My Fibroids Were Out of Control—Until I Tried This

Today's storytelling episode focuses on living with fibroids, one woman's path to healing. If you're experiencing uterine fibroids along with heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and having a hysterectomy is not something you want to do, stay with us to hear how Rosemary Gattuso took charge of her own healing journey. Rosemary, welcome.

Thanks, Rita. It's, it's great to be here again.

I know, this is like, I think it's our 3rd time. I just love having you on your show. But this time you've come on with, you know, different things before around, you know, anxiety, you know, mental chatter. But this time it's a personal story and your experience with having uterine fibroids and what you did. So let's just start from the beginning of your story. And at least start with, for someone who's not 100% sure, what are fibroids?

Well, essentially they're non-cancerous growths that appear in the uterus. I mean, I had no idea what they were until I had the diagnosis, and then I decided, well, I better learn a lot about them, you know, because it wasn't even a thought when in my sort of Uh, looking for a diagnosis and treatment journey.

So you have these fibroids, like people can have fibroids and things in their body and growing and they have no idea, like you. So what were some of the symptoms that sort of tipped you off in a way and alerted you to the fact that you do have them?

The biggest thing for me is that, um, because I use a menstrual cup, oh, and I noticed that It wasn't working after a few years of, of using, you know, the same cup. It just wasn't working. So I bought another one and the same thing. I just couldn't get it right. It was leaking. I don't know. I thought maybe it shrunk or maybe, you know, I overboiled and I ended up buying 5 different cups from all different brands. different sort of shapes and sizes and lengths and things to see if I had changed in some way. I don't know, as we age. Then I realized, and just that the bleeding was quite bad. I couldn't use the cups, so I went back to sort of tampons and pads, and I just had to keep changing, and it was very different to anything I had ever experienced. So that's what sort of alarmed me a little and got me going to my GP to sort of say, well, what's the first step? What can I do? You know, I better go back, go to the gynecologist, go have an ultrasound and check it out. And that's when I was told they were fibroids.

So you went to a gynecologist. So what sort of testing did they do? What sort of testing do you have to have to establish that they're fibroids?

A pelvic ultrasound. So, and initially, um, they weren't that big, maybe a few centimeters each. And I was told, well, how about we check it in 12 months' time? Check it in 12 months' time. And that was kind of on repeat for some time, and they just kept on getting bigger. And then, you know, we had the, um, COVID lockdowns and just the COVID situation even without lockdowns, and I didn't see my gynecologist for a few years, and they just kept on growing and growing. I still kept on having the scans just to see, you know, what was happening. But I was kind of just stuck. I didn't really know what to do and was very busy with other commitments that I guess I just let that go. It wasn't priority until it just reached the point where it was really changing my lifestyle.

Did you feel concerned at all that they kept saying, let's just let it go and see, let's just let it be?

Yes.

It's not really an answer and it's not really fair.

No.

These things are growing inside of you and maybe you don't want to just wait and see.

Yeah. And I think in hindsight, yes, I would have been more proactive. And probably if it was for someone else, I would have said, hey, you have to do something. But I was, I guess I just thought, okay, though I was also hopeful that they might just stop growing. You know, that's something. And I guess I didn't, it didn't occur to me that if I didn't take action early, a hysterectomy could be required. If I knew that from the beginning, I definitely would have been more proactive. Part of it was my delay because we had that sort of funny time with COVID and then I had so many other commitments. I was launching my book. I was looking after my parents and doing so many other things that It just wasn't a priority. And even though I was at the clinic where the gynecologist works probably at least once a month, and actually every day for a few months at one point, I didn't go for me. And I knew I should go, but I just didn't go. And then once I realized that I was looking at a hysterectomy, I thought, oh no, I didn't think it was that serious. Now I better take charge and do something and see what other options there were. Because apart from the hysterectomy, it was really uncomfortable because of the heavy bleeding meant that I was always low in iron. So I was having iron infusions every 3 to 5 months or so. And just the fatigue was just out of this world. And no matter how many iron tablets I took, I was just losing so much that I could never replenish without the infusion.

