As told to Shannon Shelton Miller
July is Fibroid Awareness Month.
For a long time, I was told that painful menstrual cramps and heavy bleeding were normal. As a teenager, I was prescribed iron supplements, which should have been a sign that I was bleeding too much. But when I grew up in Mississippi in the 1980s and 1990s, no one thought, “Let’s find out why a healthy young woman who is active in the marching band and cheerleading needs to take iron supplements,” or “Why do we need to put this young woman on birth control to help regulate her period?”
Over time, I realized I wasn’t alone. More than half of black women develop fibroids before age 35, and more black women get them than white women. We’re also more likely to develop fibroids at a younger age, as I did, and our pain is often overlooked by the healthcare system.
I didn’t find out I had fibroids until I gave birth to my twins in 2006. My husband and I also like to say that we have 17-year-old twins, Elijah and Evelyn, and Ella, our surprise baby. Ella was made possible by my second attempt at getting rid of fibroids: a myomectomy. I had the procedure in 2013 and got pregnant with Ella the following year. It’s a miracle that I’m here.
Gabbie with her husband, their twins Elijah and Evelyn and Ella, 2022 (Photo/Patricia Kelly)
My fibroids might have gone unnoticed during my first pregnancy because I had two babies. I was told it was normal to have heavier periods after giving birth, although I thought I was bleeding too much and had more cramps. When I was finally diagnosed with uterine fibroids, I was told to take iron pills, which caused constipation and affected my digestive system. The other option I was offered was birth control pills, which I also didn’t want because hormonal fluctuations affect my voice and vocal cords. As a professional jazz artist, I knew that wouldn’t work in my life.
Gabbie performing, 2015 (Photo/George Kelly, Jr.)
I was initially able to control my fibroids when I did a three-month artist residency in Singapore. Doctors offered recommendations on dietary changes and a more holistic approach that helped. When I returned to the United States, the tumors finally became too large. That’s when I had the myomectomy.
WhenWhen the fibroids came back for the third time, I asked myself, “Am I a hospital environment for tumors? Can we even explore that to find out?” Because I’m a musician and I have a husband who is also creative (he’s a sound engineer and works in ministry), we don’t have a lot of money. The only thing we had available at the time was public health care, so my providers weren’t trying to get to the bottom of anything. They were just saying, “This is what we think will fix it. Have a good day.”
My quality of life continued to decline. I was bleeding so much that I needed transfusions. I had to take time off work because I was dizzy and knew I would ruin the chairs and carpets. No one should have to stay home for a week just because they are on their period.
And let’s not even talk about sex. I had to take ibuprofen before having sex with my husband because orgasms caused very painful uterine contractions. I couldn’t enjoy a healthy sex life without fearing the pain I knew was inevitable.
After 30 years, the best the medical system could offer me was a hysterectomy. I said yes because, honestly, I didn’t want to die. I felt like I was dying every month. The anemia caused my heart to palpitations and I couldn’t even walk up stairs. Sometimes I had to go to the emergency room to get a blood transfusion or an IV. I had a whole routine to keep myself alive while I was on my period, which included going to rehydration clinics and taking liquid iron. And I couldn’t book gigs when I was on my period because I didn’t know if I would be able to continue performing.
I knew I had to do something to save myself. At 45 years old, on November 17, 2023, I had a hysterectomy. I wanted to be able to live.
Hysterectomy selfie, November 18, 2023.
I am grateful for the support I found along the way. Music caresa foundation that provides health and wellness support to artists, gave me a scholarship that paid my rent for two months until I could recover after surgery. I also found The White Dress Projecta national support and advocacy group for women with fibroids. I read all the posts on their social media page about women living with fibroids and recovering from fibroid surgery. The women there made great recommendations about resources you can use while you are recovering.
My sister-in-law, Patricia, is a primary care physician and has been a blessing as an advocate for my medical rights. I tell all women to find a health care provider who can be on their side, even through telemedicine. I am also grateful to the Grady Hospital Foundation in Atlanta, which helped pay for my hysterectomy. I wouldn’t be alive without them.
Uterine fibroids should not be seen as a women’s problem only. I have two daughters and I want more to be done to ensure that they and other women have a better quality of life if they develop fibroids. There needs to be more research, studies and specialist clinics – everything we can do to help women find the answers they need and give them the care and support they deserve.
Resources
Do you have any real women, any real stories you’d like to share? let us know.
Our Real Women, Real Stories are the authentic experiences of real-life women. The opinions and experiences shared in these stories are not endorsed by HealthyWomen and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of HealthyWomen.
Articles from your site
Related articles on the Web
