Anoushka Shankar undergoes hysterectomy, says "no longer have a uterus"
What's the story
Renowned sitar player Anoushka Shankar is known for wearing her heart on the sleeve. But this time, her revelation made heads turn, as she penned a powerful letter about her recent hysterectomy procedure. Notably, Anoushka underwent a double surgery last month, which took away her "lady parts." "I no longer have a uterus and that's nothing to be discreet about," she wrote.
Surgery
Anoushka had 13 tumors removed from her abdomen
In an elongated post, Anoushka revealed that she had large fibroids in her uterus, along with 13 tumors in her abdomen. "An incredible surgeon removed multiple tumors from my abdomen (which I blessedly then heard were all benign)," she added. It wasn't an easy journey for Anoushka who also admitted battling short-term depression after she was advised to have her uterus removed.
Quote
"The news triggered fears about my womanliness"
"The news triggered fears about my womanliness, my possible desire to have more children in the future, the fear of dying in surgery and leaving my kids without a mother, the effect the changes may have on my sex life and more," Anoushka added.
Question
I wondered why the surgery wasn't talked about more: Anoushka
However, the Grammy-nominated music composer overcame her fears after she spoke to her family and friends. It was then that she realized that hysterectomies were quite common. "I wondered why the surgery wasn't talked about more if it was so common. When I asked, one woman, said in response, Well, we aren't exactly going to flash our lady-bits everywhere, are we?" Anoushka further mentioned.
Gynaecological CV
"I had myomectomy which removed the fibroid whilst preserving uterus"
She also went on to reveal her "gynaecological CV" and recalled how she first came to know about a fibroid in her uterus at 26. "I had a myomectomy which removed the fibroid whilst preserving my uterus," wrote Anoushka, who is now a proud mother of two boys. The lady also spoke about the "tumultuous experiences" she had while giving birth to her sons.
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How do you share these tumultuous experiences, wondered Anoushka
"All I ever posted about the birth of my boys at the time were happy photos. How do you share these tumultuous experiences whilst in the eye of the storm, when the world says you're meant to show everyone how easy it is?" Anoushka asserted.
Perspective
"We women are supposed to hide our symptoms and cope"
However, her recent period of treatment changed her perspective and Anoushka decided to share her story with the world. "We women are just supposed to hide our symptoms and cope. I don't want to do that anymore," she emphasized. She also assured that she is back home after the surgery and is recovering well with the help of "fantastic support" she has.
Twitter Post
Here's why I decided to tell you, Anoushka writes
LADY BITS, by Anoushka Shankar
— Anoushka Shankar (@ShankarAnoushka) August 30, 2019
(Swipe to read about why I no longer have a uterus, and why I decided to tell you) pic.twitter.com/60laJGTWTg