Question - Hysterectomy needed due to "huge" fibroid

I was going to post this to the fibroid subreddit, but it doesn’t seem particularly active. I’ve been lurking here for a few days: this seems like such a lovely community, and I’m seeking some reassurance.

My OBGYN is recommending that I have a hysterectomy due to a large intramural fibroid (almost 10 cm) that has caused my uterus to enlarge to what they referred to as “18 weeks.” I’m 36, married with no children (and no plans to have any). This fibroid was discovered a week ago after an ultrasound was ordered, after I reported at my annual exam that I had noticed my periods were getting pretty heavy. The OBGYN noted that she felt something on my internal exam, and thus ordered the ultrasound.

When she called me to discuss the results, she seemed pretty surprised that it was this large and that neither of us had noticed it (she referred to it as "huge".) My periods are pretty heavy, and now that I’ve been thinking about it, they’ve probably been getting gradually heavier for a while. I’ve always had cramping, so I never thought much of that either, and my period lasts around 5 days. I’ve had off cycle bleeding maybe twice in my life, so it would seem that my symptoms are pretty mild. I’m also a little chubby and have always carried some pudge around my middle, so it’s not like there is an obvious growth in my belly. The OBGYN noted that it might be too large to remove laparoscopically, which is disappointing. I’ll ask the surgeon more about that once I have the consult.

Has anyone here experienced this, or something similar to this? I feel like I take pretty good care of myself and pay attention to my body’s signals, but I feel like a complete idiot that a melon-sized growth has been taking up space in my belly without me noticing. I’m also a little annoyed that nothing ever pinged at any of my annual appointments, though I’ve read that they can sometimes be hard to feel unless they get quite large. If anyone has anything to share on the subject, I’m all ears!