So many times as a health reporter, I would share stories about what many of you have gone through in a health crisis so we could all learn from it.
As most of you know, I returned to work a week ago after more than a month off recovering from surgery that a lot of women in this country face.
This is how it happened for me. Before my surgery, when I'd look at myself in pictures or on television, I had started to wonder why my belly was getting bigger. I thought after three kids and growing older it must be the middle age spread.
Turns out of course it wasn't.
I kept feeling sick to my stomach especially in the morning, I would have a headache which I rarely ever get and I was having trouble emptying my bladder.
So I made a call to a doctor I trust and one we've called on many times here at Channel 7 for his medical expertise. Dr. Shukri David the Chief of Cardiology at St. John Providence Hospital told me to come in immediately.
I ended up in the emergency room. An ultra sound revealed a fibroid tumor about the size of a football and several smaller ones were on the verge of destroying my kidneys and had to be removed immediately. I made an announcement on television on March 16 asking for your prayers and explaining how many women just like me have fibroid tumors – only I had no idea one was growing so large inside me.
Then on March 19, Dr. Nishan (Nick) Chobanian, who heads the Department of Oncology and Gynecology at St. John Providence, was ready to perform my surgery at Providence Park in Novi. One of his main concerns was cancer because the fibroid tumor was so large.
"We will send the uterus to make sure there is no malignancy in that mass, but if it's malignant cancer in there then we'll do the lymphnodes," Dr. Chobanian said.
I was prepped for surgery with my husband Greg, one of my daughters and my mom right by my side, and my photographer John Ciolino who has covered nearly all of my health stories here at Channel 7 captured it all.
Dr. Chobanian said, "this is going to be a bit of a challenge, this is a big mass that is sitting on those uterine tubes and it's going to take a bit to get that out."
My husband wanted to know how long the surgery would take. Dr. Chobanian told him he anticipated it would take a couple of hours.
The President of St. John Providence Joe Hurshe, Dr. David and the entire staff kept my family in the loop and comfortable while I was in surgery.
You need to know, a lot of women have fibroid tumors. By age 35, nearly 30 percent of women have them and by age 50 almost 80 percent. But for a fibroid tumor to grow to about 10 pounds is not so common.
Most gynecologists, like mine, will tell you if your fibroids are not bothering you don't worry about them because they usually shrink once you begin menopause. Dr. Chobanian agreed with that advice. Despite annual pap smears, physicals and mammograms, I still had no idea a fibroid was growing that large inside me.
Once the surgery was over, and I was in recovery Dr. Chobanian gave good news to my family.
"Basically her entire pelvis and abdomen were full with this fibroid tumor with the biggest one sitting in the back," he said. "I sent it off, and no cancer was seen.That was the one concern because when they get so big so quickly it has to come out in one piece."
My husband gave Dr. Chobanian one big hug.
"She did great," Dr. Chobanian added.
For me, I'm so grateful to the amazing doctors at Providence, thankful for my loving family, and so happy to return to the job I love.
Lastly, you need to know, recovery from this type of surgery normally takes 3 to 6 weeks, but I was cleared to return to work in four weeks and feel pretty good at week five.
If you have fibroids keep an eye on them.
Here are possible symptoms: Heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual periods lasting more than a week, pelvic pressure or pain, frequent urination, difficulty emptying your bladder, constipation, backache or leg pains.
This is when you need to see a doctor; you have pelvic pain that doesn't go away, overly heavy, prolonged or painful periods, spotting or bleeding between periods and difficulty emptying your bladder as I did.
Finally, seek prompt medical care if you have severe vaginal bleeding or sharp pelvic pain that comes on suddenly.
