I never thought I would be writing an article about my personal health issues, let alone one about my journey with uterine fibroids.
My story started three years ago when I had an ultrasound displaying various growths comprised of muscle and fibrous tissue called uterine fibroids. Before the ultrasound, I wasn't familiar with the term "fibroid" and the full extent of damage they may cause. Each year during my annual exam, my doctor would casually mention the growths were harmless and that she will monitor them.
That was until they grew and started occupying my entire precious uterus.
What my doctor conveniently forgot to mention was that if fibroids are present and continue to grow, they eventually have to be removed or treated via a myomectomy (the surgical removal of fibroids only), a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the entire uterus), or a heavy dose of hormone suppression drugs that have side effects of early menopause.
Fast-forward to January 2016, not surprisingly, I started to have some of the symptoms associated with fibroids like frequent urination, constipation, and abdominal bloating. Waking up in the morning with my stomach resembling a pregnant woman in her final trimester is not my idea of bringing sexy back. This was my official wake-up call and the next day I made an appointment with my gynecologist.
During the examination, the doctor was not alarmed by the current size of my stomach and used medical phrases like, "It's 18 weeks in size." She also shared some of her previous surgeries she performed to remove fibroids. After explaining her prize-winning watermelon-sized fibroid removal story, she proceeded to give me my only two pitiful options: surgery or drugs.
I'm not completely sure why doctors tell patients to treat fibroids like they are a normal occurrence and we have nothing to worry about – when they really should say to us that they actually are and that we actually do. Perhaps, it gives them the green light to perform surgery or prescribe us a new “clinical trial" hormone suppressant drug the pharmaceutical rep bribed them to try out in exchange for a trip to Aruba – but I digress.
What immediately started to replay in my head is the fact that I'm a 36-year-old African-American single female with no kids.
Photo Credit: Carrie Strong
What am I going to do?
Being a woman with a full active life, and feeling that I wanted to "keep my original parts," surgery and taking medicine was not an option for me. So, I kindly told my gynecologist to keep her geeked-up surgery stories to herself and I will see her in one month. At the time, I walked out of the hospital scared and confused af but also determined as hell to shrink the abnormal demons trying to set up shop within my feminine goodies.
My first step was to consult several doctors to get a second and third opinion, only to receive the same response: surgery or drugs. Really???
So, I took matters into my own hands and engulfed myself in research. I found out an alarming statistic: over 80% of women will be diagnosed with fibroids by the age of 50. I wondered why. What is the root cause?
During my research, I stumbled across the key that unlocked my healing. There's a direct correlation between fibroids, the function of your liver, and estrogen imbalance. Basically, the foods we consume play a major part in the development and growth of uterine fibroids. If dietary choices can so drastically impact my fibroid suffering, imagine what simple nutritional changes could do for my body.
From that day forward, I made a conscious decision to not let anything or anyone stand in my way. Operation "Get Healed" was officially in full effect and here's how I did it.
My 7-Step Holistic Regimen
- Drastically limit your consumption of simple carbohydrates, refined sugar, and processed foods.
- Incorporate organic foods as much as possible. Food packed with hormones, specifically meat, feed the fibroid.
- Juice beets, spinach, kale, ginger, and turmeric daily to detox the liver. Also add fresh turmeric to your juice and tea. Likewise, you can take 3 or more turmeric capsule 3x daily. This will decrease inflammation and stop excessive bleeding and pain. I add raw turmeric to my dandelion root tea every day.
- Take an active dose of systemic enzymes 3x daily. My dosage consists of 12 pills daily (6 in the morning and 6 at night). This has aided tremendously in dissolving my fibroids.
- Exercise a minimum of 30 mins daily four to five times a week.
- Avoid consuming anything packaged in plastic. Bottled water is the major culprit of estrogen imbalance.
- THE MOST EFFECTIVE TREATMENT: Do castor oil packs every other day. I use Jamaican black castor oil by Island Tropic. Click here for more information on what castor oil can do for your fibroids.
