My Story

So what happened to me?

On January 17, 2002 I was diagnosed with cancer.

Fresh out of my first surgery, I was told I would soon be

going through my second surgery. How did I get here?

If I do nothing else in life I want to make sure that every woman out there

understands how important it is to know your body, and to know when things are going

wrong. Don't let the doctors intimidate you. If you feel like something, anything is wrong,

GO TO THE DOCTOR!

What did I do?

I endured months of sickness. Months of knowing that something wasn't quite right with me.

Extended painful menstrual cycles, unexplained weight gain, tenderness in my side,

loss of apetite, extreme fatigue.....I had all the signs, but didn't even take

myself seriously.

Between August and December of 2001 I was sick more than I was healthy.

Ear infections, bronchitis, stomach aches, I went back and forth to the doctor to no avail.

What I learned later is that no one was really taking me seriously. In my medical records,

there was little if any indication that I had made any complaints about the things I was noticing.

And the unexpected weight gain? That was explained with a note in my chart stating

"Patient is obese".

During this time a diganosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome was given to me, but nothing

but a change in birth control pills was done.

A numb pain that persistently showed up in my side over a few weeks, finally elevated

to excruiciating pain, and one evening in December I ended up in the emergency room.

After spending the entire night in the hospital ER, and after blood tests, ex-rays,

and a vaginal sonogram, they found the mass. A tumor they told me, and sent me home

on bed rest, pending surgery.

The next day the doctors began calling. I was to endure 2 weeks of blood tests, doctor visits,

in preparation for surgery. Another discovery I made months later, was that I had a CA-125

CA-125 blood test done before I even knew what it was for. My count? 3,677.5 (The normal range for most women is 0-35. So why I wasn't

told about cancer from that test, I'll never understand.

My first surgery was January 17th, 2002. With my Mom, sister, and a few friends in the

waiting room, I headed into the operating room. When I awoke a few hours later, everyone

around me looked grim. I don't remember much of that day but was told that I

handled things well. No one told me anything, other than that the surgery went well,

and I was wheeled to my room.

I spent two days in the hospital without really knowing what was going on.

Then finally my Oncologist told me. They went in to remove what they simply thought was

a large mass, and ended up removing both my ovaries, fallopian tubes, lymph nodes,

omentum, and appendix. There were two masses, the first the size of a football, the

second the size of a grapefruit. My diagnosis, Ovarian Cancer.

I don't even remember that I even really reacted when he told me.

Maybe it was the pain killers, maybe the shock, but it didn't sink in. All I knew

was that a whole lot had been removed from me and life had changed dramatically.

I spent about a week in the hospital. Before being discharged I was told that the cancer

was not contained to my ovaries, and I would have to return for a 2nd surgery in a few weeks,

to remove my uterus. The biopsy had shown that there was Endometrial Cancer there too.

Without the support of family & friends I don't think I would have made it through that

first hospital stay. I had plenty to distract me from thinking too much about my diagnosis.

I had a morphine pump that I could self administer every 6 minutes (That wonderful pump!).

I had massaging leg warmers on my legs, keeping the blood circulating. I had an IV giving me fluids,

and an NG tube (taped unfortunately to my forehead!) going down my nose, down my throat

constantly removing any fluids from my stomach. I had a machine I had to constantly blow

into to keep me from getting pneumonia. They made me get up and walk the day after surgery.

(Talk about cruel!) Imagine walking around with a zillion staples in your stomach.

They starved me for 4 days on nothing but ice chips & juice. Waiting waiting, waiting for

what.....

for me to excrete some natural gases. I know it sounds gross but to doctors & nurses that is

the key to knowing a patient has organs that are still functioning after abdominal surgery.

Still disgusted? Well think of it this way, I was trapped in that hospital until I produced for them.

The day I left the hospital it snowed. Needless to say every day I healed a little more

I was tortured by the thought that I was going back.

My 2nd surgery was in March 2002. Add to the details above, now removed were my

uterus, cervix, and a whole bunch of scar tissue that had formed. No need to repeat details,

but know that this time the incision was even longer. Straight from under the chest bone

ALL the way down. And again, the day after surgery I was up and walking.

I'd like to say that the story ended here, that I was completely cured and able to move on.

God had other plans for me.

Recovery from the 2nd surgery, was hectic, with constant doctor appointments.

What I wasn't prepared for was the fact that this wasn't over even still. The docs were having a

hard time giving me a diagnosis. Did it start in the ovaries and spread to the uterus or

was it the other way around? Pathology reports ruled out "ovaries to uterus" and left us

with 2 possibilities: Uterus to ovaries Stage IIIB or Synchronous Primaries Stage 1 each.

They decided on Synchronous Primaries . Thanks to this dual diagnosis I had to endure both of the

next phases of treatment; chemotherapy to take care of the Ovarian Cancer and

Radiation for the Endometrial Cancer.

Chemotherapy. 6 rounds of Carboplatin & Taxol. Another surgery, this one minor to implant a

port a catheter that was placed in my chest to take chemo.

I never really knew that it made you lose ALL your hair. Every last hair on my body was gone,

I was constantly throwing up, in constant body pain. Compazine, Kytril, Ativan, Percocet,

Decadron, Anzemet, you name it I tried it. Everything tasted like metal, or not good at all.

The neuropathy began to set in. And the cruelty of this one is that thanks to the steroids,

I gained even more weight.I think I was a poster child for side effects!

August began my life with Radiation. 28 treatments, every weekday for 6 weeks.

Every day I went to the hospital, laid on a table as this big machine whirred and moved

around me delivering doses of radiation to my pelvis. Radiation's side effects are even

more dangerous because they sneak up on you. Fatigue, burning, tenderness,

diarrhea, rectal & vaginal lacerations, whew.......its a wonder I'm still here to tell the story.

So what now?

I'm done with treatment HALLELUJAH and now spend my days looking for a job

& recovering. I have some digestive problems that are surfacing either from blocked scar

tissue, or damage from radiation. So eating is difficult and makes me sick, nauseous,

and constantly battling diarrhea. My hair is back, as seen in the opening picture.

I'm in surgical menopause now. Can you imagine being in menopause at 27?!

Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings. Senior women don't even have to make excuses

for their hot flashes, but you try to explain without giving too much detail why you're

having hot flases at 27. Believe me its not easy.

So what got my through the time?

Support groups, family, friends, church family, research, reading, prayer, & laughter

getting me through. . Most importantly God.

Some days are better than others. Lots of days I feel bad. I'm still tired, and unfortunately

now dealing with some of the longer term side effects of treatment. Menopause, infertility,

and the fear of recurrence are just a few. And the emotional side.....whew.

I don't think many people understand that cancer has effects that will stay with me for life.

Yes the tumor is gone, but many other reminders remain.

Some days I feel like I'm a winner, a survivor. These are the days that I feel empowerd

because I know I cheated death and the enemy. I feel energized to let everyone know my

story, because I know that my experience is for God's glory. I have a testimony to share.

Of God's grace & love and His healing. I have a duty to share my story with other women.

No one else should have to endure this.

The future?

I plan to remain cancer free. Last I checked my CA 125 was an 8!

Update May 2003- my CA 125 has dropped even further to a 5!

Update January 2004- My but how time has flown. Its been 8 months since my last update? How can that be? I'm doing, enjoying my job and enjoying life. Health wise I'm doing well, and most importantly, I'm still Cancer free!

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