That must have had a lot of consequences for you, like being low on energy. Usually low on iron causes brain fog and, you know, moodiness and all the rest of it. Like, just to get through your day and you're working full-time looking after parents, that would have had a huge impact on you.

Yeah, yeah, it definitely did. Yep.

Yeah, that's why I'm always curious about this, you know, let's just wait and see how it goes. You don't want to be, you know, jumping the gun on everything, but sometimes if it's growing and it's growing, you know, action would have been good. But like you say, when you are so busy and you do have other commitments, and especially elderly parents, we tend to put ourselves last and not—

Yeah. You know, And I think that's also why it's so important for me to share my story because, you know, if it's something that you do have, you know, take the next step, do whatever needs to be done. And I think because I'm of my sort of age group, then there's an assumption that I might not need my uterus. You can have a hysterectomy. What's the big deal? Well, it's a big deal for me, and it doesn't matter whatever, you know, my age or my lifestyle or what I'm doing or what I'm not doing. I want to keep as much of me as possible without having such a drastic procedure, especially if it's preventable.

And you have to really think that we were made whole and everything's there for a reason. And, you know, sometimes we don't think further down the line that if you do have a hysterectomy, which sometimes people do need, especially if it is, you know, cancerous or anything like that, they do need it. Um, but it does throw you into early menopause depending on your age. And, you know, then you have another whole lot of consequences about balancing your hormones out. So yeah, I, I commend you on not going down the path of having a hysterectomy if you didn't need it if it wasn't urgent. Did you find that the size and the location of your fibroids sort of informed the type of treatment that you had?

Yeah, and because the biggest fibroid that I had reached 10 centimeters, which is about the size of a grapefruit.

Oh, wow.

And so, and that was in the, the, the sort of the wall of the uterus. And across the whole uterus. So I mean, I was very conscious of my appearance because I felt that I looked pregnant.

Could you see the— well, I mean, I felt from the outside—

Well, I mean, if you look at it, you know, the size of a grapefruit. Yeah, um, it's quite big, like it has to go somewhere. So, and that was the biggest one, and I just always felt like I sort of had that bloating look, you know.

Mm-hmm.

Um, and so I know that I had also gained a little bit of weight, but it just felt so concentrated there. And I just— and I could— maybe I was paranoid about it as well, but I, I could, I could have sworn that people were looking at my stomach and wondering, is she pregnant? That could have been just my stuff anyway, but you know, it's not all about me. But I was quite— and it really changed the way that I dressed and I guess, you know, a lot of my confidence and as well as the fatigue that was going on as well. It was sort of one big mix. And so because of that was so— that one fibroid, I had 3, but that one was so big. And in the wall of the uterus, then it meant that if I wanted it surgically removed, it would be extremely complicated with a lot of risks. And so that's where a hysterectomy would be the safer option that would be recommended for someone in my age group.

So were you in pain while this was— like, was it painful?

Sometimes there was a little bit of discomfort. It wasn't— I mean, I never really had menstrual pain as such or anything. I do have a high pain threshold, so, you know, a little bit of cramping here and there, but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. But for me, it was what it did to my confidence and just feeling paranoid about my stomach, my abdomen, and as well as the bleeding. It was just— I had to plan everything. around what I'm doing, where I'm going to be, and making sure that, you know, I didn't have any spillages, you know, in embarrassing, you know, circumstances. And I did, you know, it did happen. It was inevitable because I just couldn't control it. And it was even using maternity pads.

You didn't have a hysterectomy and you had a fibroid the size of a grapefruit. So you obviously chose an alternative path.

Yes, that's correct.

Before we get to that, just touch on it. Is there a family— is there a genetic pattern here, or no one else?

That's a good question, but I don't, I don't know. Um, I'm not sure. I mean, my mum had a hysterectomy a while ago. I don't know. I can't answer that.

So you didn't have— you didn't opt for the hysterectomy. The surgery was very risky for this, you know, unless you had everything removed. So What did you do then?