Bonus Tip: Weight control and diet helped to decrease the fibroids. A diet that limits red meat and is rich in green leafy vegetables, fruit, and fish is VERY beneficial. Some of my favorite elimination guides can be found on gochefahki.com and fibroidelimination.com.
So where am I now?
Well, I'm happy to report that after a month of delving into my holistic practices, the fibroids have decreased significantly in size and my symptoms are almost non-existent. Incorporating a fibroid elimination regimen has been my saving grace. But I must confess, it's not easy and dedication along with consistency is KEY!!!!
Photo Credit: Carrie Strong
My regimen might be considered drastic but my goal is to live a FULL life fibroid-free. In retrospect, being diagnosed was a definite eye-opener and a blessing in disguise. I now live a conscious lifestyle and I am completely aware of the foods I consume and the chemicals my body is exposed to on a daily basis. I'm excited to be on the road to recovery and feeling like myself again! More importantly, I am here to provide hope to women dealing with the same issue and offer encouragement through writing this post.
Like myself, you can take full control over your health and walk into a new life healed!
*Originally published on velvetlope.com
Eureka Calhoun is the owner and operator of Velvet Lope Styling, LLC. Velvet Lope Styling is a wardrobe styling and image consulting company dedicated to the modern day man and woman looking to upgrade their visual presentation through expert styling. Follow her on her social media platforms @velvetlope and @qrushvelvet and visit her website velvetlope.com.
Photos courtesy of Eureka Calhoun; featured image by Getty Images
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Anyway, I personally think that the less shallow folks out here may contemplate calling things “quits” or they at least distance themselves a bit from their partner (and what I’m referring to is serious relationships) due to all of the stress and strain that oftentimes comes with the holidays whether it be financial, familial, due to their tight schedules or something else.
Listen, I would hate for you and your man to miss the fun and happiness of experiencing this time of year, all because you are so overwhelmed or irritated that you can’t really enjoy it. That’s why I have a few practical tips for how to avoid allowing the typical holiday season stress from INFECTING your relationship.
Manage Your Expectations
GiphyUnmanaged expectations. If there is a main reason why the holiday season tends to be so stress-filled for so many people, I’d bet good money that this is the cause. And when you’re in a long-term relationship, expectations can manifest themselves in all sorts of cryptic and/or unexpected ways. You might have relatives who assume that you are going to be with them for Thanksgiving or Christmas when you have other plans in mind. You might be thinking that you are going to spend one amount for presents while your man is thinking something totally different. When it comes to scheduling, your signals may be crossed.
And you know what? To all of these scenarios, this is where clear and consistent communication come in. Don’t assume anything. Don’t dictate anything either. From now until New Year’s, mutually decide to check in once a week, just to make sure that you are both on the same page as it relates to the holidays and what you both are thinking will come along with it. The less blindsided you both feel, the less stressed out you will be. Trust me on this.
Set (and Keep) a Budget
GiphyOkay, so I read that last year, 36 percent of Americans incurred some type of holiday-related debt. Hmph. Last year, there was still some sense of normalcy in this country, chile, so I can only imagine what finances are gonna look like over the next several weeks. That said, since I don’t know a lot of people who don’t find being broke stressful, make sure that you and your bae set a budget and then stick to it this year — no ifs, ands or buts.
Because really, y’all — it doesn’t make sense to deplete savings and/or max out credit cards for a few days of giggles only to be damn near losing your mind because you don’t know how to make ends meet come Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
And by the way, this tip doesn’t just speak to things like food and gifts; I also mean travel. If it doesn’t make a ton of sense (or cents) to be all over the place this year — DON’T BE.
Keep Matthew 5:37 at the Forefront
GiphyIf off the top of your head, you don’t know what Matthew 5:37 says, no worries, here ya go: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” That verse right there? Oh, it’s a boundaries lifesaver! I say that because do you see “maybe” or “I’ll think about it” in there? Nope. LOL. It says that you should tell people “yes” or “no” and leave it at that — and that complements Anne Lamott’s quote, “’No’ is a complete sentence” impeccably well. Yeah, you’ve got to remember that anything beyond a yes or no to a request is privileged information; you don’t owe anyone details or an explanation.
