After getting my results of my blood work and sleep study I had one more area to investigate. A little over a week ago I had an ultrasound of my uterus to see if I have fibroids.
This may be TMI, but I worked on U by Kotex for over 7 years and when it comes to periods, I don't think we share enough so feel free to skip this one if you disagree.
My periods have always been on the heavier side. Working in femcare I learned many women think their period is heavy because heavy is subjective and you only know what you know. Any bleeding, leaking and staining is annoying and all of it is too heavy thus the self-diagnosis. However, when talking to your doctor, let them know specifics so they don't ignore your flow concerns. If you are bleeding through a super plus tampon or super maxi/ultra-thin pad in less than 2 hours consistently for a few days, you have a HEAVY period and they should know.
I had my tubes tied (tubal ligation) when I was 34, mostly because Ella was our grand finale and I really hated birth control. For some reason, I assumed my period would be lighter.
WRONG
It was heavier and a bit more painful after the procedure. Sometime around age 40, they seemed to get worse. Cramps became more than annoying. They began to feel like contractions only they didn't come and go, they held on for hours. Sometimes they came in the middle of the night, and it literally took my breath away. Since my mid-40's I have been praying for menopause. I had an OB tell me to be careful what I wish for, and I get it, but I don't think she understood what I was enduring each month.
Honestly if it wasn't for this recent weight gain and the loss of one of Pete's coworkers, I really don't think I would have gone on this wellness journey and would have assumed I just had to wait it out.
Why an Ultrasound?
Due to all my previous symptoms (tired, dizzy/light headedness, painful heavy periods...) my OB wanted to look to see if I have uterine fibroids. According to the Mayo Clinic (I am not a medical professional...) "Uterine fibroids often aren't dangerous. But they can cause pain, and they may lead to complications. These include a drop in red blood cells called anemia. That condition can cause fatigue from heavy blood loss. If you bleed heavily during your period, your doctor may tell you to take an iron supplement to prevent or help manage anemia. Sometimes, a person with anemia needs to receive blood from a donor, called a transfusion, due to blood loss."
Drum roll:
I have Quintuplets. They are all small (1.5 to 2.5 cm) but she noted the location of some would explain my "labor pains". While fibroids rarely are cancerous, they did a biopsy just to make sure. Let me tell you, even though I wasn't really concerned that I might have cancer and knew it was a very low risk, just putting it out there as a possibility makes you hold your breath until you get the official word.
Fortunately, it didn't take a full week, just a few days and my results were in my chart. Since I needed a translator, I tossed the text into ChatGBT and learned, my results were normal.
I could exhale.
Of course, the biopsy was uncomfortable, and I started a day or so later so the cycle continued. The bummer is that they gave me 7-ish options but 5 of them were various forms of birth control the other 2 were still pills. I am not anti-medicine or vaccine but if there is a natural way to solve the issue, I would rather give it a shot than put lab-created things in my body.
Before I had these tests, the Menopause certified nurse practitioner I first saw recommended chasteberry, an herbal supplement known to help reduce period symptoms. I may try it. I may also see if I can wait it out a bit longer.
I'll see if taking my iron helps with my anemia and maybe my heavy flow won't set me back. I was starting to feel a little less tired. They said 2-3 weeks of taking iron before you notice anything and that was about right. Then my period came and on my heaviest days all I wanted to do was take a nap. My yawning was back, and I had zero energy. I realize it could be mental too.
I had really planned on doing a post on my nutrition, but I will do that next time. With my period came the water weight (though a little less than previous). Probably another few days before that goes away and I start trending down again. I'll be more motivated to share my favorite foods when the scale is working in my favor.
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