Berkshire mum discovers 16 'balls of hell' fibroids following years of misdiagnosed menstrual pain

Dawn Heels, 41, suffered from "excruciating" backmost and limb symptom - but aft visiting her GP she was told she could lone truly usage ibuprofen and a blistery h2o vessel to assistance negociate the pain

A mum-of-one has shared her shocking health ordeal aft doctors discovered a staggering 16 fibroids wrong her assemblage – with 1 the size of a grapefruit – pursuing years of her GP advising her to easiness her "excruciating" symptom with conscionable a blistery h2o vessel and ibuprofen.

Dawn Heels, aged 41, said: "I was wholly shocked but it showed everyone astir maine wherefore I was successful truthful overmuch symptom and wherefore I was suffering." Reflecting connected seeing the fibroids for the archetypal time, she said, "I had ne'er seen a fibroid earlier but to spot these balls of hellhole successful beforehand of me, I conscionable thought 'how the hellhole person they been connected my uterus and astir my uterus?'"

Despite enduring immense discomfort, Dawn recounted, "I can't judge I would spell astir my day-to-day unrecorded with a painted smile, erstwhile I was successful truthful overmuch pain."

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She archetypal encountered terrible symptom during menstruation successful her teenage years, which abated successful her twenties portion connected contraceptive pills that halted her periods. Dawn shared her excruciating experience, saying, "I dreaded and astir had a fearfulness of my play - the symptom was conscionable disconnected the scale."

She recounted however the agony disrupted her life: "I had to beryllium successful furniture and I had to beryllium successful bed, if I plans with household and friends past it conscionable couldn't hap due to the fact that I was doubled implicit successful pain. I would instrumentality painkillers and they wouldn't adjacent interaction the sides - I would beryllium curled up successful furniture for astatine slightest 3 to 4 days of my period."

Speaking astir the constraints it placed connected her youth, she added, "As a young woman, I had to program my beingness astir my periods and I didn't consciousness escaped capable to bash what you would privation to bash arsenic a teenager."

In 2016, Dawn sought aesculapian help, and an ultrasound scan discovered 2 fibroids connected her uterus. Yet, she says her GP's proposal was insufficient: "I went to my registered GP and they said determination was thing to interest astir arsenic they are communal and normal."

The GP's proposal was elemental but ineffective for her condition: "He said that each I had to bash to negociate the symptom was to usage ibuprofen and a blistery h2o bottle."

Reflecting connected pursuing those instructions, she noted, "Because helium was the aesculapian professional, I believed him, truthful I conscionable utilized ibuprofen and a blistery h2o bottle." Dawn elaborate the extended pain: "I had limb symptom connected the near broadside of my body, little backmost pain, butt feature symptom and precise dense and precise prolonged and precise achy periods."

Describing the severity of the symptoms, she said, "They were precise clotty - I would cognize erstwhile I was astir to walk a humor clot due to the fact that that symptom was excruciating. When I passed it, past I was fine. I erstwhile felt a immense lump connected my tummy and it virtually made maine scream. I thought 'what is it? ' and it was 1 of my fibroids making my belly protrude truthful I was looking pregnant."

After discovering she had fibroids, Dawn from Berkshire decided to usage societal media arsenic a level to rise consciousness astir the condition. Now an award-winning advocator and campaigner, she's calling for much probe into wherefore women make fibroids.

Dawn said: "I deliberation determination needs to beryllium a immense propulsion for probe erstwhile it comes to fibroids. With this condition, we don't afloat recognize the how's and the whys - wherefore bash women get this? " "We cognize that it has a nexus to estrogen dominance but determination are a batch of factors that tin impact individuals. There is precise small probe into fibroids, particularly present successful the UK."

Janet Lindsay, CEO of Wellbeing of Women, added: "Roughly 2 successful 3 women volition get a fibroid astatine immoderate constituent successful their beingness and for Black women, the accidental of having a fibroid is higher. They tin pb to broadside effects specified arsenic pain, dense bleeding and adjacent accrued urination.

"If women bash not get assistance and attraction soon enough, this tin pb to the fibroids expanding successful size and number, which makes for a much hard removal and betterment process. GPs request entree to amended acquisition astir women's wellness truthful they tin supply important attraction and we besides request women to consciousness empowered to question proposal and support.

"Our Just a Period run is empowering women with acquisition and resources to instrumentality power of their menstrual wellness and we are besides calling for much backing for probe into gynaecological conditions truthful that women’s wellness needs are understood."