Part 9: One Long Day

Part 9: One Long Day

Our trip to Houston almost felt like a dream with how much happened in such a short period of time.

Between 10:30pm Monday and 10:30pm Tuesday, we had:

• 2 flights
• 5 hours of sleep
• 6 Ubers/Shuttle rides
• 2 hours of doctors appointments
• 2 actual meals
• 24 hours of exhaustion, anxiety, nerves, and supporting each other

MD Anderson is an incredible facility with extremely knowledgeable doctors and nurses. Everyone we encountered during our visit was kind, helpful, and passionate about what they do.

The appointment itself went as well as we expected. Dr. Coleman and his Fellow were thorough and did their research on my case. After the exam (he said everything looked good and the surgery marks were healing perfectly!), we met in a conference room to review and discuss the diagnosis, options, and next steps. The best part about this was how he explained everything using words we could actually understand and a whiteboard to help us visualize the information.

The good news is the diagnosis didn’t change. After reviewing my pathology slides, he agreed that we’re dealing with Serous Borderline Ovarian Tumors - Stage IIIb. This is good because they didn’t find anything worse that Dr. Cantuaria (Dr. C) didn’t in surgery or in the original review of the biopsies.

The next thing he said was that he wanted to get more imaging done to make sure there wasn’t any signs of Low-Grade or High-Grade cancer in my body. At first, he mentioned doing and MRI or CT with contrast which immediately threw me into a panic. The last time I had contrast for imaging, I was 19 and had an allergic reaction to it. Even though he said he’d pre-medicate me, I was still too nervous to agree to it. He then requested we do a PET Scan which he described as a “heat sensor” for cancer by using an injection to “heat things up”. Although it’s not a contrast, the idea of doing a new type of imaging that involved a long process with an IV and with a new doctor in a new hospital in a place that I am not even remotely familiar with sent my anxiety through the roof. Therefore, we decided to wait to do this until we got home and get the go-ahead from Dr. C in case it’s not necessary (and because I will do anything to get out of having to do an IV). Since we weren’t getting any imaging or tests done at MDA, my husband suggested to change our flight plans to come home that night; to say I was thrilled at this idea would be an understatement!

The not-so-great news (in my opinion) is he recommended holding off on a hormone therapy treatment and doing surgery within a few weeks instead to try to eradicate the tumors. This means a full incision in my abdomen, a full hysterectomy, a long surgery to remove even the smallest “snowflakes” of tumors in my abdomen, and an even longer recovery. Those of you that know me well know that even a week of being immobile and away from work drives me crazy (#sorryforwhatIsaidwhileinrecovery). Not to mention thinking that I had until summer before I would need to undergo another surgery, let alone a bigger one than I anticipated. I’ve known that there would be a second surgery involving a full hysterectomy since our last appointment with Dr. C, but this still shook me because I didn’t expect it to be as invasive and big as what Dr. Coleman was suggesting. This is something I’m still trying to process. I know it’s supposed to be good news, but I don’t know if I’m ready to go through it all again just yet, regardless of it meaning I’d be free and clear of this cancer.

This process is different from Dr. C’s because he suggests starting with treatment and waiting for surgery until a majority of the “snowflakes” are gone because there are too many and are too small to be able to clear completely right away. Right now, this is what I’m holding onto. While Dr. Coleman is extremely knowledgeable and studied my case thoroughly, Dr. C is the one who did my surgery, and knows what’s been cleared and the extent of what remains. We will still have MDA review any future scans (MRI/CT/PET) and pathology slides, but I’ve decided to keep my trust and plans with Dr. C at UGO.

Our next step is my Post-Op #2/Follow-Up/Treatment Plan with Dr. C on Friday, December 6th. I’m hoping that after this appointment, I’ll get back to having a stronger foothold on a plan, because right now, I feel like I’m floating in space and don’t know where I’m going.

Thank you so incredibly much to everyone who has helped us get to this point. Thank you for all of the donations that helped us get to Houston and the medical bills that have started rolling in, countless prayers, warm wishes, check-ins, and abundance of love. The last two months have been extremely difficult, but everyone’s support helps us to keep going and stay positive. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.