Women Battling Fibroids

"Your iron level is extremely low compared to the normal and you need to take iron tablets immediately..." Those words from my doctor left me dumbstruck because I have always eaten my green vegetables.

I took the iron tablets that my doctor prescribed but I realized that I was still having dizzy spells and I could not keep my eyes open. I knew that fatigue was a symptom of anemia. I visited my doctor for a second time and asked her to test my iron level again and if possible prescribe another type of iron pill because the first one seem not to be addressing my health issue effectively.

My doctor conducted a second test and my iron level was indeed still extremely low. Therefore, she prescribed a different type of iron pill.

You would think all would be well now and that my health problem was solved with me increasing my intake of green leafy vegetables while taking my iron tablets, right? Well, my dear reader, drum rolls please for if you guessed, yes, then, you are very incorrect. Instead of things getting better they got worse.

I did not see my menstruation for three months. I thought it was because I was stressed out due to the situations I was facing in my life at the time. What raised an alarm for me was when my period returned it came for a month which one would say is understandable since I did not have a normal flow for three months. But the blood was gushing so heavily that it felt like a pipe burst inside of me everyday. Sanitary pads could not contain the flow. I had to use other things to helped which got soaked with blood after a few minutes. Additionally, the pain was so excruciating. One particular day I was crippled by the pain and I had to lie on my bed completely soaked in blood. Even the bed linen were soaked too; yet, I could not move. You would think the palm of my hands were related to snow because they were as white as snow which meant severe anemia.

After that month I shared my experience with a friend of mine who I knew had fibriods. As she related her ordeal with uterine fibriods to me, I realized that my symptoms were very much similar to hers. I recall when she had to undergo an operation but I did not know that after the medical procedure she developed an allergy because she had a blood transfusion and the person's blood that she got was allergic to tin foods. That allergy she now has and cannot eat her favourite tin foods anymore.

A second friend also shared her experience with me that she had two operations, yet, the uterine fibroids returned. She got medications but her iron level is still low and she has irregular periods. Sometimes it even comes for an entire month with a very heavy flow.

So, my dear reader you are probably thinking by now that it is just a coincidence that two of my friends had fibroids. Ha! Not at all! This condition is more common than you think because a third friend of mine shared her horrific ordeal.

My third friend who is like a sister suffered everyday for over three years because of a medical negligence by the first of three different doctors that performed surgical procedures on her to remove uterine fibroids. Her first physician successfully removed the uterine fibroids but unaware to her, he had stitched apart of one of her tubes to her abdomen. When her first doctor could not provide a satisfactory answer as to why she was experiencing excruciating pain and having mucus discharged from the area he stitched on her abdomen a year after he operated on her, she went to a second doctor. The second doctor examined her and told her the uterine fibroids is back and he would have to remove them surgically because they are huge. Yes, she agreed and the operation was completed successfully. At least that is what she was told but to her astonishment she felt the pain even more and still had the mucus discharging from her abdomen. To shorten her horrific ordeal, I can tell you reader that she visited a third doctor who discovered the medical negligence of the first doctor. Her third doctor operated on her to correct the problem the first doctor created and also to remove fibroids again from her uterus.

My body quivered as I envisage the pain she endured for all those years and now she still have the uterine fibroids because they are back again.

Okay, I made a list even though it had only two options. But one thing I was very sure of was that I would not take the path my friends took. Thus, I quickly strike out surgical procedures. That just left me with one option that was linked to the good old saying that we are what we eat. If I am what I eat, then, it was time to conduct a detailed research to find new and healthier menu.

My research assisted me to better understand what exactly is uterine fibroids. Come on now reader, I know you are anxious at this point to hear what food(s) I used to battle fibroids but if you read this far just continue reading because you need to know what you are secretly fighting.

Ah-ha! You are a very understanding reader. So, let me tell you what most women are secretly combating.

Can you believe that fibroids are actually tumors that have the audacity to grow on the wall of the womb (uterus). What is somewhat of a good news is that most of the time the fibroids are benign - meaning they are not cancerous. Now read how they are tricky though, it is not all women will experience symptoms but when these tricky things do decide to let us women know that they are taking up space in our womb they make life very difficult for us. Physicians will suggest various types of treatment depending on how badly a woman is affected by the fibroids.

If a woman's estrogen level is too high it helps to grow the fibroids and if she has insufficient level of progesterone, then, it makes it difficult to detect proper signals to stop the growth of the fibroids according the the National Institute of Health.

Mhmm! I am onto something very important here. I need a food that is considered the super-food.

A complete change in my diet was required because I was not one that could be described as a healthy eater. Nevertheless, I found that consuming beetroot daily helped to regularized my menstruation, increased my iron level, decreased the pain I felt and the blood flow during my menstruation, and best of all it aided in my weight lost.

Beetroot have many other use. It is one of the few vegetables that does not lose its nutrients no matter how it is prepared. It helps the liver with the detoxification process which will assist to remove excess estrogen from the body.

The following are some useful food items to add to your diet too: broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, kale, turnips, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, watercress, radish, apricots, sweet potato, cantaloupe, almonds, wheat germ, hazelnuts, pineapple, fresh rosemary, and drinking green tea can help as well.

Cover your mouth and run away from the following foods if you have fibroids: red meat, animal fats (ensure you remove the fat from your chicken and turkey too), alcohol, butter, artificial sweeteners, ice cream, chocolate, cheese, cream (replace low-fat milk with whole milk), and as for soy products they might help to increase your estrogen levels too.

Please, also include exercise in your daily routine because obesity can contribute to uterine fibroids.

We can fight fibroids together by ensuring our diet does not contain food items that will aid fibroids growth. I have shared my research with my friends and other women I meet they have all contacted me to thank me for they have also seen how the change in their diet impacted their health for the better. Join me in this fight, we can do it together. You are not alone. Many women are secretly fighting fibroids. Share this post to help them win the war against uterine fibroids and please do remember that we are what we eat.

NB: *The information provided in this post should not overwrite the advise of your doctor. Speak to your doctor before attempting to change your diet.*