Alive and Kicking

I've been having cramp like pains in my lower abdomen for over a month now.   During the last few weeks or so, the pains started to go into my lower back as well.  This really worried me since I had to be hospitalized for a bad kidney infection last April.  I couldn't get in to see my GP all month, so on two separate occasions  I attended appointments with her associates to try to find out what was wrong with me and get it treated.  On both occasions I ended up getting antibiotics prescribed to treat a bladder infection. However, the cramps didn't go away.  The Friday before last I tried to get an appointment to see my Gynecologist, only to hear that she's on Maternity Leave.  Meanwhile, my GP was still booked solid and I was really hurting!  Consequently, I spent the entire day Saturday before last at the Emergency Room.

I forced myself to leave the house and drive to the ER.  When I got there, the Waiting Room was empty and they admitted me right away.  They gave me an IV, took some blood tests, then gave me a CAT Scan. The CAT Scan revealed what looked like an abnormal left ovary, so the ER doctor ordered an Ultrasound. The Ultrasound revealed an enlarged left ovary with a lesion, cysts in the right ovary, and uterine fibroid tumors.  The ovarian cysts and fibroid tumors were not a surprise as they had shown up in an Ultrasound back in April and didn't appear to be too much of a problem back then.

The ER doctor prescribed some Vicodin and called an associate of his who is a Gynecologist to set me up for an appointment early in the week.  I saw the Gynecologist last Tuesday and she told me that she was still waiting on the results of a CA 125 test to come in from the ER, but that based on what she saw in my Ultrasound report, she thought that I have Endometriosis. She left the room to check if the results from the test came in and then came back to tell me that the results of the CA 125 test were positive.

Hearing her say this stopped me dead in my tracks!  I know I must have had a shocked look on my face, because she immediately told me that the test result should be interpreted that there was increased risk that I could have ovarian cancer, but that it didn't mean that I actually did have it.  She explained that a number of benign conditions can cause elevations of the CA 125 level, including pregnancy, endometriosis, uterine fibroids (benign tumors), pancreatitis, normal menstruation, pelvic inflammatory disease, and liver disease. Benign tumors or cysts of the ovaries can also cause an abnormal test result.  She said that she thought that I have Endometriosis and I know for sure that I have uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts.  I'm praying that these conditions are what caused the positive test result!  Either way, it looks like I'm going to have to have a Hysterectomy and Oophorectomy sometime really soon.

So, I ended up having to set up an appointment with a Gynecological Oncologist for this Thursday.  We'll see what he has to say and then go from there.  In the meantime, I have a Panama Canal Cruise booked to sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on December 20th and return on the 30th.  I really hope that I don't have to have this surgery done before then, because I'll have to postpone the cruise.  Even worse, I had to spend the whole Thanksgiving holiday worrying about whether I have ovarian cancer or not.  I probably won't know for sure until after the hysterectomy.  Needless to say, I've had some pretty dark moments about this whole thing!

Sure, we all have to die someday, but there is nothing more sobering than having to face your own mortality.  The worst part is just hanging and not knowing for sure.  I pray to God I don't have it!

Meanwhile, whether I have it or not, I'm going to try to remain positive and I plan to be alive and kicking for a long time!

So I'll end this post with an appropriate song that has always been one of my favorites, but is even more so now after this experience.

 I know that there's a reason that all of this is happening and I hope that the outcome is a good one!