Besides, if you are really honest with yourself, when someone asks you something and you give a “Umm, let me think about it” kind of reply, more times than not, you already know what your answer is going to be — so why not let you both off of the hook? Give your response. Commit to that. And let everyone (including yourself) get on with their lives and schedules.
I promise you that when it comes to those holiday parties, you are pissing more folks off by not RSVP’ing or doing so and not showing up than just saying, “Thank you but not this year” off the rip.
Remember That Your Personal Space Is Privilege Not a Right
GiphyA friend of mine recently bought a new house and invited me over to come see it. He’s a single man with no children, so as I was taking in all of the space that he had, especially as I walked through his finished basement, I joked about relatives coming to live with him. “Hell no” and “absolutely not” were pretty much his immediate responses as he went on to say that some folks even had the nerve to be offended when he told them that he had no intentions on taking DNA in.
Ain’t it wild how people think that your stuff is their right? And yes, that brings me to my next point. Your home is your sanctuary space. If you want to host folks this year — cool. If not, ALSO COOL. Please don’t let folks (family included) guilt you into how they want you to act or even into what they would do if the shoe was on the other foot. You are not them — and as one of my favorite quotes states, “If two people were exactly alike, one of them would be unnecessary.” (A man by the name Larry Dixon said that.)
Hell, my friends? They know that I am good for sending them random things that they need or even want all throughout the year. Coming over to hang out at my pace, though. Uh-uh. Chalk it up to being a card-carrying member of the ambivert club yet I like keeping my living space personal — and I sleep like a baby, each and every night, for feeling that way.
Always remember that your space, your time, your resources, your energy and shoot, yourself period (including your relationship), are all things that are your own. You get to choose how, when and why you want to share them. The holiday season is certainly no exception.
Cultivate Some “You Two Only” Traditions
GiphyIt’s not uncommon for some couples to hit me up after the holiday season to “detox.” Sometimes it’s due to the financial drama (and sometimes trauma) that they experienced. Sometimes it’s because they allowed their relatives (especially in-laws) to get more into their personal business than they should’ve. More than anything, though, it tends to be because they didn’t get enough quality time together and so ended up feeling “disconnected.”
Please don’t let that happen. Listen, I’m not even a holidays kind of woman and yet, I will absolutely sit myself down with some hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies to enjoy a Hallmark holiday film or two. Aside from the fact that most of them are lighthearted and sweet, I also like that they usually focus on couples loving on each other amidst all of the holiday beauty and ambiance — which is something that all couples should set aside some time to do.
Maybe it’s a vacation. Maybe it’s a staycation. Or maybe it’s my personal favorite, A SEXCATION. Whether it’s for a few days, the weekend or even overnight — don’t you let the holidays go by without setting aside time for you and your man to celebrate one another. Don’t you dare (check out “Are You Ready To Have Some Very Merry 'Christmas Sex'?”).
GET. SOME. REST.
GiphyI once read that 8 out of 10 people get stressed out over the holidays and 3 out of 10 lose sleep during to it — and when you’re stress-filled and sleep-deprived, that can absolutely lead to hypersensitivity, making mountains out of molehills and even not being in the mood for sex.
Your relationship can’t afford to go through any of this, so definitely make sure to prioritize rest. I don’t care how unrealistic it might seem during this time, sleep should never be seen as a luxury; it will always and forever be a great necessity.
That said, try to get no less than six hours of shut-eye in (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”) and even ask your bae to take a nap with you sometimes (check out “Wanna Have Some Next-Level Sex? Take A Nap, Sis.”). Not only will sleep help to restore your mind, body and spirit but, when it’s with your partner, it’s an act of intimacy that can make you both feel super connected, even in the midst of what might feel like chaos.
___
Holiday season stress is real. Still, never give it the permission or power to throw your relationship off. Put you and your man first and let the holidays be what they are gonna be, chile.
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