So Then That Happened ...

[nightdog_barks]

SO. I've been away for a bit, and here's why ...



For about two weeks I confronted the possibility that I might have ovarian cancer. Six years ago, I had breast cancer and had a lumpectomy. Last Thursday, I had a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (that means they took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, and both ovaries -- the current protocol for women over the age of 45). I had a 16-cm ovarian cyst on my right side; it turned out to be simply filled with a clear liquid. Based on all of his tests and observations, the surgeon is 99% sure I do NOT have ovarian cancer (the pathology lab test has not come back yet, but he doesn't think it will show anything). I was discharged from the hospital on Monday and have been recovering at home. Aside from feeling like I've been hit by a truck, I'm doing okay.



In addition to all this, I am reading David Sedaris' Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977 - 2002 and loving it. :-)

Comments

[flywoman]

16 cm?? That's *large*. What brought it to your attention?

I hope that you feel better soon!

[nightdog_barks]

Heh, I found out later that one of my close friends had had an ovarian cyst some years ago that was 17 cm.

My oncologist found it, in a routine exam. It wasn't there six months ago -- he asked if I had fibroids, and I said I didn't think so. He sent me for an ultrasound and then recommended a gynecological oncologist ("regular" gynecologists apparently don't deal with this kind of stuff). I knew I had been feeling more tired than usual, and my appetite had gone south, but these are also symptoms of the side effects of Trulicity, which I take for my Type II diabetes. So I might never have known until it had twisted or burst. O_o

[blackmare]

I'll out myself as the former owner of the ~17cm Thing. Mine was a dermoid, which I think meant largely solid, and came to my attention when it DID twist, and that? Is a special kind of agony.

Holy crap, I didn't realize they'd sent you to an oncologist. Like, "Hey, this isn't frightening ENOUGH, so here's a referral directly to a CANCER DOC but don't worry or anything."

[nightdog_barks]

Anne Wheaton (writer wife of Wil Wheaton) had that happen to her (her ovarian cyst twisted). She wrote about it here, and omfg it is an insane, INFURIATING read. Her X-rays were repeatedly misread by male doctors. O_o

And yeah! I didn't even know there were gynecological oncologists before this.

[blackmare]

I read that, and while my first imaging thing was an ultrasound, and was read correctly, I had to wait HOURS to get that far at the ER. Hours during which I lay there crying for help and literally puked because the pain was so bad, and I was roundly ignored and dismissed by the hospital staff.

Only later did I learn that they were endangering my life, because had the thing burst it could have created the same situation as a ruptured appendix, and killed me.

So, yeah. How much you wanna bet that if some dude had come in exhibiting those kinds of symptoms, he'd have been taken care of IMMEDIATELY?