‘I No Longer Have A Uterus’: Sitar Player Anoushka Shankar Pens A Note About Hysterectomy

People’s lives may look glossy on the internet, but in reality, everyone is dealing with something. Celebrities usually prefer to keep things quiet to avoid judgements and gossip, but there are a few who deal with everything head-on. Famous sitar player and composer Anoushka Shankar today joined the league as one of the celebrities who don’t shy away from talking about the difficulties they are facing in their lives. Sharing intimate details of her life, Anoushka Shankar talked about her recent surgery in a post on Twitter. 

Three posts went up today and this one is the first bit of her talking about her surgery at length, “As of last month, I no longer have a uterus. I had a double surgery: a gynaecological-oncologist performed a hysterectomy due to my large fibroids, which made my uterus as big as if it were six months pregnant, and an incredible surgeon removed multiple further tumours from my abdomen (which I blessedly then heard were all benign). One tumour had grown through my muscles and was visibly protruding from my stomach. There were 13 tumours in all.”

In June, she had to cancel her shows for the surgery and she apologised to her fans on Twitter. She was heartbroken, she said, but it wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly.

In today’s post, she even spoke about the depression and negative thoughts that followed after she was diagnosed, “When I found out a few months ago that I needed to have my uterus taken out, I went into a short-term depression. 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. I spoke to friends and family about my news and was shocked to discover how many women had had hysterectomies although I’d never known they had.”

This is something for us to think about, too. Read this bit, “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?’”

She added, “I look back and grieve for my younger self and all the girls I knew, for how much we were expected to cope with in silence. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who comfortably shares most thoughts and experiences. Yet I look back and realise I allowed my internalised embarrassment and shame around sexual health, and my period, in particular, to remain unchallenged all these years.”

She’s even mentioned her whole gynaecological history in her Twitter post below.

What’s good news is that she’s now at home and healing well. She admits to having fantastic support from her family and isn’t looking for pity or advice. She wanted to spread awareness and share details of her surgery with her followers. 

Anoushka Shankar, more power to you! We’re hoping you recover super soon *Hugs*

Featured Image: Instagram

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