Donna, we will see if my waist returns! I will probably have the surgery in late April or May on my next available week off.

Thanks for all the good thoughts. It could be worse, and I'm glad it will get better. I may have more questions along the way for those who have been through it!

I'm glad you figured out the problem! Hope the surgery goes well.

I was so glad to have my 'diseased organ' (docs words) removed. How are your ovaries? Are they diseased at all?

Deb, not that I know of but might as well find out!

I'm glad you were diagnosed, and I hope the surgery goes well for you!

Yes I am also pleased that you know why you have been feeling so bloated and off. And pleased an operation can fix this.

I have no experience or wisdom to offer sorry, only my best wishes.

Sob lad that you found the source of your discomfort and you will feel so much better eventually. I've not had this surgery myself but friends have. It seems like it can take nearly a year to feel back to normal, so be patient. What I always hear is "Why didn't I do this sooner?"

Joy, a year?!? OMG, I don't know if I can handle that - I'm hoping to be hiking and climbing all summer. Drat!

Glad you found the source of your problems. Good luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Glad that a solutions is in sight, but empathy on the exercise restrictions (says one who spent all lunchtime feeling blue about having a mere little problem with my knee tendon)

I'm glad you found out what's causing your problems. IMO, looking forward to surgery is a sign that the problem's causing enough trouble to need fixing. I haven't had the surgery, but my friend had it in her late 40s. She was very active before surgery and her doc said this and her age helped her recover faster. I'd ask your doc about your activities. I'd imagine how active you can get depends on the type of activity, so hiking might be OK, but anything that works out the abs may need easing in.

I'll be sending healing thoughts your way.

I am sorry to hear how uncomfortable you have been ! I will be thinking of you. GOOD LUCK.

Best wishes for an easy surgery/recovery.

Oh, Una, I'm so glad for you that a solution is in sight! I can relate! It will be three years this spring since I had my surgery, and I have zero regrets!

However, I will caution you that I did not lose all the weight off my tummy that I thought I might, even though I had the equivalent of an orange and a bunch of other smaller fibroids removed along with my uterus. I think that hormonal changes occurring during this age make it harder to rid oneself of a certain amount of abdominal padding. My stomach has never quite regained its formerly flat nature -- I think because I'm now somewhere in the menopausal era, it's harder to get rid of that. I say this not to discourage you at all, just to manage expectations. YMMV of course.

I am thrilled to never have that abdominal discomfort anymore, and I do an inner happy dance that I never have to visit "that aisle" in Target!

Good luck, and if you have any questions about the experience, please add me to your list along with Elisabeth of people who have been through it. I had never had surgery before, so I was really nervous, but honestly, it was as positive an experience I can imagine surgery ever being. Since you are healthy and in good shape, I would expect you to have a similar recovery time to mine, and it went quickly. You'll be active again in no time!

Chiming back in to address Joy's and Janet's points. As far as it being a full year of recovery -- well, it was much less than that for me. I know everyone is different, though, and you never know ahead of time how your body will respond. But I could easily have been back to hard hiking in two months. I waited a full six months, though, because I was a bit paranoid about everything being fully healed! So probably the best attitude is to prepare yourself for a long recovery, and then you might be pleasantly surprised if it's shorter.

As for the belly issue: while my belly is flatter than it was with a cantaloupe in there, it's not (and never had been) perfectly flat. I do have slightly more body fat in that area than I did before my kids, but I don't think that's because of the surgery -- it's extra skin from two pregnancies, and age.

Also, the surgery didn't resolve my sensitivity to anything squinching my midsection. I still hate hose and tight leggings with a fiery passion. Mind you, I felt this way even in my youth, way before I had any uterine problems.

Una, OMG I have the same symptoms as you including a 20 week sized uterus. But I've known about my fibroids for years and have been avoiding surgery by doing 'watchful waiting' which I don't necessarily recommend.

My long story short...I had gained quite a lot of weight (which I am not attributing to fibroids) and when my fibroids were discovered I asked my doctor what I could do to avoid surgery and alleviate my symptoms she told me to lose weight, so I did. But to no avail, the fibroid that is causing most of my problems sits like a hat on the top of my uterus and continues to grow slowly. At certain times of the month my stomach sticks out so bad I can't wear some of my pants not to mention all the other pain and discomfort. My family and friends have been encouraging me to have surgery so I finally went for a second opinion. Since I am approaching the menopause zone I was hoping that the fibroid shrinkage that menopause brings would be enough to alleviate all my symptoms. But, both doctors agree my big fibroid will not shrink enough to provide significant relief. So, I know I must have surgery.

I wish you all the best with your surgery and will look forward to reading any information you share about your experience.

I found lots of useful information on this website written by a doctor: http://www.fibroidsecondopinio.....-fibroids/

And this website too: http://www.hystersisters.com/

Colette, that is exactly my situation! I can't stand any pressure on my midsection and by the end of the day the whole area under my ribcage just aches from pressure. It's awful and I share your misery. I knew about the fibroids when pregnant 12 years ago but they shrunk back down after the birth and I let it go. Now they are really a problem.

ETA: I looked at the website you posted - very helpful! I have most of the symptoms that indicate surgery, but it's good to see what most conservative options are. I think I'm one of the women he describes as having waited too long.