Well, for some time I had been doing research into people that, that were able to heal themselves from whatever ailment, disease that they had, um, when essentially they, they weren't supposed to, or the odds were against them. So I had this in the back of my mind, and the whole time as well, I think that in part why I just put things on hold because deep down I knew that if I knew how, I could be part of the healing journey. When I realized what was at stake, then it really, I guess, escalated my urgency to then look at what can I do other than having scans and MRIs and going to the doctors? What can I do outside of the gynecologist and even the fibroid clinic that I eventually went to. What can I do to help support and, I guess, complement modern medicine? My gynecologist referred me to a doctor that would eventually do fibroid embolization, like a sort of angiogram procedure where The equipment goes in through an artery in the groin to access the fibroids, puts little clips on them to stop the blood supply, and so eventually they just dry up or at least shrink. Once they have shrunken, then it's easier to then remove them. Sometimes they just drop away, or you can have keyhole surgery to remove them. So that they're out of the way and the uterus is cleared. That was the traditional treatment that was proposed. Do the fibroid embolization, then another MRI to check, and then remove it if you want to go to that level to clear it. Me thinking about, well, what else can I do? Anything that I could find even online. To do with alternative treatments for fibroids. So I started using castor oil packs. I bought it online, this little sort of belt where you put the heat packs in and then you pour castor oil on one side and you just put it on your stomach or on the area so that it absorbs for 20 minutes, half an hour every night. And I did that for months. That was one thing I started because I started hearing a lot about castor oil and how how good it is for fibroids in particular.

Did you see or feel any difference?

It was hard for me to sort of gauge what was happening, but for me, I felt like I was doing something and that I was contributing to the healing. And so it felt good, and I was able to commit to it for months and months. Because I believed that it was going to help. And if I go back to what I was reading about people who, and their healing journey, a big thing was that they believed that they could.

Yes.

And they believed that what they were doing was working. You know, that was really important for me. And I guess to sort of tie it in with my book, in my book, I look at what are our thoughts, feelings, and actions in relation to a specific scenario. Are we focusing on what's wrong or what's strong? And I sort of had that in my mind in terms of how I'm contributing to the healing process. You know, you know, what am I doing? Okay. I'm doing the castor oil packs every night. Do I believe it? You know, what are my thoughts, feelings, and how do I feel about it? Do I feel like it's a burden? Do I feel like it's exciting because it's going to help me? You know, and what do I think about it? Do I actually, you know, think that it could help. So I guess that's how I tried to look at everything I was doing, you know, to help because I did start a whole range of, I guess, alternative methods. So including, you know, acupuncture, Chinese medicine. I went to someone who really specializes in fertility and women's health. so that she could guide me, uh, in that area. I was doing visualizations, visualizations of, you know, my uterus being clear and the fibroids shrinking and the, you know, the blood supply being stopped and they're getting smaller and, and disappearing. And, you know, meditations on healing. And then I would also, you know, I read a lot about the power of, well, not, I don't know if power is the right word, but just how water can take on whatever intention or it's given.

Yes. Changes the structure of the water.

Yeah. So every night I would pour a glass of water and I would, the intention was that it was my healing water. And that overnight it would be infused with healing. And then in the morning I would drink it. And then that, you know, and then I would, you know, tell myself that this water is supplying every cell in my body and it's, it's helping me to heal. So there were all these things, um, you know, and massage, Reiki. I think anything, I guess it was something that had to appeal to me, that I believed in, and that I felt could help me. And even sometimes, I guess it's something, fibroids, they're in our reproductive organ. So then it got me thinking, well, what is it about? Is there something about reproduction, relationships, et cetera, et cetera? that I've blocked in that area in some way in my life as well, looking at the emotional and, you know, my life experience. Was there anything that I have unconsciously contributed to, you know, in that aspect? I mean, that's sort of a little bit not everyone's cup of tea or whatever, but it just helped inform some say any affirmations that I was saying and my visualizations, because then, you know, sort of clearing anything that may be related to the fibroids. Well, you know, and also thanking them. I know it's a bit crazy, but thanking them.

Oh no, it doesn't sound crazy.

Making me put attention, you know, on my health.

