The Big C Word

I have spent very little time writing lately because I had not been feeling very well. However, I am getting better everyday and wanted to share what I learned from my recent health experience.

As a post menopausal grandmother, I have enjoyed very good health with no major issues. I had gained some weight over the years (post menopausal curse!) and of course I felt those little aches and pains that seem to come after a day in the garden (my medicine cabinet is  well stocked with Aleve and Tylenol for this reason).

I started feeling a little less energetic and had felt "bloated" from time to time. Nothing major. After Labor Day weekend, I leaned across my kitchen counter to reach for a flower vase on the window sill and felt something "not quite right" in the left side of my abdomen that was pressing against the counter. I felt a firm spot there and decided I better find out what it is even if I had no pain. Probably a fibroid? My appointment was set up for October 8.

By the third week in September, I had gained about 10 lbs and felt bloated most of the time but still did not have any pain. I took an antacid for the first time in my life to relieve the bloating! But other than clothes that were tighter, there was no major discomfort.

That all changed during the last weekend in September when I woke up on Sunday morning with a sharp pain in my lower right abdomen that would not go away. I thought that it might be an appendicitis attack and knew that ignoring this could be a terrible mistake. I went to a walk in clinic and was sent for a CT scan right away.

The good news was that I was not having an appendicitis attack. The bad news was that I had a large tumor that seemed to have wrapped itself around my right ovary. This tumor was pushing everything else in there over to the left which was the reason I felt something on my left side. I went to my OB GYN on Monday. It was confirmed that I needed to consider a total hysterectomy but I should see a specialist first and on Wednesday I had an appointment with an OB GYN Oncologist. The "oncologist" part had me a little anxious...

Surgery was scheduled for the following Wednesday. During the week between my appointment with the OB GYN Oncologist and the surgery date I had gained another 10 lbs although I had been unable to eat very much. I never thought I would look forward to surgery but at this point, I was counting down the hours to get this tumor out before it crushed me from the inside out!

I had a total abdominal hysterectomy that went very well. I think what made me feel the worst was knowing that while I was in recovery, my husband and daughter had to hear my surgeon tell them that while the surgery went extremely well, they found ovarian cancer in my right ovary. The big "C" word. The good news is that it was contained. Of course, everything else that was removed was sent off for complete pathological tests No cancer was found. I was officially in remission and would not even need chemo therapy.

I felt that I needed to share this because I believe this experience was a message to me that I have things to do yet.

One of them is to help spread the word that ovarian cancer symptoms are so very subtle. By the time most women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it has usually gone beyond stage 1A. Very few women that are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are fortunate enough to get a good prognosis...I was one of the very lucky ones. I believe that it is only through God's grace that I was diagnosed and my treatment resulted in such a good prognosis.

 
There are no diagnostic methods available that are accurate and pap smears do not detect it. Symptoms are very vague and subtle. Please take some time to go to the following link and learn about ovarian cancer. Another organization with lots of information is the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Please tell your daughters, mothers, girlfriends and all the other women in your lives!

May we all have many more years of being with our families (especially those grandchildren)!

Sláinte! (Health!)
Mai

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Ribbon

This post has been linked to the Grand Social linky on Grandma's Briefs.