Someone once told me, “40 is when your check engine light comes on”. Of course,  20-something me laughed at the thought. Years later, my body didn’t just flash a light; it started blaring like a submarine diving alarm 🚨.

Looking back, the warning signs gradually appeared without intervention. The “baby” hot flashes. Night sweats that left my bedding soaked and me freezing, half asleep and confused about why I needed to change into dry sheets and clothes at some ungodly hour. And then there’s the seemingly odd digestive problems.

They were infrequent and easy enough to brush off well into in my 30s.  By the time I turned 40, I had been dealing with an invisible something making me sick for far too long. It had crept in so slowly that I hadn’t noticed it taking over my life. Eventually, the “strange symptoms” compounded and I couldn’t ignore that my body was trying to tell me something.

So, I saw doctors.

Lots of doctors.

Test after test.

Image after image.

Nothing.

Desperate for answers, I worked up the nerve for a colonoscopy and endoscopy. (OMG that bowel prep😱)

As my gastroenterologist put it, everything “looked beautiful”.

While it’s not exactly my area of interest, it is his—so I took his word for it. Despite how I felt inside, my stomach and colon were spotless. Healthy. Perfect, even.

Every test that came back negative, I felt relieved, thankful and a little bit crazier.

“They found nothing.”
“Maybe it’s anxiety.”
“Maybe it’s all in your head.”

To be fair—I am an anxious person. And yes, anxiety can wreak havoc on your body, especially digestion. But paying doctors to hear the same explanation over and over, while symptoms get worse, is pretty frustrating and a little defeating, to be honest.

Still, you try to keep pushing, and you keep advocating for yourself because you know something isn’t right inside. 
 You don’t know what it is or how you know; you just know.

It takes everything you have to function normally. For weeks on end, you go to work only to come home and go right to bed because just getting through a job (you love) took every ounce of energy you had.

Meanwhile, the symptoms persisted…

Worsening nausea.
Dry heaving right out of bed, before your feet even touch the floor. 
Nearly constant digestive issues.
Low back pain.

Herniated discs. 
Bladder and bowel problems.
Iron deficiencies.

Frequent infections (sinus, uti, respiratory, stomach bugs, etc)

Migraines.

Extreme fatigue.

“Luckily”…. (I say that only because if it weren’t for bad luck, I might have none at all), by a wild twist of fate, I went to the ER with a 104.5 fever and cough last year and was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Imagining of my chest and abdomen showed the “sharp pain” I was having at the time was just a pulled abdominal muscle from a bad coughing fit.

But here’s where my luck comes in: this time, doctors spotted something else in my images…

A uterus full of tumors.

Picture, if you will, barnacles on a ship hull... 🤮
The largest was 9cm and had its own blood supply. This thing had been happily growing, completely unchecked, in the back wall of my baby-maker for who knows how long. My whole life??

As it grew, it pressed on surrounding organs, my tailbone, spine, and wreaked havoc on my bowels. I still don’t understand how this thing flew under the “annual pelvic exam radar” for so long.

My flabber was ghasted, but I finally had an answer!

I was so relieved and naturally a little afraid. 

After paying $3,000 to meet my insurance “out-of-pocket-max” as soon as possible this calendar year and rescheduling surgery three times…

I finally underwent a total hysterectomy on 4/20/2026.

The tumors are finally gone—which already feels incredible—but recovery has been harder than expected. During surgery, they found and excised deep endometriosis. My bladder had fused to my uterus, and the left side of my colon was attached to my abdominal wall.

Endometriosis never showed up on any imaging before - several internal and external ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs (with and without contrast). My doctor and I were not prepared for that, but she’s amazing so she cleared it out before proceeding with my hysterectomy. Surgery took about 4 hours. Lots of pain. I also learned I have a really bad reaction general anesthesia when put under for long periods of time. (so violently ill that I legitimately thought I was gonna die when they woke me up.)

I know I need to relax as much as possible right now and focus on healing. I’m trying not to tie myself into a human pretzel of stress by worrying about bills, food, etc. and I accept that I can only do so much. Feeling pretty helpless, but I know when to reach out to others for support in getting through a difficult time.

If you’re able to Give A Hand, anything would help offset the cost of surgery and bills. DoorDash has been a lifesaver while I’m unable to drive, but with gas prices quickly rising it’s becoming too expensive for the next five weeks.

If you can only afford to share my story or send healing love my way, just know your support truly means more than I can put into words.

And if nothing else, please let my story be a reminder: if your body starts acting suspicious, listen to it. Get checked out. It’s okay to be afraid and it’s okay if you can’t accept the first (or every, lol) “everything looks beautiful” as the final answer.

You know your body better than anyone.

If you made it this far without being completely grossed out—thank you. Truly. Time is the most valuable (and unappreciated) thing we have to give others and I’m grateful you spent some of yours reading my story.

Cara