FAQs About My Health

I have had a few people ask about my health or have misconceptions about what my medical condition consists of, so I thought I would give a brief moment to answer some questions and comments to help those asking to accurately understand. Hopefully, this will also help those of you who have some of these conditions or symptoms and are looking for advice.

1. What have you been diagnosed with? I have unexplained uterine bleeding which causes me to have a period that last between 30 and 60 days and frequent spotting when doing labor as little as lifting the laundry. I have endometrial hyperplasia and endometriosis which are both very serious female complications. I got this information from the WebMD website - Endometriosis is an often painful disorder in which tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus — the endometrium — grows outside your uterus. Endometriosis most commonly involves your ovaries, bowel or the tissue lining. Endometrial hyperplasia is a condition of excessive proliferation of the cells of the endometrium, or inner lining of the uterus. I have also been diagnosed with low iron due to bleeding, a protruding bladder, and infertility.


2. Do you have cancer? Hyperplasia is the last step before cancer and I do have cancer cells also, however, as of now, I do not have full blown cancer. When I first saw a doctor, he did not explain to me the difference between cancer and cancer cells, so I assumed the worst. We had testing done to make sure that I did not have widespread cancer before we chose to start TTC. I think some people misinterpreted what I said when I told them I had a stage five pap smear. Stage five cancer and stage five pap smears are totally different, although both are very serious. My stage five pap smear means that I have a great chance of having full blown cancer if I do not take treatment soon.


3. What are your symptoms from all of these conditions and complications? pelvic pain, fatigue, backache, headache, nausea, vomiting, infertility, mid-cycle bleeding, pain during sexual intercourse, extreme swelling, pain during urination and/or bowel movements, tissue scarring, and a high miscarriage rate.


4. Why have you not had surgery? I have chosen not to have surgery because 95% of them lead to infertility. Our first priority at the moment is to have a healthy, successful pregnancy, however, if at any point the doctor feels it is risking my life, I will do anything necessary to prevent a deterioration of my health. At this point, he understands that we are TTC and him along with the specialist support that decision and plan to keep a good eye on my health while we wait on our miracle!


5. When did you start not feeling well? I have always had these problems in some way. I started my period very late and was constantly in pain. I had major issues with extreme bleeding in high school. I remember a day when my grandmother was a subsitute teacher and I had had bled so bad it went thru my underwear, my pants, and the seat I was sitting in. She had to come get me because I was so embarrassed. I was diagnosed with HPV at 18 and it caused alot of other problems. By the time I met DJ, I had already started medications to control the pain from the conditions, however, I had not been diagnosed with hyperplasia yet and clearly did not have infertility issues at that time. In the last two years, the symptoms have gotten very bad. I almost lost my life in 2010 after bleeding for 60 days and needing a blood transfusion. It was a miracle it stopped without having to have a full hysterectomy. I have had 4 miscarriages total, but none this late like the last one. I still have faith that I will have one more successful pregnancy before surgery, but anything is possible.


6. What do you want people to know? I want people to be educated about just how common these issues are. The fact is that 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage and infertility effects 30% of the female population. I also want moms to educate their daughters about the effects unprotected sex can have on their future and just how much having HPV can impact a life. I hope to be a guest speaker in the future to help teen girls understand how drastic these things can effect the rest of their life. I also want people to get their facts straight. I am not dying nor have I ever said I was dying. I have said before and I will say it again that if myself, my husband, or my doctors feel that I need further treatment or even to go to a treatment center, I will go. If I do get full blown cancer and need treatment, I will do it. If getting pregnant could cause me to lose my life, I will stop trying. I just want everyone to educate themselves about the condition, the symptoms, and the effects it has on my life both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Not only has this effected me but it has also effected my husband, my marriage as a whole, and my children who really want a brother or sister.

Thank you all very much for your kind words, comments, and questions and for always supporting me. If you know someone experiencing these signs or symptoms, please have them see a physician. And, as always, feel free to send anyone to the blog that you feel may benefit from the information I post. I love you all - Have a safe weekend :)