Janet and Az, thanks for the belly warning. I've never had a flat stomach and don't expect to have one after this. Plus I had a C-section. In fact, it will probably be flabby instead of rock-hard and distended like it is now. But at least there will hopefully be more room in there for the rest of my organs!

Sounds like there have been no regrets about getting this done when the time is right. I would never choose surgery lightly but my doc was pretty clear that nothing else is going to work, and I'm showing no other signs of menopause... Thank you all so much. This has been incredibly helpful!

Just for reference, re: recovery times: My age was 47 at the time, surgery was laparoscopic, and I was allowed to drive and take easy walks after a week. I felt up to small amounts of activity pretty quickly, but I also tired quickly at first too. I had pain meds that I avoided taking unless I was really hurting, which was not often. The biggest struggle was getting up out of bed the first couple of mornings -- it's hard to push yourself up without using your abdominal muscles -- ow!

The day after I came home from the hospital, I was literally shooing my friends and my husband away so I could just stand up and go make myself a cup of tea (I really, really like being able to do things for myself, and I get restless just sitting). I was allowed to start swimming after three weeks (stitches had to be healed), IIRC. Running was off the agenda until six weeks, I think. But I walked every day as soon as I got permission, and gradually increased the intensity -- our neighborhood has a lot of hills, so it was good practice to get ready for running again.

Janet, thanks for that info. My hope if I have the surgery in April (it will be around my birthday, but I have to get my blood levels up), I will be able to do all my usual summer activities by June. I have healed well from past surgeries (emergency C-section, breast reduction) but I'm a lot older now!

It sounds like your doctor is more emphatic than mine was. But I think your symptoms sound worse than mine were too! We talked over all the options, and I finally asked her "if you were me, what would you do?" (it helps that my doc is a woman about the same age as I am!). The answer was pretty clear. As I joked, "Hey, take my uterus, I'm not using it!"

The hystersisters website is a good resource, too!

I think that will be great timing. I had mine in May, and had the summer months to get my activity levels back.

I've never gotten back to the level of running I was doing before surgery. Somehow that whole process shifted me into a bit more variety in activity, as regaining what little running prowess I had felt difficult. Not that I was ever good or fast! But the variety of activity led me to embrace bicycling, which I've really enjoyed rediscovering. So be patient with yourself as you heal, and do what feels right.

Yes, the hystersisters website was very good -- full of kind, supportive women -- but a word of warning: you hear about EVERYTHING that could possibly go wrong, because somebody out there has had every complication! For me, it provoked some unnecessary fretting ahead of time.

I'm so glad you have answers.... Mystery pain is not good. Prayers and warm wishes for a smooth surgery and easy recovery - and relief! <3

I feel your pain! You are doing the right thing and I'm sure you'll feel much relief. Losing a few pounds will be just an added benefit.

For years my doctor kept telling me "it's just fibroids." So close to menopause, wait it out. You know the drill... but then I had an episode of pain that was so bad it woke me in the middle of night in agony, and sent me to the ER, fearing I had appendicitis. They ran CT scan and did an ultrasound. No fibroids after all: turns out I had ruptured a big honking ovarian cyst.

The pain was from it leaking out into my abdomen, causing irritation / reaction from foreign bodies... so my whole abdomen was sore and inflamed all over, pain and discomfort lasted for about 6 weeks, felt like I was bruised all over my torso from the inside out. I never suspected my ovaries because I hadn't had a period in about 9 months, and the pain was higher, and unlike period cramps. But it makes since as I had a history of PCOS. I did get one more period shortly after that. That was months ago so I think maybe I'm all set and it was just my ovary's last and final hurrah... shortly after my 50th birthday, so right on track.

I really think nature can be smart in that it makes us grateful to reach menopause and be all done with that.

Glad you were able to identify the problem, what a relief! Hope you get it sorted out soon!

My fibroids were causing almost non-stop bleeding, which brought my blood numbers too low for safety. Additionally, they found precancerous cells, which necessitated a hysterectomy with the organ intact, so they went in through my previous c-section scar. Fortunately, they found no more cancer and left the ovaries in, and it is by far the best decision I've made in a very long time. Recovery was not terribly long for me, and I easily would have been able to be hiking and active two to three months later. Laparoscopic surgery should make your recovery even faster.

Good luck, Una! I've felt like a completely new person since my surgery!

Echo, that sounds a lot like me minus the precancerous cells (fingers crossed). I am so glad to hear it was a good decision for you!

I'm sorry to hear this, and hope the surgery goes well.

I'm sure you will be glad to get rid of the cramping and discomfort! I hope to can arrange the surgery as soon as possible, so you can take advantage of a beautiful Alaskan Summer!

Time to invest in some cute loungewear!

Glad there is a solution for your ongoing problems. FWIW, my mother was nearly 70 when she had her hysterectomy due to recurring bleeding (not normal obviously for her age). Hers was removed though her vagina (probs TMI, sorry). I suppose because of the fibroids this might not be possible but it seemed to have much fewer side effects than big open incisions. I suspect that because you are younger and in great shape otherwise, your recovery will be fairly rapid. Good luck.