A Case for Wellness: The Importance of Living Life Well as an Empowered Fibroid Patient
By: Kiara Burroughs
In our inaugural post, I would like to make a case for the importance of awareness and wellness tools to equip fibroid patients along their journeys. There are some misconceptions about wellness and what it means to incorporate wellness practices into daily life. Some may think of practices like exercise, meditation, and journaling when they think of practicing wellness. While these are all outstanding practices that will be discussed here in future posts, wellness is multifaceted and goes beyond daily exercise and living life free of disease. Your overall wellbeing incorporates other areas of your life like mental health, finances, and career. This is critical for fibroid patients to understand as managing life with uterine fibroids can present challenges in each of these areas.
We often say at The White Dress Project that fibroid patients tend to suffer in silence. It is a condition that fibroid warriors carry with them daily as they seek to accomplish life’s demands while also quietly dealing with the physical and mental impacts of the condition. A 2013 study by Dr. Elizabeth Stewart revealed that many women faced mental health implications after receiving a fibroid diagnosis. Here are a few important callouts from the study:
79% reported that they were afraid their fibroids would grow.
55% were afraid that they would need a hysterectomy and feared the impact on relationships, sexual function, and body image. These women also experienced a loss of control and hopelessness.
66% were concerned about missed days from work due to their symptoms.
24% felt their symptoms prevented them from reaching their career potential.
Raise your hand if you have ever feared any of the above and then some? Many symptomatic fibroid patients have experienced the fear and loss of control that comes with fibroids as well as the havoc that the condition can cause in their lives while they weigh, undergo, and recover from treatment. At home, family and romantic partners may not know about or understand the condition. Coworkers may write off the missed workdays and frequent restroom trips as a lack of commitment. The financial requirements of treatment may cause financial strain and prevent you from reaching other life goals. Friends may not understand why you cannot socialize in ways that you once did. The list goes on.
The trauma that many patients are left with from the experience coupled with the chance that the fibroids may return someday (as they sometimes do) can create distress that is hardly discussed, especially once treatment has been completed. Some who are unfamiliar with the condition may think that the trauma is removed along with the fibroids themselves, and that could not be further from the truth. There is a ripple effect of anxiety and rebuilding that can sometimes remain long after the fibroids have been removed.
At The White Dress Project, we are creating a safe space for fibroid patients who are looking for understanding, connection, and education. Through the White Dress Diaries and other wellness initiatives, our goal is to equip you with useful tools to help you navigate this experience from start to finish and live life well. Even if some may not, we want you to know: We understand you. We hear you. We are here for you.
Welcome to The White Dress Diaries.
Source: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-study-uterine-fibroids-have-significant-impact-on-quality-of-life-workplace-performance/
