I walked into CTCA this morning, thinking that the conversation
with the would be around ovarian cancer, potential chemotherapy options, etc.
Instead, we learned that I may not have ovarian cancer at all.
We may be dealing with endometriosis.
We went into the office, and the first thing that the nurses did
was pull the blood for the BRCA mutation tests. We had spoken with Dr.
Granick yesterday about ovarian cancer, and we all agreed that testing for the
BRCA genes (BRCA are genes that, if mutated, lead to a higher likelihood
of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other - more here on this topic) was
prudent. I'll be honest - the blood draw for this test sucked. I
generally have the nurses take the blood draws from the arms, as the port
access means flushing the port, and thus, the icky saline taste and smell.
Blech.
Anyways, after all the paperwork signing and the blood draw, Dr.
Farley came in. He immediately told us that he didn't think this was
ovarian cancer, and kind of shocked me and set the tone for the rest of the
appointment.
Based on what he sees, Dr. Farley has a strong suspicion that this
is not ovarian cancer. This is based on many factors. First, the
CA-125. Apparently, when a person has ovarian cancer, the CA-125 is much
higher (in the several hundreds or thousands). So far, so good.
The fact that the mass (he called it a cyst....) is there and
showed up so quickly is not uncommon with endometriosis. The blood
markers increasing (CEA up to 3.1 and CA-125 at 80.3) could be nothing more
than inflammation from the cyst, which can generally increase the markers.
I have a history of scar tissue and endometriosis, which just
increases the likelihood of this being that, rather than cancer.
We are going to move forward with surgery, which is scheduled for
January 17th (2 weeks from today). The game plan is to try perform the
surgery via the Da Vinci robotic method, with
the potential for an open surgery (meaning they cut me open) if needed.
When they remove the offending mass/cyst, they will immediately send it
off to the lab for a biopsy. Dr. Farley will actually get results from
the lab while still in the OR, and will be able to do further testing/biopsies
(if needed) based on those results.
If we do the Da Vinci method, I'll be in the hospital for about 24
hours. If they have to do open surgery, I could be there 2-3 days.
Surgery will take place right at CTCA, and I'll be in the in-patient
there on-site. While I never, ever wanted to be there, I'm okay with
being there for this reason.
The plan is for me to restart the Xeloda to keep the colon cancer
in check once I'm done with surgery. I'm definitely, completely okay with
this.
Assuming this ends up being endometriosis, we will do the surgery
and be pretty much done (unless something else shows up on a future CT scan).
If there are suspicious cells/areas, we will have to consider potential
further staging and (depending on the results) chemotherapy.
Honestly, I didn't expect to get this kind of news when I walked
into CTCA this morning. This was an option that none of us expected to
hear, and one that has provided us with a sense of hope and optimism. It
may still be cancer. I won't be comfortable until we get the clean and
clear biopsy results. And, even then, I'm going to be on edge.
The fear of this cancer, or another cancer, surfacing scares the
absolute crap out of me. I went for days thinking that I had ovarian
cancer, only to find out today that I may just be dealing with scar tissue
and/or endometriosis. That's a lot to take in in a few days.
I've had a lot of people ask me how I'm doing....how I'm holding
up.
I just don't know yet. I told someone today that I think I'm
on autopilot. I think that's fairly accurate. I am not sure whether
I've learned to handle these types of situations, or if I just haven't
absorbed/processed the last week.
I think, as I get back to work tomorrow and next week, and as I
start prepping for the surgery, it will start to hit me. Right now?
I'm taking each day, each feeling, each emotion as it hits me.
And for
now? That's just fine.
Comments:
Whoa!
I'll be watching for updates, for sure!
January
4, 2013 at 9:28 PM
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