My Health-Weight Loss Just Doesn't Seem Important Anymore

I’m not really sure where to begin, so I am just gonna start to type and see where I go.

After my vacation, I came home to two interviews and felt pretty great about it all. I knew which position I really wanted and which one I was not interested in. In the end it turned out great and I was offered the position I really wanted, at the school I wanted, and with third graders that I adore.

Shortly after accepting my position, I started feeling really bad. I was suffering with the most excruciating pelvic and abdominal pain and pressure. It was hurting so much that I needed to call and be seen. I went in on a Thursday for examination. My own doctor was not available until the following Monday so I was given the choice to be seen by a nurse practitioner, or to wait until Monday. I chose to be seen immediately. At my appointment, the nurse determined that I needed a vaginal ultrasound, which I quickly declined because several years ago I had the same procedure with a very insensitive male technician. And in the end, it came back inconclusive because they could not even locate my left ovary and fallopian tube. At that time, it was left at that… So at this appointment I asked the nurse if there was another way of checking me out and she said no. She then went on to schedule an appointment for the ultrasound, and in my mind I had no intention of returning and following through. I actually thought to myself “you can go ahead and make the appointment, but I am not going.” However, she sent me down to have it done immediately. Her assistant brought in the recommended water I was to drink while she waited and watched. I had no way out. I then went down and registered for the ultrasound and waited in the lobby for over an hour when I got up to say that I had decided not to stay and follow through. Funny thing though, he said it was my turn right then and there. I tried to escape this ultrasound twice, but ultimately had to have it done, and this time by a very sensitive and sweet older lady.

The following morning, my doctor called to say that my left fallopian tube was filled with fluid and that the ovary was possibly damaged. I needed to have it surgically removed asap as it was quite large and was the cause of all of my suffering. She sent me the report via email and she also explained that it was 9cm X 5cm X 4.5cm and that anything over 5cm needed surgical removal. She also said that she injured her hand and would not be able to perform the surgery herself. I was referred to one of her trusted colleagues.

Honestly, I was scared and scared of ovarian cancer more than anything. I don’t think I have ever mentioned this, but I have narrowly escaped several types of cancers over the past five years. In 2007, I had my first mammogram that produced abnormalities and I had to have mild ductal hyperplasia (abnormal pre-cancerous cells) removed from my right breast. I have also had basal cell carcinoma (non threatening skin cancer) removed from my right shoulder. Other cancer scares include gum and mouth cancer biopsies as well as a lip biopsy last year. So it seems that cancer is always on my mind.

The new office called to set up a surgery consultation for the following week. I am a nut about thoroughness and I had plenty of time to think, so over the week I made an extensive list of questions. She turned out to be very well educated (Stanford) and incredibly personable. I honestly fell in love with her personality, her honesty and her professionalism. We talked about my female health history that includes one very serious, life threatening incident after the birth of my youngest child. (In short I almost died from hemorrhaging after child birth and have since never had another menstrual cycle). She found it unacceptable that it was never followed up on as time passed. She wanted to biopsy my uterus as well. This means that she was going to use laparoscopic surgery to remove my left fallopian tube, possibly my left ovary and now she was adding another procedure to the mix, a hysteroscopy of the uterus. She explained that all of this would take approximately two hours of surgery time. WOW, I was scared. She also reassured me that she would check everything while she was in surgery. We talked about ovarian cancer and the possibility of it happening to me. Although I was afraid of all of this, I felt a little bit relieved and almost validated for all of my complaints over the years. I felt as if I was finally going to have some type of closure, and I was hopeful that she would remove all of the hurty stuff and I would feel like my best self again.

My surgery was scheduled for the following week, which meant I had another week of waiting and still hurting. I was scheduled to go in at 10am on 9/9. My surgery was scheduled for 12-2pm.

I arrived on time and all seemed well. It took the nurse four separate tries and four separate needles to get my IV going. Then my surgery got pushed out by two hours, so all I could do was wait. In my mind I knew that if I went in at 2pm, I should be out by 4pm, however when I was woken up, it was 6:30pm and there was apparently some kind of complication and my appendix needed removal as well. I was told that she found some sort of mucus filled sacs in my abdomen. She said that during her 9 years of surgery, she had never seen anything like this before. She consulted with another OBGYN, who had also never seen anything like this before. A general surgeon was then called in who said that it could possibly be the result of an appendix abnormality, so my appendix was also removed. I was under anesthesia for 4.5 hours having my left fallopian tube, left ovary, appendix and 11-15 mucus filled sacs removed from my abdomen along with various biopsies. Boy was I sore…and confused.

My mom, husband and children have been very supportive and helpful. I have mainly been resting, sleeping, sitting, sleeping and sitting and bored as can be. My doctor called on Monday to check in on me. She said that not all of the mucus sacs could be removed because they were in a dangerous area. She also said that they don’t yet know what it is. She explained that the general surgeon said that sometimes the appendix produces these sacs and that they can be cancerous, and that cancer of the appendix is very rare. She also said that my pathology report should come back sometime mid-week, but here I am on Thursday afternoon and have not yet heard from her. I cannot tell you how painfully agonizing it is to wait and wait some more.

As of now, this is all I know. I know that I am so scared of cancer and I just want to hear back from my doctor very soon.

So, this is where I have been, what I have been doing, and why I have been MIA.

Please pray for me-

Lisa