h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

yay! very encouraging entry to bump into when my tummy's started to give out the warning signs.

surprised that no one seems to have mentioned hot water bottles, though. makes the world of difference to me.

and a lovely supportive boyfriend

phoning the lecturer to tell him why i wouldn't be sitting the exam wasn't so fun...

but yeah, three cheers for the hot water bottle

Hi. I almost forgot about this threat. Turns out I have a fibroid, which explains why I can go through 7 super plus tampons in 6 hours. Which probably also explains why I'm now anemic and on iron supplements.

I may have the thing removed later this summer. Still thinking that one through.

Oops, I mean I almost forgot about this THREAD. (I should re-read before posting.)

Have you tried Chinese medicine for your firbroid and excessive bleeding Red?


...and a bit for the hot water bottle!

No, have no idea what it is.

But I *am* having surgery next week that they tell me has a 90 percent chance of reducing the bleeding. Cool! It's a very minor procedure, and it even gives me a 50 percent chance of having no more periods at all. I'm all for that, at age 47.

It's a hysteroscopy with oblation. Which means they peek in there to see what's up, then lightly burn the lining of the uterus. It's not the thing to do if you're interested in remaining fertile, but it's a much much simpler way to end the bleeding than the other thing they do (take out your uterus).

Good luck with your surgery Red!

If you take homeopathic arnica before and after the operation it will help you to recover more quickly, and it won't interefere with any other medication you're taking. Follow the directions on the bottle.

Most health stores and chemists stock homeopathic remedies - if you're interested in using them, it's worth getting some advice from a homeopath.
Arnica's a pretty good all rounder though! It helps to remove shock to the body and brings out bruising.


Chinese medicine? Well it's a whole system of medicine that has been developed over thousands of years. Acupuncture is one of the 'arms', and herbalism is another.


Let us know how you get on!

Thanks. One of the nice things about this surgery is there's little to recover from: no incisions, no sutures, etc.

Success! The surgery did the trick. I've pretty much been able to throw away my super tampons, not to get too graphic here. And I don't even need pain drugs anymore.

Woo-hoo!

By the way, when the doc got in there to look around, there were THREE fibroids, not just the one: plum-size, cherry-size and marble-size. No wonder I was miserable.

Excellent news!

3 fibroids huh? No wonder you were in pain.

It wasn't even the pain so much as going through seven super-plus tampons in six hours (my worst day ever, last winter). This is while I'm at work, I should add. Anyway, I finally got my doctor's attention last spring with that little fact, and she suggested we do a pelvic scan for fibroids, though even then she didn't expect to find any. Hah! It found a HUGE one.

Anyway, if this helps anyone else, you might want to press to be checked if you suddenly develop strong cramps and heavy bleeding after years of little pain and low to moderate flow. I'd been dealing with this for 11 years!