Men, read no further… Ok, if you are a man, stop reading right now. I promise you, you will find this post really off-putting. (But make no mistake; for approx. 10% of women, this reflects the harsh reality of life!)

However if you are a woman suffering from menorrhagia or uterine fibroids, you may find some comfort in this article which shows that you are not alone! I am just one of millions of professional, health-conscious women who suffer from this despite my best efforts to stay healthy. The greyish objects are the ‘foreign’ objects, the fibroids. Fibroids are basically muscle-like growths in the uterus. Many women have them (over 30% of all women). However mine are unusually large. The fibroids colled toxins passing through the body, and stores those toxins inside it.

Anaemia

I get anemia (iron-deficiency) from all the bleeding. The doctor told me that my iron levels were really low, almost so low that I need a blood-transfusion. However, since finding out about this I have been trying to get as much iron into me as I can. I take iron-pills and drink a daily concoction of Floradix (Blutsaft) and Vitamin C. Blutsaft Iron Drink… Excessive bleeding during the period is called “Menorrhagia”.

Menorrhagia

The fibroids make the uterus expand, just like it would if you are pregnant. This somehow leads to much more bleeding during your period. For some women it makes the period much more painful.

The fibroids cause me to bleed something incredible for up 7-10 days a month. I simply can’t believe how much I bleed! It’s well over a litre every period, I am sure. Probably it’s more like 1.5 - 2 litre, but I am under-estimating on purpose. (Apparently most women over-estimate how much they bleed, and I wanted to counter-act that tendency.)

If I am home during the worst days (which, ideally, I need to be), I tend to spend my time laying down, using a folded tea-towel that I change every half hour. I guess that illustrates how bad things are. I am too weak and it’s too messy for me to want to do anything else. (If there is any guy still reading - I warned you! )

Anaemia

I get anemia (iron-deficiency) from all the bleeding. The doctor told me that my iron levels were really low, almost so low that I need a blood-transfusion. However, since finding out about this I have been trying to get as much iron into me as I can. I take iron-pills and drink a daily concoction of Floradix (Blutsaft) and Vitamin C.
A few days ago I was really dizzy and fainted for a few seconds on the train to work. The train was packed like a sardine-jar. I swayed, feeling dizzy and weak, about to lose consciousness. I would have fallen to the ground if there hadn’t been so many people around me on the packed train. A woman got up and offered me her seat. I hyperventilated but came around once I was able to sit down and relax. Anaemia causes the sufferer to be constantly fatigued, prone to headaches and just generally weak.

The heavy bleeding makes it almost impossible to function normally at work. No amount of sanitary protection (double, super-extra-maxi-size everything at the same time) seems to last for longer than 20 minutes or so. There is a long walk to the Ladies’ Room through an open plan office, and I am embarrased about having to go so often… I can’t even last through a normal-length business meeting. I am constantly worried about bleeding through the protection. 80-90% of my co-workers are male, so even hinting at the problem is out of the question.

A very embarrasing moment

The other day as I got up from my seat at the train on my way home from work, the unthinkable happened… I felt it the second I rose from the seat…. This has never happened to me before. I am not talking about a tiny stain in my jeans. I am talking about complete flooding, i.e. haemorrhage.

I was wearing a business suit (blue jacket and matching knee-legth skirt), pumps and a short raincoat. Unfortunately I was wearing skin-coloured tights.

Realising what the situation was, I started making my way towards the Ladies at the station, as fast as I could.

But when I got there, it turned out that the Ladies was closed for one of the ‘normal’ reasons… (repairs, vandalism or something like that - who cares… ). I panicked and couldn’t think what to do! Largest size available…
I felt like crying. Another woman was there. I lift up my legs and looked at my tights. The instant I did, the other woman looked too…

There were stripy vertical stains on my tights, all the way down the leg. A few stains had already formed on the stone floor. The woman asked if I was ok? What could I say…? She must have thought I was just some idiot who couldn’t be bothered to wear proper sanitary protection. Whereas in reality I had as much as one person can fit on her without it showing through the clothes.

A man came by for the Gents (which was also closed). He stopped briefly to complain about the closed loos. Then he noticed what was going on and looked shocked.

