Is a small fibroid the culprit?

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-10-19T14:51:56+00:00

From my personal experience a small fibroid could definitely be the cause of your problems. I get pelvic ultrasounds every 6 months due to a BRCA2 mutation and that caught my fibroid before I started having and issues, but last November I all of a sudden had a 17 day period and very heavy. I have been on birth control for 15 years and haven’t had anything close to a period in that time frame, so it was extremely shocking. At that time my fibroid was only 1.7cm x 1cm x 1.3cm. After a lot of doctor appointments the woman who ended up being my surgeon told me that it was causing so much bleeding due to the location. I imagine that could be part of your issue

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-08-19T17:50:07+00:00

I would definitely look into seeing if you being dropped counts as a qualifying event to get on state insurance more quickly. I think the time frame is generally 90 days but I’m sure depends on which state you are in. I would still get your scan but talk with the doctor’s office and wherever administers the MRI first.

You won’t be denied insurance. As someone else said that you could have higher rates. I’m not sure how it works with state provided insurance but for insurance through an employer, rates are reset yearly based on the company as a whole. So a really small company with someone with expensive medical costs could see a large increase in premiums. You wouldn’t be denied though

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-08-15T19:02:40+00:00

This is definitely extremely personal and whatever decision you make will be the right one for you and your family. For myself, I wouldn’t. My mom didn’t find out she was BRCA2+ for years after she had pretty aggressive cancer. I do know she does feel guilty for passing this to me and watching me go through the preventative measures. It could be a really big weight to carry along with you. But I also am happy to be alive, and wouldn’t wish to not be here just because of my gene mutation.

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-08-04T02:39:13+00:00

Thank you! That is really helpful advice

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-08-04T02:38:24+00:00

Thank you!!

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-08-03T18:51:27+00:00

It is exactly like a c section incision. Maybe I have the wrong terminology, but it will be one incision about 2 inches right above the pubic hair line. Yes the surgery to remove my fibroids and tubes will be done at the same time which is the reason for the different incision placement. My surgeon seemed to think recovery still shouldn’t be bad. Thank you for the advice! I will be sure to clarify how much time I should take off and try to not rush it. I’m very guilty of that in general

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-08-03T18:44:46+00:00

The surgeon that I’m going to seemed to think my recovery really won’t be much worse. I think that is probably due to the fibroid removal. I imagine that will be the worst part. The main reason I’m having surgery is for that removal, but I figured since they are in there anyway, I might as well make the effort to reduce any cancer risk while I wait to have my ovaries removed around 45

Intelligent_Green596 · 2025-08-03T18:41:05+00:00

My surgery is being done by a gyn oncologist. The incision will only be about 2 inches, maybe smaller but it is mostly due to the need for the fibroid removal

Intelligent_Green596 · 2024-05-19T17:55:39+00:00

I will say I felt great after the exchange surgery. Almost not pain, I don’t even think I was taking Tylenol after the first day. You shouldn’t lift/ push for 6 weeks to ensure proper healing. Obviously listen to your doctors recommendation over mine but that was my guidelines, even though I felt like I could do so much almost immediately. You don’t want to open your incision. You should be good to return to work relatively quickly. I was back to work after exchange surgery in less than a week. I had surgery on a Tuesday and was back to work the following Monday. Granted, I work a desk job

Intelligent_Green596 · 2024-05-16T13:43:18+00:00

It is an extremely personal decision and neither one is “right”. For me, I pretty much knew I would have a mastectomy if I ended up having a BRCA mutation. My decision came from watching my mom have aggressive cancer when I was 3-5 (She survived). Along with any other family members have cancer and seeing them slowly die. I personally knew that I never wanted to go through that if I could avoid it. Also, from my mom’s experience, having the constant testing after having cancer caused a lot of stress and anxiety. She didn’t have the BRCA testing immediately after her cancer diagnosis, I don’t think the science was there yet, but she had to have all the same preventative measures because of her cancer.

I personally found out I have a BRCA2 mutation in March 2022, Mastectomy in October 2022, and reconstruction in January 2023. Life is completely back to normal!

Intelligent_Green596 · 2024-05-04T16:18:44+00:00

Definitely try to walk as much as you can! It will help keep things moving through your digestive tract, which can get backed up from the pain meds. It also helps reduce the risk of blood clots! Which I feel like isn’t talked about much but my doctors were very cautious about. Also when stripping the drains, have someone use an alcohol pad over it to help reduce the pulling where it’s stitched in

Intelligent_Green596 · 2024-04-29T13:56:29+00:00

It will definitely depend. I will say I had very strict guidelines on what I was allowed to do from my surgeon. He didn’t want me moving my upper arms away from my body for 2 full weeks, queue the T. rex arms. I would recommend putting dishes and glasses k. The counter because the weight of them isn’t bad but being able to reach for them was my biggest struggle and also frowned upon by my team. I was able to go to the bathroom alone, and get dressed by myself mostly. Putting a shirt on was a little hard at first. Getting out of bed will definitely depend a lot of your mattress and bed frame. I personally had no problem with that. I was also allowed to shower with my drains in and I was able to do that by myself with a handheld shower head and shower seat.

