Come clean with your Dr.
This blog entry is dedicated to all the women out there who suffer from uterine fibroid tumors. Approximately 40% of menstruating women suffer from fibroid tumors. Symptoms include heavy, long periods, cramping and pelvic pressure Left untreated, these fibroids can make you anemic and your life miserable. Up until recently, I was part of this statistic. Ladies, there is a treatment option out there that doesn’t involve a hysterectomy, a major surgical procedure with a recovery time of 6-8 weeks.
Fortunately, there is a procedure called Uterine Artery Embolization. UAE is a non-invasive surgical technique that shrinks uterine fibroids, maintains fertility and is performed under local anesthesia. This medical technique takes only 30 minutes and has quick recovery time of one week. I had it done about two weeks ago and I’m already experiencing its benefits. In a few short months, my periods will be so much lighter, with little or no cramping and I will not feel like my life revolves around my menstrual cycle.
As a recovering addict, I must share with you the dilemma I faced about managing the pain after the procedure. As there was some pain involved, and at times some pretty intense pain for the first 36-72 hours following the procedure, I had to accept the fact that I would be heavily medicated with Oxycontin or Perocet, both of which are highly addictive opiates. My fear of course was getting a taste and wanting to chase the high like in the old days when I was using. And although I’ve never been an opiate addict, I still am an addict nonetheless and that never goes away.
The first thing I did was tell my doctor about my drug-abusing past so that he was aware and would not prescribe any additional meds after I would run out of those prescribed for the post-surgery. The second thing I did was promise myself that I could not throw away almost 7 years of sobriety on leftover meds. I promised myself that when the pain was over, or even when it was down to a dull roar that I just had to stop the meds and toss them. And you know, I did it, and I feel like I haven’t forsaken my sobriety but I realize that I could have easily emptied those bottles.
It’s not impossible however for those of us in recovery facing issues involving managing temporary pain, to accept the pain as just that, temporary, and, above all, to stop those meds before they start to control you.