My humiliation was total. Lord knows what he made of it. I even couldn’t think clearly…) I had done everything I possibly could to prevent exactly this. But there I was with blood dripping down my legs, feeling really weak and really humiliated.

(I could have worn trousers, I guess, or black stockings. I normally wear skirts for work though. Rest assured I am getting some work-trousers though, black ones!) *Blush”

It was dark outside. I decided to run home, despite feeling very weak. A stupid idea perhaps, but the thought of somebody seeing my stripy legs was just too much… It would take a 8 minutes or so. I ran with my coat wrapped around my waist so the stains wouldn’t show. When I got home I had a good cry about it while cleaning up the mess.

Long Wait for Treatment

In May 2006 I went to my GP (Doctor) about this. Typical! I had to see a male doctor! I tried not to be pre-judiced about it. It should not be embarrassing… He is a professional… And just because some American women online had troubles with male doctors doesn’t mean that I will.

I had already researched the problem and was fairly certain it was fibroids that was causing my bleeding problem. I explained this to the GP.

But the doctor thought I was misguided. Exaggerating, maybe. He said ‘No, you don’t have that, I am pretty sure.’ And I almost trusted him for a second!

The only reason he ended up sending me for a ultrasound uterine scan was because I insisted that he did. He said ‘Well, if it will make you feel better, I don’t mind.’

I had tried to be nice about it, not coming there as a know-it-all patient.. But really, I was desperate to get checked, and I was not prepared to accept a ‘no’.. It was very clear to me that there was something wrong with me. I knew that I had all the symptoms of fibroids.

It is a bit worrying to realise that if I had I listened to this doctor I might still not be diagnosed! He wanted to send me home with a strong pain killer; (Mefenamic Acid). But really, the pain is the least of the problems with my periods!

Photo of Multiple Small-ish Fibroids.
I have only one.

1-2 months later I finally got an appointment for a scan. The technician spotted the fibroids immediately and commented that they were quite large. One was 8 cm in diameter. (But I think it’s grown a lot since then… the bleeding has certainly doubled since then… )

I had no private health insurance at this point. (Most people in England don’t have that, unless it’s a job benefit for a fairly good job. I had just started a new job, so the insurance had not yet kicked in.) As a result of this, I was at the mercy of public health care for the first time ever.

NHS (National Health Service)is a perfectly good and a completely free service. (Well, our taxes pay for it!) But waiting-times can be long for appointments. Also, the patient does not have the extra leverage of also being a customer. She cannot take her business elsewhere if she is not happy… (And even if she could, it would not worry the NHS in the least, quite the opposite!)

Most NHS hospitals are old and quite run-down, having been patched up as and when the funds were available. The staff is competent, dedicated and generally nice. The equipment needed is generally available. However the staff is over-worked and under-paid and there are certainly no luxuries or extras offered…

During the autumn I got called to see a doctor at Kingston-upon-Thames hospital. Although my appointment was at ‘Mr Davies’ Surgery’, the doctor I actually ended up seeing (to my surprise), was an Indian lady. She had a very strong Indian accent which I was struggling to understand. Soon it became obvious that she knew even less about fibroids than I did, despite being a doctor. (I had read up about fibroids by then).

Seriously irritating! She treated me as if I had an IQ of about 50 or so, asking me questions from a script. She did not give me a opportunity to ask my own questions and seemed uninterested in anything other than following her script. What was her problem!? Most of what she was asking was completely irrelevant, or questions which I had already answered previously and which should therefore already be noted in my patient records.

The interview finished with her insisting that I take something called “Tranexamic Acid” (supposed to reduce bleeding) for 3 months before anything could be done. Then I should come back for an evaluation.

This was a complete waste of time and I knew it. But I had no energy to argue. Also, I was hoping that some pills I had bought on the internet (Vitalzym) might help. I really wanted to believe in them… More on this later.

The Uterine Embolization…. I can’t wait!

Finally the three months had passed. There had (as expected) been no improvement. I got another call to attend Mr Davies’ surgery.

A scary MRI Scan is required..
The doctor I saw this time the doctor was a really nice woman named Nicola. She treated me like I actually had a brain and asked my feedback before making recommenations. I felt as if she sympathised with my situation and was thinking about what the most appropriate treatment would be based on my circumstances.