Well, I think so many more people are aware of the mind-body connection. And like you were saying, having that positive attitude, and like you just said, thanking, thanking your fibroids, because in a way, what are they teaching us? What, what, what's happening? Where am I blocked in my system that allowed these to grow? So, so many people are waking up to that. There is still a lot of skepticism, of course. But, you know, it's undeniable that our thoughts and our emotions have an impact on us physically. So I think that's brilliant that you actually went down that path. Was there any, uh, one particular method or one type of practitioner or alternative healer or anyone that you felt had the most impact?

I, I wouldn't say that there was one in particular because they all gave me something that I could use. And so, and then to go back to the research that I did on people who were cured, um, you know, they were proactive and they really believed it and they lived it in the day-to-day. And so if I went and had Reiki and was told this is going to help you, Or why don't you look for or go to this specific acupuncturist who does, you know, women's health and fertility? So they all sort of contributed in one way to, I guess, how much I believe that it was possible.

Yes.

And sort of, I was, the way that I was going about my day-to-day life was, well, I'm going to have this fibroid embolization. I'm doing all these other things to help, and I'm not going to need surgery after it because it's going to be so successful. It is so. So I sort of had that— sometimes I felt a bit cocky thinking, because deep down I'm like, oh, what if I still do have to have surgery? That's always a fear. And then I'm like, no, it's not. going to happen. And then by the time I had the MRI before the procedure, then I didn't feel so bad for being so cocky because that largest fibroid had reduced to a third of its size.

Wow, that's incredible. That's just— that's from all of the holistic things you were doing?

As well as medication. I was also— Are you on medication as well? also taking injections, monthly injections. And what that did was that would put me into menopause.

Oh.

And then so there'd be no blood supply so that they would start shrinking. But what my doctor said is that the injections don't normally have such good results, you know, that it's very rare that you would get Um, a 30%— no, uh, that the fibroid would reduce to 30% of its original size after 5 months of these injections.

That's incredible. What a testament to, like, it was truly a holistic approach. You know, you did everything— the mind, the physical, um, everything holistic, like the alternative. But you did do the traditional, like the conventional medicine. So you had both approaches melded together that gave you obviously an extraordinary result.

I didn't— I wasn't really— not that I wasn't confident sharing, but I just, I don't know, I just really wanted to get the procedure done and then have the last MRI and then see what happens. But even at that consultation with the specialist before the procedure, He was blown away. And I remember I was sitting there and he opens the MRI report and he started going, oh wow, that's amazing. And I thought, what's happening? Because it's like, it was some time before he told me the result. And he said, wow, you got really excellent results. This rarely happens. You know? So I thought, yes. Because then it meant that the fibroid embolization was much simpler, you know, because that— and, and the other ones that were a lot smaller, they also, um, reduced quite significantly as well. So, and they weren't ever a major, um, concern. It was really that big one.

And did you tell them that you were doing alternative therapies as well, or did you—

No, no, no, no, I didn't.

I didn't. So just to sort of take a snapshot of what you said. So you did your, um, mental wellness, you did your visualization, you did your, um, belief system, you, you know, blessed your water, you, um, did the acupuncture, you did the Reiki. Is that what all you did?

Even massage.

Massage.

Because for me, it was anything that Was like body and energy.

Mm-hmm. Just to balance out. You see, yeah, when we believe that we can heal, the body has all the resources to heal. We just have to give it permission to do so, in a way. So in that sense of natural, what about lifestyle choices? As in, did anything like exercise or change of diet, did Did anything like that help you?

Yeah, I did decide that I needed to be physically fit as well. And, you know, try— I mean, I look, as a baseline, I generally eat quite well. But I guess going through, you know, and actually during— while I did have the fibroids, I had lost 12 kilos, you know, through probably, you know, You know, 9 months or so. Um, so, and I was hopeful that that would help stop them, but obviously it didn't. It didn't. But, um, and yeah, I, I did at one stage stop dairy.

Oh yes.

And tried to have more protein. And, and now that I'm looking at more and more, um, research and podcasts and things, I'm curious about whether a keto diet would also have been beneficial. I don't know, but it's just one thing that's come up that I'm hearing a lot about in terms of healing from other types of illnesses and things, that keto can be quite helpful.

Like an anti-inflammatory type of diet, do you find?

