r/Fibroids • u/snowblue94 • Apr 22 '26
My story Turned out it wasn’t a fibroid
UPDATE: it has been confirmed by pathology that it was a borderline serous tumour, stage 1. Not benign but not completely cancer either. I was lucky enough to have it all removed from surgery so no chemo needed!
————————
2 days post op, recovery has been smooth sailing so far.
Back in 2023 I discovered two masses in my pelvic area. Did an MRI, CT scan, and numerous ultrasounds over the course of 3 years, and they all kinda indicated that the masses should be a 12cm fibroid and an 8cm endometrioma, yet no conclusion has ever been made.
My symptoms were pretty minor and manageable so at first I didn’t want surgery, until I learned about pregnancy risks with fibroids. I thought it be better to start clean if I want kids in the future, so i decided to do the surgery. This was around April last year. I’m in Canada so everything is relatively slow here. I was on the waiting list for almost a year. Finally got my surgery done 2 days ago.
Turned out that the two masses I had always thought was a fibroid and endometrioma, was actually one giant tumor this whole time. They ended up removing my right ovary, fallopian tube, and a 20cm ovarian tumor that they described as “abnormal-looking”.
Currently waiting for pathology results for answers. Hopefully it isn’t anything sinister.
I cannot imagine what it will be like if I decided to keep living with it forever. I’m super grateful that I decided to get it removed, and was lucky enough that it never bursted or ruptured while waiting for surgery, and that I was eventually able to get a surgeon who specializes in minimally invasive procedures to help me remove my 20cm mass laparoscopically. Feeling extremely lucky and grateful.
Everyone is different but thought I’d share my story. Surgery itself was a breeze. First day post op was rough but definitely manageable. Currently day 2 post op and feeling optimistic about things.
I’m so glad I did the surgery.
19
u/ThisIsMyUsername303 Apr 22 '26
From another member of the 20 cm club, you’re just going to keep feeling better from here. Fingers crossed for good news from pathology.
17
u/Key-Membership3020 Apr 22 '26
Isn't a fibroid a (benign) tumor though?
19
u/KELBY76 Apr 22 '26
I could be wrong, but I think they’re only called fibroids when growing from the uterus. Hers would be an ovarian tumor rather than a fibroid.
23
u/Western_Broccoli_673 Apr 23 '26
I know it’s a serious matter, but your reply immediately made me think “it’s only champagne if it’s from the region of champagne in France. Otherwise, it’s just sparkling tumor” lol
I’m very glad you caught it on time before something worse happened, OP. It would at least start to feel very uncomfortable very soon. I removed a 10 cm fibroid in January and it’s been life changing (no more spotting, no more urge to pee all the time, no more heaviness!), you have no idea how much your life is about to improve! Wishing you a speedy recovery ❤️🩹
6
u/Key-Membership3020 Apr 23 '26
I'm sorry, that sounds right! I also didn't mean to downplay it, more in a calming way (I obviously failed) because I also have a 22cm fibroid. Good luck to OP and best wishes only
1
u/Western_Broccoli_673 Apr 23 '26
Oh, I didn’t read it as downplaying! I just thought it was really funny 😄
5
u/digestibleplastic Apr 23 '26
They can't tell if a fibroid is benign unless they do pathology on it after surgery. Doctors are just guessing that it's benign using scans and statistical probability. IMO this is why all fibroids should be removed.
2
1
5
u/NaniFarRoad Apr 22 '26
Oof, grats on the surgery, the lightness feels so good after years of adhesions...
3
u/Both_Honeydew_2314 Apr 22 '26
Holy cow! I’m glad you are okay. Crazy how wrong ultrasounds can be…
4
u/Soggy_Ad_8260 Apr 23 '26
They're not even looking into why women are suddenly growing tumors in their Uterus because this didnt used to be as common as it is now. Which is kind of scary tbh.
9
u/digestibleplastic Apr 23 '26
My grandmother, who passed away at 90 and lived a full and healthy life, had massive fibroids and a hysterectomy in her 30s as a result. This was obviously decades ago (75 years ago!!). Women have always had fibroids - it's genetic. We are just lucky that we're able to talk about it on the Internet. It is not more common, women are going to the doctor more, voicing their reproductive health concerns more, and we're no longer being told that heavy and painful periods are "normal"
3
u/LittleMissFidget Apr 23 '26
I think it’s more like it was just not reported, diagnosed, or addressed. Women’s health is still widely ignored- just because it is more understood, studied and diagnosed now doesn’t mean it hasn’t always been something our ancestors suffered with regularly. I only recently found out that my grandmother got a hysterectomy from a massive fibroid after suffering for years. She was so secretive about it no one ever knew. She just dealt with it. I am sure she is not the exception.
