Fibroid story - Magheisha and Fabrice

Magheisha (Photo: courtesy)

Transcript

I discovered I had fibroids during my first pregnancy. So about 9 years ago, let's say. Fibroids became a problem in my second pregnancy, in 2019. Following the first or second ultrasound, they saw the mass, but there was only one fibroid. It was still big, but given its location, not a problem for the baby or for a vaginal delivery. So we let things go, and the pregnancy went really well. But after the pregnancy, I'd say June 2021, I had to take actions because things were really starting to go downhill. It just wasn't working.

I've always been a very active girl. Training, being active, it's part of my DNA, of my identity. But now, training had become difficult. Certain movements were difficult. My pelvis and uterus felt heavy. I was constantly feeling a weight, like what you start to feel around 5 months of pregnancy, when there's something growing. That's how it felt, but there was no baby. As for menstruation, oh my God! I've always been a hyper-regular girl and my cycle has always been three days. I'd have my period for three days, with pain at 1 or 2 on a scale of 10 on bad months. I was one of the lucky ones for whom menstruation wasn't a problem. But after my second [pregnancy, editor's note], I went from 3, to 7, to 10 days and the pain started a week before, plus it was hellish. I had never missed work, practice or training, and now I couldn't even get out of bed to go to work. I felt like my back was going to explode any second. Bleeding for 10 days, I'd never experienced that. I was like: "This is not normal, absolutely not normal." Luckily for me, I wasn't anemic. In that respect, I was doing very well.

In terms of intimacy, it felt like a chore because it hurt. I had no pleasure, none, absolutely none. If I had to choose between burning in hell and having sex, I'd have burned in hell. I was carrying something the size of a honeydew melon, even a little bit bigger, like a really big cantaloupe. Kind of like a seven-month-old fetus.

In the photo on the left, Magheisha shows the protuberance caused by a uterine fibroid before surgery. On the right, Magheisha shows her flat stomach after surgery.

After all these symptoms, I knew I didn't want any more children; I have two healthy ones. After my second, I had some minor complications. I was told that if I went for a third, there would be risks and so on. I told myself it wasn't worth it, it wasn't worth my life. So I already knew it was over. So when I saw all this, I went to my gynecologist, who is extraordinary, and I told him things are not working anymore, I want a hysterectomy. He said, "Whoa! Hold on, girl." He didn't say, "Okay, we're going to do it right now. No, we sat down, we talked and he said, "Look, before we get there, here's what we're going to do. A little game plan. I said, "fine, I'll do what you ask, but if it doesn't work out, we'll do what I want." My husband reacted very well because he'd already had a vasectomy. After my second child, I had a complication: postpartum eclampsia. It scared the hell out of me. I'm really connected with my health, I'm a bit, a lot of a hypochondriac... So I'm really careful as best I can, to the best of my knowledge. I don't like taking medication, I don't like taking pills, and it's the same with my children. If it's a fever, I'm not going to give Tylenol right away, because I'm confident that the body is capable of fighting off certain things. Of course, after a while, if it gets out of hand, yes, I'll give medication to help, but normally, I prefer to let things pass, the body is capable. So after the postpartum eclampsia - something over which, unfortunately, I have no control, it's my body that reacts - and the explanations from the medical team at St. Mary's about the risks of a third pregnancy, we saw that it wasn't worth it, because I could go through with it and leave my husband alone with a new baby and two children. And if the baby's life was in jeopardy, he would have to make an impossible decision. I asked myself if it was worth the risk of putting us in this situation? We immediately said no, definitely not. Then right away, I said, look, it's less invasive for you to have the vasectomy than for me to have the big operation. But that was before the fibroid problem started. So immediately afterwards, he made the appointment and it was done.

So, how the operation went: I can't hide the fact that I was very anxious. In fact, I wasn't. I'm already an anxious person in life, but it seemed that with the operation coming up, I was very much at peace with it. Which worried me a bit, because I was thinking, "Why am I not losing my mind? But then, on the other hand, I thought: "Look, maybe this is a sign that I'm just going to be okay, and then I'll do what I have to do". Of course, there's a whole protocol, etc., but on the day of the operation, I was really zen, calm, excited, really looking forward to it, like yes, it's happening. I had called my fibroid Fabrice and I was like: "Fabrice is finally going to be freed from my body". So I had a laparoscopy: they made three or four little holes in different places on my belly, and then the initial plan was to cut everything that was attaching the fibroid to the inside and take it out vaginally. But because it was too big, that didn't work. So we had to cut it into small pieces on the inside, then remove it piece by piece, again vaginally. Before the operation, the surgeon told me that his plan was to avoid a C section, but that if the fibroid was too big or if there were complications, he would do a C section. I said, "Look, I've got two kids at home. I just want to go home tonight". He was like, "I got you. I said thanks. And things went really well.

Oh my God! Since the hysterectomy, I'm a new woman! I'm back to my old self, my body is free, I've started training again. I had my operation on November 20, 2023: on January 1, 2024, I didn't even wait for my post-op examination, I started training again, slowly, of course. Just being able to move around, to be pain-free, to sit on the ground and play with my children, to regain my self-esteem, because I no longer look like I'm 6 or 7 months pregnant, the way I look in my clothes... It's extraordinary! It was like night and day! No regrets, absolutely none. Did it impact my femininity in any way? I'd say in a positive way, because as I said, intimacy with my husband had taken a hit since it was no longer pleasant for me. So, of course that was difficult because, first of all, I'm not made of wood! Sure, solutions come from both sides at times, but after that, it was almost a punishment, and I couldn't fulfill that need for both of us, really. But now, bel tifi! Now it's okay, it's okay. First of all, no more fear, of like, "oh my God, pull out, oh my God". No, both, it's free for all. It's wonderful! No, for me, it's positive because I don't have that attachment to my uterus, I guess. I've been lucky enough to have two children, two beautiful, healthy girls. My body has done its job. Now it's just about enjoying my body and my life, the way I want to, I guess.

What I would say to a woman who's considering having a hysterectomy, well obviously, is to really weigh up the pros and cons, because there's no going back. Once it's done... It's a big decision. But if that's what you really want for your physical and mental well-being, go ahead and fight to the end, because at the end of the day, you're the one living in your body. And the way mine feels right now is what I wish for every woman, every mother on earth, because to be able to feel like yourself again, to feel reborn, is wonderful! I know it's not easy with the healthcare system that we have here in Quebec, but really, fight, insist, even if it means changing doctors. I know it's not easy, but you really have to go all the way, because we women shouldn't have to suffer like this. Unfortunately, we're always under the impression that we're condemned to menstrual suffering. After that, we have what comes naturally with pregnancy and childbirth and all that. There are certain sufferings we're ready to accept, and that's fine, but this one we don't have to. In fact, we wouldn't even have to go through all that. These are things we can't control when it all degenerates in our bodies, but we can choose to continue suffering or not. And I don't think we should have to fight. Above all, a lot of doctors are men and, without taking anything away from men, you don't know what it's like. So, ladies, just keep pushing, get more medical advice and really go for it, because I've been lucky. I have a golden doctor who listened to me, we worked together and today, I'm grateful to him because I feel like me again. I feel as if I were 21-22 years old, free with my body, free with my movements, free to do what I want and to regain intimacy in my life as a married woman. It's wonderful because it was heavy, it was really heavy. So be brave, ladies.