The trouble with fibroids

I have uterine fibroids which are benign tumors. They have gotten bigger and are more painful. I wound up in the emergency late last year because I thought I had a painful hernia. No, fibroids.

My mother dealt with her fibroids by muddling through until menopause in her late 50s. That's about 10 years away for me. While not painful all the time, I am aware all the time they are there. I am bloated, have low grade pain and bad menstrual cramps. Fibroids interfere with kickboxing and sparring. I have not sparred since I was punched in the fibroid during sparring session. It hurt a lot.

So, now I have to decide what to do. Nothing is an option. Hysterectomy is not. I am probably going to undergo uterine artery embolization. Ie: kill the blood supply to the uterus, kill the fibroids. Keep my uterus. Risk menopause. The medical websites say it's fine. Alternative medicine sites say it is very bad. I've had mixed feelings but 10 years of suffering are not something I look forward to.

I've had all the preliminary testing. I've met with the radiation surgeon. I just need to schedule it. I've been on hold for a month. But will do it tomorrow. I've had bad menstrual cramps all day and excessively heavy flow. I am not going to have minor surgery because of one bad period but because the pain hurts more with each one. Because it interferes with my digestion. Because it hurts. I want the pain to stop.