Sometime in mid-June / early July, I felt a hard lump in my abdomen that noticeably caused my stomach to swell. At first, I thought it might've been something like compacted waste, but went to see my doctors anyway. In August, after several rounds of testing, my doctors discovered that the lump was a massive fibroid in my uterus.

Fibroids are typically non-cancerous growths that are common and affect approximately 80% of women in their lives. More often than not, they're small and don't cause many issues; they can even disappear on their own eventually. They become a cause for concern once they've surpassed 5cm / 2in, or roughly the size of a lime.

The one in my abdomen is 10.6cm / 4in - about the size of a grapefruit.

This fibroid has caused so much discomfort because of its size, both physically and emotionally. It's been difficult dealing with consistent lower back pain (especially since I work at a computer daily), irregular cramping, and a host of other unfun symptoms, since it presses on my bladder and other organs. My doctors advised that, even if I decided to have it simply removed, the damage the fibroid has caused would make it risky to safely carry a child to term if I wanted children, and there was a chance the fibroid could grow back just as big in the future.

After thinking about it for some time and discussing it with family, friends, and doctors, I decided to move forward with a hysterectomy. I found out that large fibroids like mine appeared for other women in my family, and they all eventually came to the same conclusion for themselves as well.

It's been scary, to be honest - this is my first major surgery (not counting dental work). The medical bills from all of the testing have left me in a not-so-great place financially and mentally, and still haven't slowed down. Surgery is inevitable at this point, and with the current landscape around healthcare in the US, I want to do this as soon as possible, before things have the chance to get worse - both for my body and with potential coverage.

I want this fibroid gone so I have less pain to deal with. I want it gone so I can (literally) breathe a little easier. But most importantly, I want to move forward with my life.

It's been incredibly difficult to post this - it's hard to ask for help. I'd much rather help others, and always prided myself on being "the big sister you can count on". But I can't deny that I need help, and my friends and family have encouraged me to reach out. I'm hoping to raise funds to help cover my medical bills, buy any support items needed for post-surgery (hysterectomy pillows, binder for my stomach, etc.), and supplement my income while I recover from surgery (which is expected to take approximately 6-8 weeks).

Although this has been quite the ordeal to handle, as someone famous once said: "I might be going through it, but I'm gonna get through it." And I'm looking forward to finally getting through this.

Thank you so much for reading my story. I appreciate any support you can offer, whether it's donating whatever you can or helping to share my story elsewhere.

Love, Amber