[Libby1972]

I have surgery scheduled for the end of May. A monster 12 centimeter fibroid that they have to literally saw me in half to remove. No work outs for me for 6 weeks after that. I'm really starting to get depressed about it.

I know I'll bounce back, but I've had such great progress and will probably continue until the surgery and then boom...nothing for 6 weeks. I'm so afraid my muscles will suffer for it. Starting over again really sucks.

Words of wisdom...anyone???

[SherryA]

I'm sorry I have no words of wisdom. It sounds scary and hard to face and I sympathize with you. Maybe prior to that you can do something like Body for Life" really build up your muscles, and then it won't be so hard to bounce back from?

The stronger you are, the healthier you are going into surgery, the more chance of a quick recovery. Can they do the surgery without blood transfusion? I've heard that bloodless surgery is much easier to recover from than when it is used. People recover much more quickly without foreign substances like that put into your body because your immune system isn't so much under assault. Ask about that. You might find yourself in better shape.

[lppennington]

If I may ask, where is the tumor? My mom had a cyst growing on her heart (birth defect) and had to be cut in half too, and ribs broken. She is doing really well, of course it took time to heal.

I think that once you start to feel better, you can go at your own pace. Depending on where the surgery is, you may not even feel like eating.

Sorry don't mean to be depressing.

[LBH]

I'm sorry you've got to go through that. Just stick to your guns and do the best you can until then. Then take it easy and concentrate on recovering!

[Libby1972]

Thanks Ladies. I do feel a bit better now.

I have a laundry list of questions to ask my doctor about the surgery. The fibroid is not cancerous, but it does put me at risk for needing a hysterectomy some day. My OBGYN wants to remove it in case hubby and I want to have another baby. Which is a possibility. I have a very "old school" doctor. He says that laproscopic is not possible for this large of a fibroid, but I want to get a second opinion if he is absolutely against it. He is very old fashioned and not really willing to give in even a little. Laproscopic will be much less invasive and a shorter recovery time. Not to mention not having to wait 6 months to conceive another child. I am probably looking at about another year before I am ready for that anyway. I really want to be in the best shape possible before I get pregnant again. I know that kind of sounds counter-productive, but I think I can handle staying in shape. I actually lost weight when I was pregnant the first time. Then I nursed for 11 1/2 months and lost even more. Then when I stopped, I packed it on like you wouldn't believe.

My fibroid is on the outside of my uterus. It's 12 centimeters in size and it makes my uterus appear to be 16 centimeters. Or the size of a 5 month pregnancy. No sucking in that tummy for me! Working out has helped the layer of fat thin out around the fibroid, but the fibroid still extends my stomach something fierce. In fact, my stomach is still up in my rib cage area. It never fell back after baby was born. Which will be 2 years at the end of March. I'm really to feel human again.

I meet with my doc a week from Wednesday and I am going to make good use of my time with him.

Thanks for reading and sharing.

[LBH]

Libby, I think a second opinion is a smart idea. It's one thing to be attached to your OB, but if Laproscopic is an option, I'm sure it would be much better. I don't know much about fibroids, so I'm not much help. Just sending

[cinnamonspice]

Libby, I know it's not much consolation, but you will bounce back very quickly. I had to have a hysterectomy (I had 19 staples on my tummy) a few years back. It wasn't a quarter as bad as I was expecting. I was outside using the weedeater and push mowing our big yard within 2 weeks. I'm not recommeding that for everyone mind you, only sharing my experience.
I also learned that you will recover much faster if you get up and start walking as soon as you can. It helps with everything.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[Libby1972]

Thanks Cinnamon Spice. Since I posted I have talked with my physician and he's confident that I'll be working out 2 weeks post-surgery. He wants me to lay off the weights until 6 weeks. He doesn't want me to end up with a hernia.

Thank you for sharing your experience with me. That helps a lot.

Take care.