Hi! Hi! Hi!

Hello friends! I hope all of you are doing well... and are in the best of health. For all those... who were/are wondering as to my whereabouts for the past few weeks... let me tell you I had not been hibernating. It is not the season for hibernation anyways... with the mercury level hovering around 37 C... what??? I had not taken a break either... to rest my gray cells or to collect my thoughts. Nor was I bored or having a bout of writer's errr blogger's block *wink* And for the upteempth time let me declare that I am not a 'virtual kisan'. I never was. I hope Shilpa will not take offence *wide grin*

I hadn't gone trekking (I envy my FBs - Neelima of The Wandering Soul's Wander Tales, Subu of Passion for Road Trips and Abhijeet of Imprints On Ice fame - though)... nor was I meditating in the Himalayas. I would love to go to Lake Manasarovar though. So, what was it that kept me away from bloggersville for 49 days - 7 weeks? 7 weeks?!! Even I cannot believe it! *blink, blink... pinching myself*

Well here it is. I underwent a 'myomectomy'... which in simple language means the removal of a fibroid/benign (non-cancerous) tumor. 'Benign' that's the key word... and I am thanking my stars ever since! Mine was a pedunculated fibroid... i.e., a fibroid growing on a stalk, which is called a peduncle. (The stalk can get twisted which can cause severe pain, although this is extremely rare.) It was quite a nasty-looking fellow to be precise... measuring nearly 20 x 20 cm. When the doc coolly held it up and showed it to me (with blood still dripping from it) at the end of the operation (saying, "see this is what we got out of your tummy... you wanted to see it right?") @ the OT... I was under the influence of spinal anaesthesia, and genuinely felt/thought I had died and gone to some other planet. I could not believe... such a thing could come out of my tummy. Nor could the attenders of other patients. Apparently when they saw it... they forgot about their own relatives undergoing operation and started talking about this fibroid. It was an experience to remember. For sure! In fact my best half was so shocked and overwhelmed at the very sight of it... that he completely forgot to take a pic... for posterity.

Then after getting discharged... I came back to our home sweet home. Only to get readmitted 2 days later. 'coz the 'stitches had gaped'... meaning (half of) the stitches had come off... and I had to undergo 'resuturing' all over again. *a very sad face... thinking of the pain*

I am back home again... came back on 4th evening... and had the sutures removed yesterday. Hopefully no more resuturing is awaiting me in the near or distant future. Amen. 

Just a note on fibroids: Fibroids are the most common benign tumors in females. There has yet been a link between fibroids and genetics, however it has not been ruled out as a determinant factor. If you are experiencing symptoms related to fibroids such as pelvic pain and pressure, excessive bleeding, including prolonged periods and passage of clots, abdominal swelling, pressure on the bladder, and pressure on the bowel then it is likely that you may have fibroids. 

A sure way to find out if you have fibroids is by getting an ultrasound or an MRI. Patients with fibroids will undergo an ultrasound in their gynecologist's office/hospital/nursing home as part of the process to determine if fibroids are present. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is also used to determine if fibroids can be treated with embolization and provide information about any underlying disease. MRI is the standard imaging technique for evaluating fibroids because it provides a clearer image than ultrasound and can detect other causes of pelvic pain and/or bleeding you may be experiencing. (Read more: HERE)

If you have a growing fibroid, it is perfectly reasonable to be followed by having a pelvic examination every one to three months. If the fibroid begins to cause bothersome symptoms, then surgery may be considered. If the fibroid continues to grow very rapidly, doubling in size in a few weeks or months, then surgery may be indicated. (Read more: HERE). For Fibroids and Cancer: Read HERE.

The terms 'fibroid' and 'myoma' are used interchangeably. Most fibroids do not cause symptoms, and do not require treatment. Fibroids may require treatment in the following circumstances:

1. Fibroids are growing large enough to cause pressure on other organs, such as the bladder.

2. Fibroids are growing rapidly.

3. Fibroids are causing abnormal bleeding.

4. Fibroids are causing problems with fertility.


Thanks for all the messages. I will respond to them by and by. I will also read through the blogs/posts I have missed out all this while... by and by. It will take a while for me to get back to my earlier blogging form/speed of 2-3 posts per week... but I will post as often as I can... going forward.

I am missing my terrace garden too... since I am unable to climb stairs *a woeful look on my face*

Another flipside of this entire 'myomectomy saga' has been that my IndiRank has tumbled to 69... from a high of 82. Actually it was 82 in Jan., then 76 in Feb. and now 69 in March. Sob! Sob! Sniff! Sniff! Yeh foul hai... Mummy I won't play!!!

But I have received an award *cheering up* from Shruti of Hits and Misses fame. It is the Passionate Blogger award. The citation reads: "This Award goes to bloggers who enjoy what they are doing... From Stories to Social Issues or funny things, they love writing it."

Thanks a bunch dear! *I am beaming*


 Note: Some info gathered courtesy: Wikipedia.
 
Photograph: 

A pic of a fibroid. Not the one that was taken out of my tummy though. Pic courtesy: Wikipedia.