Yeah, and yeah, low carb, very low, minimal carb. Um, oh yeah, high protein, good animal fats. And yeah, yes, but anything green.

Yeah, yeah, fruits and veggies, just like, you know, a natural diet, a natural healthy diet to support your body for what it's going through. So I love that you've done the, you've done the, um, medical side, you've done the holistic side, you've put it together, and you've had a fantastic result. And tell us now, Rosemary, where are you now with it all?

Yeah, so now I've had the procedure just over 3 months ago, and I've had the follow-up MRI, and I've got the results here just so that I don't get mixed up. But overall, like, the biggest fibroid that was 10 centimeters that reduced by 30% of its size has now died. It doesn't have any blood supply to it. It's like it remained— it's shrunk in size. But I guess me, I try to visualize it in terms of what I know, like a sun-dried tomato, you know, comes above.

I know Italian.

Yeah. Yeah. And overall, Between all of the fibroids, they shrunk between 80% and 90% of their size.

That's incredible.

Shrunk by 80% to 90%. Yep.

Absolutely incredible. And what are the chances of that? Did they say what's the chances of you developing more, or do they think that's it? Like, now that you don't have them anymore, you're going to be free of them, or is it free of them?

No, I think they can still— yeah. I think they can still come back. I don't know. I do have an appointment next week or the week after, so I can ask about that. But I feel that I'm in a better position to manage it now anyway.

Will you still continue the practices that you had going during your healing period here?

Yeah. I mean, I'm still doing the acupuncture and, you know, some of the sort of the Reiki and the massages and things. Um, the meditations and affirmations, I guess not as consistently now because I've gotten a bit cocky, you know, it's just, you know, but I still, I still think it's important to help, um, maintain that healing process that, you know, and just for me to visualize that my uterus is clear. Yes. You know, it's healthy and clear. That's, that's all I need to know.

That is fantastic. I love your attitude. Thank you so much for sharing this story. I mean, it is, um, so important for other people to hear a story like this, and especially someone who's experiencing similar to yourself, uh, to know that you don't have to just go down one path. You don't have to just do conventional medicine. You can do a combination. You can have that holistic care plan and not to just run to have a hysterectomy unless it's absolutely essential, that you do have other options, and you're a living testament to that. So what could you leave our listeners with, like just a few tips of what they could do if they're experiencing the same as you, um, what they can just do at home to simply start developing a healing protocol for themselves?

Yeah, I think if they already have some kind of process that they, or practice that they have used in the past that resonates with them to maybe use that. And from the perspective of healing, and I guess, you know, another thing is, you know, cause if you're a meditator, then do a healing meditation. You can find one on an app or, you know, look for one that resonates with you. Um, I, I do like the work of Joe Dispenza. So Dr. Joe Dispenza, he's got some really good meditations and ideas and research and lots of, you know, testimonials on people who have been healed by, you know, taking on board his, um, ideas. So it doesn't have to be him, anyone. Um, there's lots of books and podcasts about that kind of, you know, like this.

Yeah.

to just link in with, because I find with my journey, one thing led to something else, which led me to something else. And then it all, it became part of the bigger picture.

Yes.

And the last thing I would say is that think about your thoughts, feelings, and actions and look at, you know, are they, do they all believe that it's possible? You know, what are my thoughts about this healing journey? How do I feel about it? And what am I doing? You know, that can sort of be a guide for whatever the journey is to help stay on track. But sometimes it can be easy to get, you know, to lose faith.

Absolutely. And you're a testament to opening your mind, opening your mind to other treatments, and actually taking charge of your own healing journey, which I absolutely love. It's been brilliant listening to you. Thank you for educating my audience. And for everybody who has loved what they've heard and you want to connect with Rosemary, her website and all her socials will be in the show notes. I really do encourage you to reach out. She's got so many Fabulous insights. Even so, with her book, which is slightly different to this particular episode, but you can see it in the background, you'll be able to get that book from her website. Honestly, congratulations, Rosemary. What a great—

Thank you, Rita. Thank you. Thanks for allowing me to share.

Oh, you're welcome. It's a pleasure.