Before My Diagnosis

Mind you, I was in no need to lose weight, but rather was looking to be more active and to get my mind off of this situation. In the end, I saw some progress in my body becoming leaner and more defined, which I was surprisingly happy about. However, one area of my body bothered me as it didn’t look like it was getting more toned or defined and that was my stomach. I never thought much of it and just guessed that eating healthier, exercising more and focusing on that area would fix the issue. While the rest of my body was transforming in its best shape, my pesky tummy stayed bulging out but mainly on one side. Again, I never thought much of it since I was satisfied with the body I had and just thought a change in diet and more focused exercise would help me lose that little extra weight that didn’t seem to want to go away. I ate healthier and exercised constantly until the pandemic hit and saw great progress on my whole body except, again, for my stomach. The pandemic sort of forced the majority of us to stay home, which is what I did and got very little exercise in and therefore gained a bit of weight.

Almost a year has gone by, another failed relationship that took a toll on me mentally and emotionally, a failing support system that could not understand what I was going through, and a job that was constantly changing climates whenever I would start to adjust. I couldn’t catch a break and started losing my appetite from anxiety and isolating myself. By December 2020, I started to get my life back together piece by piece starting by finishing my long overdue Master’s degree. While I was starting to see the light again mentally, physically I still felt like something was wrong. I started getting very painful cramps, to the point of having to take days off from work to lay in bed. As a side note, I was on birth control pills for years to control my very bad acne and had stopped for almost a year. During that time, my mood was unpredictable, my periods were irregular, my weight was fluctuating like crazy, and my acne came back with a vengeance.

I remember doing a job interview while being on my period and it was insanely painful, and I looked unbearably uncomfortable. I couldn’t wait to finish that interview and go to bed. And it finally clicked that something wasn’t right. I understand having premenstrual cramps. I always had them, but never to this intensity. I remember talking to my mom and she felt my stomach to see what was wrong for me to be in so much pain. The look on her face mirrored fear and confusion as she told me to book an appointment with our family doctor ASAP because my stomach was rock hard and protruding and that this did not look normal at all. My heart sank. I was finally seeking help through therapy to deal with my failed relationships and pre-existing trauma, and now I had to add this health scare to the mix.

This was all still during the pandemic, so getting a face-to-face appointment was difficult if there wasn’t a valid reason. Upon hearing me cry and explain my situation, the doctor agreed to see me in person to assess what was wrong. On the day of the appointment, I remember being a nervous wreck and this doctor was of no comfort. She examined me and her face also showed confusion and worry as she proceeded to give me ultrasounds and blood tests to do. I tried talking to her and asking her what she thought could be the issue, and she was very blunt telling me my best-case scenario would be a benign tumour.

- A benign tumours sufferer