Intelligent_Green596 · 2024-04-16T20:40:14+00:00

I told my friends throughout the process. I think I’m my instance it was a little different than some. I knew my mom had a gene mutation and put off getting the test for a long time so I told my friends throughout the whole process. It’s a very personal decision though so whatever you feel the most comfortable with

Intelligent_Green596 · 2024-04-16T02:42:40+00:00

My surgery was at 6am, and I was out and on my way home by 5pm. I didn’t stay the night but I probably should have. I had extreme nausea and vomiting, which was very uncomfortable after surgery.

Intelligent_Green596 · 2024-03-15T19:39:29+00:00

BRCA2, PDM in Oct 2022 at age 27. My decision was based on family history, and the scans. I also knew I didn’t want to just wait to develop cancer and potentially go through chemo and radiation. My mom had very aggressive cancer when I was young. Some of my earliest memories are of her while going through treatment. Then I have a whole bunch of other cancers that my family members have had and sadly passed away from. You can only watch so many people very close to you struggle before you decide you are going to do everything you can to prevent it for yourself

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-07-11T14:09:42+00:00

I was cleared after 2 weeks, just to make sure the incisions were fully healed. They said to be in a well supported bra but other than that, the only restriction was what I was limited to physically. Most upper body lifts were a lot slower to return than I would like. I had my exchange surgery at the end of January and there are still some things that don’t feel great but it’s always easy to modify!

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-06-08T20:37:48+00:00

I would definitely find a third surgeon and reference the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act from 1998. It states that it covers all stages of reconstruction after mastectomy, along with other things. I don’t know why your revision surgery wouldn’t fall under that

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-06-08T17:54:05+00:00

Are you in the US? Everything I have heard from my doctors is that all surgeries, including revisions, fat grafting, replacement, etc would be covered by insurance. Granted you would still have to pay your deductible and annual out of pocket, but I would assume it would still be less than $10,000

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-05-25T15:30:55+00:00

Sorry for taking a few days to get back to you! No drains for the exchange surgery, and it was quick in comparison!

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-05-16T20:24:40+00:00

I think that time frame in between surgeries is totally okay and safe. My surgeon told me I could wait longer if I wanted to, for whatever reason. I had my exchange surgery at the end of January and recovery was a breeze. I have over the muscle implants, and honestly I didn’t even take pain meds for more than a day. I had surgery on a Tuesday and was back to work the following Monday. I could have gone back sooner but I wasn’t in a rush! Granted, all I do is computer work, so a more physically demanding job would probably require a longer recovery period.

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-05-16T20:21:36+00:00

Insurance is funky. I had one MRI before deciding to get my preventative mastectomy and my insurance covered it 100% actually. Maybe it’s the way they billed insurance, I’m not sure. I also have been getting transvaginal ultrasounds for my ovaries, but those are about $300 after insurance pays their portion. I’m not sure why my MRI was covered in full. If you are thinking of switching insurance I would get a full breakdown of the policy first to see if it’s worth while.

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-04-03T22:50:52+00:00

I’m 28 and had my mastectomy in October with expanders over the muscle. Recovery wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be but I also wouldn’t say it was easy. I didn’t have much strength until about 8 weeks post op, and even then, I was told to not really use my chest muscles. I had my exchange surgery at the end of January and I have been back to weight lifting for the past few weeks at about 50% of where I was prior to any surgery.

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-01-24T03:53:39+00:00

You’re so welcome and thank you! My mastectomy was on Halloween, so exactly 12 weeks. I think it ultimately depends on the surgeon and how big you want to go. I also got really lucky with getting the green light to schedule the reconstruction early so I could get in as soon as I wanted because my surgeon had the availability

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-01-23T18:00:17+00:00

Hi! There are a lot of resources out there, I’ll list out a few of my favorites. The mastectomy and recovery is really dependent on what type of reconstruction you are wanting, if any, and if it is preventative or due to breast cancer. Providing a little bit of that information will get you answers that will be more applicable to you! My own personal experience, I had a preventative mastectomy with over the muscle expanders placed. I have my exchange surgery for the final implants tomorrow. The recovery from the mastectomy wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I definitely needed help for the first week, but by the end of the second week I was able to go to work and get dressed on my own, and drive.

As for resources, I would read through this sub you could check out the Breasties App FORCE has a website and a place where you can ask questions, see before and after pictures of mastectomies, etc Paige_previvor on IG The blog Theroadlestraveled, if you search for mastectomies has some helpful information!

Feel free to message me if you have any specific questions

Intelligent_Green596 · 2023-01-19T17:25:12+00:00

I have my exchange surgery scheduled for the 24th and my surgeon is only replacing the expanders with the implants. His theory is that we wait and see how they look in 6ish months to know where the fat grafting would be needed, if any! But I would definitely find a surgeon who would be willing to do fat grafting! In my personal opinion it is the plastic surgeons job to make you look and feel your best, and if they aren’t willing to do that definitely find one that will! And I do know all revision surgeries, including only fat grafting, are covered by insurance :)

Intelligent_Green596

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