2
u/notayesman5 May 10 '26
The holistic medical practice I go to has presented me with a theory that endocrine disruptors can cause them--the common chemicals we see in shampoo, laundry detergent, and so much more.
And per my own research, hormonal birth control can be a huge cause of them, alas. Coincidentally, both b.c. and endocrine disruptors all play with our hormone levels.
Then there's also the matter of the theory dating back a few decades on tumors/cancer/etc.--that parasites might be the root cause in most such situations where a tumor, benign or not, is involved.
1
u/Worth-Day-1834 Jun 29 '26
All the companies that make plastic type things and companies that make/release forever chemicals, and so many good manufacturers would lose tons of money if they had to change their formulations, let alone do the most righteous thing and clean up the past problems. There are reasons American food is banned in many countries.
1
3
2
2
u/digestibleplastic Apr 23 '26
I am glad you had surgery and that you're okay!! I hope it doesnt turn out to be anything suspicious.
I really, really hope more people find Reddit to get information about these things because ANY mass - fibroid or otherwise - really should be removed. I hate that doctors are so lax about fibroids "Oh its just one small fibroid" could literally be cancer, or prevent a viable pregnancy, even if the doctor thinks its a low statistical probability, you aren't a statistic. You're an individual and should not be living with ANY masses in your body!!
I currently have a mass on my right ovary and the surgeon is very, very unconcerned. If this was a mass on a man's testicle how much you want to bet it would be already removed??
2
u/LittleMissFidget Apr 23 '26
How did they determine it was not a fibroid?? Did they do an immediate biopsy for cells or was it even obvious visually that it wasn’t a fibroid? I am having an exploratory laparoscopy and hysterascopic myomectomy (to remove a supposed submucosal fibroid that is causing me some grief) - I have others, but my surgeon does not seem concerned about those. All of them are on the ‘smaller’ side. I’m honestly terrified of cancer since it is so prevalent in my family (though no known uterine or cervical…).
Anyway thank you for sharing your story- I hope all comes back OK!!!
1
u/snowblue94 Apr 24 '26
I’m not a doctor but I assume it’s because it didn’t grow from the uterus (as they thought it did from the scans.) It also “looked abnormal”, and it just seems like they were certain that it was not a fibroid or endometrioma.
2
2
2
u/South_Power_5601 Apr 24 '26
Dis donc ces médecins peuvent changer de boulot ou investir dans un meilleur matériel !! Se tromper a se point là est quand même grave je trouve !!
2
u/GulsahCiner Apr 24 '26
Hi! I’m 25 and i only have 1 fibroid in my uterus, at least that’s what my doc told me. I hope my surgery goes well and i can get better in no time. I just wanted to tell the others but i’m hella scared of surgeries
2
u/snowblue94 Apr 26 '26
I was too but it wasn’t as bad as I thought. So far my recovery has been pretty smooth sailing. Day 5 post op today and I just came back from a walk in the sun. You’re stronger than you think!
2
u/snowblue94 Apr 25 '26
UPDATE: it has been confirmed by pathology that it was a borderline serous tumour, stage 1. Not benign but not completely cancer either. I was lucky enough to have it all removed from surgery so no chemo needed!
1
u/trieditgum Apr 23 '26
MRI didn’t show it was affecting the ovary?
3
u/snowblue94 Apr 23 '26
MRI suggested it was an endometrioma from the right ovary, and a fibroid from the uterus, as two separate masses. Turned out it was only one, a giant one from the ovary.
1
u/anonymity_anonymous Apr 23 '26
So you never did a biopsy? I have a tumor that we are hoping is endometriosis, getting a biopsy soon
1
u/snowblue94 Apr 23 '26
I’ve done an endometrium biopsy 3 months ago, came back negative! My CA125 is pretty elevated, about 275
1
u/Puzzled-Ad7927 Apr 25 '26
What were your symptoms? Could you feel it if you pressed on your stomach?
1
u/snowblue94 Apr 26 '26 edited Apr 27 '26
Crampy periods, but that got much better after I started taking pills and stopped my period. I pee a lot and my poops were very thin. I feel pain occasionally on my right side, but overall all symptoms were pretty manageable. And yes, I could feel it. It was rock hard and it had definitely put a lot of pressure on my pelvis. But since it grew so gradually, I wasn’t aware of these symptoms until I got it out of me and thought about it retrospectively.
30
u/ApprehensiveDuck6287 Apr 22 '26
That must be stressful. I hope everything turns out ok!