Having a Hysterectomy Changed Everything

Here's how I made the major decision and how it went.

It’s taken me almost 8 months to write about this, but probably not for the reason you think. So here we go!

At the end of last year, I’d started having some really heavy, ongoing cycles… like INTENSE, for 10 days sometimes, every 14 days at one point. To say things were bad is an understatement of the nightmare of which I’m incredibly grateful to be relieved.

Mostly I was frustrated because while this wasn’t the first time I’d had a round of this exact experience, things had been the most stable they’d been possibly ever— until they weren’t.

Now I’ve had a literal lifetime of hormonal BS to be clear— starting from puberty, growing DD breasts seemingly overnight, starting my cycle pretty young, gaining an insane amount of weight when I started taking birth control shots, to most recently experiencing lipidema (a highly estrogen-driven connective tissue disorder that causes your body to deposit fibrotic fat… fun).

Genetically speaking, I’ve got quite a few hurdles when it comes to estrogen metabolism as well as receptors— which explains literally all of the above.

By the time I learned about how to support myself genetically through lifestyle and supplementation, I’d already had a long history of imbalance and struggle. One from which it was going to be difficult to ever fully recover.

In January I visited my OB/GYN and had an ultrasound to discover a sizable fibroid on my uterus. Since this wasn’t my first rodeo (we’d seen one a year prior but didn’t take action) we started to discuss options.

Also during this time, I’d developed some pretty miserable fibrotic tissue in my breasts, and was having a lengthy series of exploratory monitoring— multiple mammograms, ultrasounds, and probably working my way through the list to start biopsies.

On top of that, I was just 6 months out from having a major lipidema surgery to remove extremely painful fibrotic tissue from my legs, which included wearing compression garments for as long as I could stand and the mounting pressure to keep Estrogen levels balanced.

I was already taking up to 400 mg Progesterone, but still my body was struggling to absorb it, so my Estrogen levels continued to be rocky— directly contributing to the fibroid, fibrotic breasts, lipidema regrowth, and cycle misery.

So when my doctor advised me that many women who struggle with fibroids and have them surgically removed, often have recurrent surgeries… I knew that wasn’t the fix for me.

Especially when perimenopausal hormonal imbalance can last up to another 10 years… it’s a NO from me, dawg. I couldn’t even fathom continuing that battle for another ONE year, much less potentially 10.

There was no way in hell that I was going to sit around and watch the rest of my body go up in flames— with the potential of breast surgeries or worse, lipidema progression, or a plethora of other scaries all associated with extremely imbalanced Estrogen levels.

You see, I was also walking the plank with so many things personally that absolutely contributed— far more looking back than I realized at the time. Stress levels were off the charts last Fall due to several personal events, but what’s even worse is that the layer of dysfunction in my day-to-day life was getting thicker by the week.

The part that I wasn’t telling anyone is that I’d spent the last 5 years mostly managing a very misfit relationship, and I was spending most days in a state of constant fight-or-flight. I already knew it was time to do something. I had been trying literally everything I could to make things better, yet things continued to get so much worse.

The constant, prolonged stress was preventing my already shoddy hormones from stabilizing. All the liver support and peptides in the world can only get you so far when you have Epigenetic factors that are causing biological roadblocks. I knew this well, because I often talk to clients about this when they’re in similar boats.

By the time my doctor and I were discussing my best options, I didn’t have it in me to wait it out and continue with more conservative treatments. I was about to go through an even bigger battle, and I needed to feel better fast.

And feel better fast, I did.

We decided that a total hysterectomy made the most sense for me, because I wasn’t having a child, and I had a lengthy list of increasingly risky reasons to take aggressive measures to stop the ongoing Estrogen dominance. Since most of a woman’s Estrogen is produced by the ovaries, they were coming out, too.

Of course, we discussed long-term risks and weighed the options of waiting, but without a doubt I knew that by pulling the plug on my natural production, I’d logically have a more stable future once I dialed in my HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy).

I went in for surgery at 7:30 AM and was home by 11:00AM, resting on the sofa with my Dottie girl. Almost immediately upon returning home from the hospital from surgery, my ex’s snide comments further confirmed what I knew to be true— that I needed to get OUT of there as soon as I could.

Recovery wasn’t bad at all, thanks to a deep peptide stack— and about a week later, something magical happened. I woke up feeling more like MYSELF that I had in recent memory. My mind, body, and soul had shifted, for the better. I knew that I was on my path to deep healing, and I knew that I had the capacity to get up and get the hell out of there.

In the weeks that followed, I began officially separating and closing my marriage. I’ve had to do an absolutely immense amount of processing this year, and I gotta say… having the hysterectomy was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am truly grateful for a doctor who gave me the option and helped me make the correct choice.

I’m beyond words thankful to be DONE with the hormonal struggle. I truly don’t have words big enough to express how much this has given me my life back. It really saved me, and I wish for all women to be supported through informed decisions when it comes to our bodies and hormones especially. We struggle SO much it’s ridiculous, without answers or access to support. I hope by sharing my story, it helps others to stand up for themselves and consider making the best choices that they can, feeling hopeful for better days.