It was clear that this doctor had not had time to read my records either, and wasn’t necessarily a guru on fibroids. But she seemed knowledgeable enough, was very friendly and genuinely keen to help.

Half-way through the interview she mentioned Uterine Embolization which I had read about in a book that I bought about fibroids. She said it was probably a better alternative than myomectomy and that she would discuss it with Mr Davies and somebody called Dr Todd, a radiologist I believe. I left feeling hopeful.

Another couple of months passed which brings us to present time.

So about two weeks ago I saw Dr Todd. He was really nice and friendly. He said he could help me!

The procedure (fibroid embolization) does not require open surgery - It is all done via a blood vessel! They cut off the blood supply to the fibroids. This makes them die and wither away. They then come out as grey-black liquid. Gross! Kingston NHS Hospital
I’ll have to stay for two nights at the hospital.

(An NHS hospital - ugh! Kingston hospital is an old run-down Victorian pile of bricks, mainly… It looks very raggamuffin. Not a very uplifting place)

But anything is worth it to be rid of the fibroids… NHS dump, here I come! In fact, I can’t wait!

(Actually, at the time of writing, I do have private health insurance through my new job. But I doubt whether it is valid for problems that were discovered before you signed up. Sigh)

My appointment to do the surgery is for the 4th of March. It takes a week to recover. I’ll have a fab time laying in bed, reading, watching TV and messing around online. This is the plan anyway…
Then no more scary bleeding EVER! I’ll just have normal periods that can be managed using normal-sized tampons.

Vitalzym

This remedy against fibroids is heavily advertised online. Perhaps you have come across ads for it?

One woman who sells it online has set up a ‘testimonial site’, where she talks about how Vitalzym cured her fibroid problems. Incidentally she is now selling it, for the benefit of other sufferers.. I was quite taken in by her story.

I can’t say whether Lorraine (the Vitalzym seller) is honest or not, but I CAN tell you that Vitalzym did nothing for me!

It is really quite expensive, so for that reason I wouldn’t recommend it unless you are able to spare a few hundred pounds without worrying too much about it. However, it definitely does no harm, so if money isn’t a problem, then go for it! You’d have nothing to loose but your cash.
What’s with the ‘ä’?
Surely they mean ‘a’!
Personally I used it for the 3-4 months within which you should be able to notice an improvement according to the Vitalzyam doctor. I took between 8 and 30 pills per day, as recommended by the same physician. The bleeding was unaffected. But despite the fact that it didn’t work for me personally, I really thought that it seemed like a good product. I was very disappointed when it proved inefficient.

I still think it may be helpful in stopping you getting fibroids in the first place, alternatively in stopping some very small fibroids from growing large. But if you’ve already got fibroids badly, I really don’t think it can make much difference. I think I spent £300-£500 or so before I called it quits. I really hope that this was not one of those products that take advantage of the vulnerability of people who are driven to desperation by their symptoms and are unwilling to have surgery.

If somebody who reads this has been helped by Vitalzym, please let me know. I’d love for it to work, but based on my own experience I have to conclude that it doesn’t.

I also looked into ‘estrogen dominance’ as a reason for triggering fibroids. I became fairly convinced that I was suffering from this hormonal imbalance and bought some anti-estrogen (progesterone) tablets. As you may have guessed, there was no noticeable improvement from these tablets either. Again, these progesterone may be helpful for preventing you from getting fibroids in the first time. However when you got them badly, only surgery or UFE will help.

Conclusion

I am a bit scared about the surgery and the pain afterwards. It is not exactly guaranteed that it won’t make me infertile (although supposedly it doesn’t - Dr Todd mentioned patients of his who had become pregnant within as little as six months after the embolization).

I don’t know any Christians who would pray for me as I go through this, so if you are a Christian, please would you pray for me; that the surgery goes well? I’d really appreciate it!

If fibroids are affecting you, please tell me by making a comment below! Or, if you want to make any other sort of comment, please do. Just don’t say it’s disgusting, as 1) I warned you, and 2) I can’t help it!

I will update this post after the surgery.

Cordelia

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UPDATE: In this article you can read about my hospital stay and the Uterine Fibroid Embolization. Thanks for your prayers!
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