Wednesday 6 May 2009

How my Cancer's began


I was diagosed with Ovarian cancer in November 2006. I'd been having very heavy periods and been diagnosed as having Endometriosis

After many tests they decided to give me a Endoscopy,unfortunately or fortunately as the case may be!
Because i've never had children, my cervix was very high up and without having a general anaesthetic the doctor said i would have had lots of pain.

On waking up i was told they couldn't get the camera in but that my uterus was the size of a 20 week old fetus and that i was "riddled" with fibroids.
I'd most definately need a hysterectomy.


A few days later i got a call from the hospital, they asked me to go and see them. Off i went, expecting to be told a date for my operation.. I drove straight from work to a different town.

On getting there i was asked if i was alone and did i mind if the nurse came in with me to see the Dr. I presumed she was training as i've had a few student nurses sitting in on my consultations.

The Dr told me that while i was under anaesthetic a few days earlier, when the camera couldnt be inserted, The Dr had decided to do a biopsy.
Unfortunately it had come back that i had cancer, but by this time the ovarian cancer was the only one detected.I do not remember driving back to work, it was all such a blur.
I'm so pleased she did the biopsy..

I had a total Hysterectomy and a Bilateral Salpingo-Oophorectomy

When i came round from the operation i discovered i had a 7 inch scar going from just under my naval down to my pubic bone and 14 metal stitches.
When my consultant came to see me to let me know how the operation had gone, he told me that my left ovary had burst as he tried to cut it out as the skin was so thin and also that i was one in not many women to have 2 types of cancer going on in the same area as i also had Endometrial Cancer.

I had 6 sessions of Chemotherapy lasting 8 hours each time and at 3 week intervals. I also had 2 x 10 hour sessions of internal radiotherapy too, this was because of the  Endometrial 

Cancer and a precautionary measure due to my left ovary exploding!

The Chemo i was on was Taxol & Carboplatin


I've had surgery again in December 2008, this time for a hernia which was right under my 7 inch scar from my hysterectomy!!
I had keyhole surgery and all seems ok.
I still have weepy days...i still faint a lot! but in all i'm still bonkers.
I now visit my Oncologist every 6 months and see him next on the 20th October.

Thanks to all the wonderful friends i've met on here... I'm keeping laughing too

Over and out

5 comments:

  1. imagine if we had our sense of humour removed? now THAT would be a crisis! ;o)
    x

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  2. Oh Tracey, it sounds like you have an awesome doctor - thank God they decided to test the tissue! I didn't have the heavy bleeding that is so common, but when they did the CT scan, they also found my uterus full of fibroids. I am still amazed that we walk around with these things in our bodies and don't even realize it! I am glad that they caught yours early!

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  3. What an amazing story ... oh the challenges we must face ... all the best to you.

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  4. Rock on!!!! I'm an ovarian cancer survivor too!!! (Opened up two times too.) What a nice post, thanks for sharing.

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  5. Wow, what a journey compressed into a few short lines. My mother has two cancers too...but they got hers too late unfortunately.

    What a brave lady you have been and continue to be.

    xxx

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