A plan of action is finally here!
I am both terrified and ready for it. & yes I realize it is on friday the 13th. But at this point I don't care. I am soo beyond over this.
Friday I have my surgery set . The plan is to give me a dnc (dialation & curettage).
"Dilation and curettage (D&C) is a brief surgical procedure in which the cervix is dilated and a special instrument is used to scrape the uterine lining."
Then I am going to have cryosurgery to remove the cancer cells.
"Cryosurgery is the use of extremely cold temperatures to freeze and destroy abnormal tissues."
Since my heart is BIG issue right now they have ensured me that all measures to monitor it have been made.
On Monday I am going to start a 5 day round of radiation. to hopefully help ensure that the cancer is gone and doesn't come back.
I say that but in reality the statistics are stacked against me... But I can be optimistic.
20-40% of women have reoccurance. but that also means 60-80% have been cured.
Today I not only got to have my wonderful weekly iv with electrolytes and nutrients. I also got my consult for radiation and ran through a simulator for it.
& they are going to keep me on the hormone therapy for 2 weeks.
"The objective of radiation therapy is to kill uterine cancer cells for a maximum probability of cure or palliation with a minimum of side effects. Radiation therapy can be used to prevent local cancer recurrences after surgery (adjuvant therapy) or for the treatment of recurrent cancer. Radiation is generally given in the form of high-energy beams that deposit the radiation dose into the body where the risk of cancer cells is greatest. Radiation therapy, unlike chemotherapy, is considered a local treatment. Cancer cells can only be killed where the actual radiation is delivered to the body. If cancer exists outside the radiation field, the cancer cells are not destroyed by the radiation. Therefore, radiation therapy is typically used for early stage cancers confined to a single location (field) in the body.
Radiation can also be directly placed in the area of the cancer (brachytherapy) or in the area where unseen cancer is suspected. For uterine cancer, this is the “vaginal cuff” region where the incision was made when the uterus was removed. Brachytherapy does not penetrate very deep and external beam radiation therapy is often combined with brachytherapy for treatment of uterine cancer."
I'll be getting the direct beam of light for $200 alex (sorry bad joke)
Im told that the side effects aren't bad but Im not sure if I trust that. They said I could work but will probably feel exhausted at the end of the day. I mean just lok at these side effects.. doesn't it make ya wanna go get radiation right now? lol No? nah me neither.
"Radiation therapy to the abdominal/pelvic area may cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping or increased frequency of bowel movements or urination. These symptoms are usually temporary and resolve once the radiation is completed. Occasionally abdominal cramping may be accompanied by nausea.It is not unusual for some patients to note changes in sleep or rest patterns during the time they are receiving radiation therapy and some patients will describe a sense of tiredness and fatigue.Appetitie changes, alergic reactions, anemia, low platelet count, mouth sores, dry mouth,Nausea, with or without vomiting"
It's alot to process. So for now Im blogging about it so I can get it off my chest. These last couple weeks I have just been so tired and not just physically emotionally too. I want to get back into work and not feel so lazy and have a purpose. But then I just wanna curl up in a warm blanket and just rest.
Yep adulting sucks sometimes.I hate disappointing all those that think im so strong... but I did tell ya im not as strong as ya think.When they told me today Im gonna have to get radiation I just bawled. It's scary all this stuff.
Okay so anyways recap: surgery on friday the 13th followed by 5 days of radiation followed by 2 weeks of hormone therapy.... and alot of prayers. and then ..Hope!
Cancer sux Ya'All!
I am both terrified and ready for it. & yes I realize it is on friday the 13th. But at this point I don't care. I am soo beyond over this.
Friday I have my surgery set . The plan is to give me a dnc (dialation & curettage).
"Dilation and curettage (D&C) is a brief surgical procedure in which the cervix is dilated and a special instrument is used to scrape the uterine lining."
Then I am going to have cryosurgery to remove the cancer cells.
"Cryosurgery is the use of extremely cold temperatures to freeze and destroy abnormal tissues."
Since my heart is BIG issue right now they have ensured me that all measures to monitor it have been made.
On Monday I am going to start a 5 day round of radiation. to hopefully help ensure that the cancer is gone and doesn't come back.
I say that but in reality the statistics are stacked against me... But I can be optimistic.
20-40% of women have reoccurance. but that also means 60-80% have been cured.
Today I not only got to have my wonderful weekly iv with electrolytes and nutrients. I also got my consult for radiation and ran through a simulator for it.
& they are going to keep me on the hormone therapy for 2 weeks.
"The objective of radiation therapy is to kill uterine cancer cells for a maximum probability of cure or palliation with a minimum of side effects. Radiation therapy can be used to prevent local cancer recurrences after surgery (adjuvant therapy) or for the treatment of recurrent cancer. Radiation is generally given in the form of high-energy beams that deposit the radiation dose into the body where the risk of cancer cells is greatest. Radiation therapy, unlike chemotherapy, is considered a local treatment. Cancer cells can only be killed where the actual radiation is delivered to the body. If cancer exists outside the radiation field, the cancer cells are not destroyed by the radiation. Therefore, radiation therapy is typically used for early stage cancers confined to a single location (field) in the body.
Radiation can also be directly placed in the area of the cancer (brachytherapy) or in the area where unseen cancer is suspected. For uterine cancer, this is the “vaginal cuff” region where the incision was made when the uterus was removed. Brachytherapy does not penetrate very deep and external beam radiation therapy is often combined with brachytherapy for treatment of uterine cancer."
I'll be getting the direct beam of light for $200 alex (sorry bad joke)
Im told that the side effects aren't bad but Im not sure if I trust that. They said I could work but will probably feel exhausted at the end of the day. I mean just lok at these side effects.. doesn't it make ya wanna go get radiation right now? lol No? nah me neither.
"Radiation therapy to the abdominal/pelvic area may cause diarrhea, abdominal cramping or increased frequency of bowel movements or urination. These symptoms are usually temporary and resolve once the radiation is completed. Occasionally abdominal cramping may be accompanied by nausea.It is not unusual for some patients to note changes in sleep or rest patterns during the time they are receiving radiation therapy and some patients will describe a sense of tiredness and fatigue.Appetitie changes, alergic reactions, anemia, low platelet count, mouth sores, dry mouth,Nausea, with or without vomiting"
It's alot to process. So for now Im blogging about it so I can get it off my chest. These last couple weeks I have just been so tired and not just physically emotionally too. I want to get back into work and not feel so lazy and have a purpose. But then I just wanna curl up in a warm blanket and just rest.
Yep adulting sucks sometimes.I hate disappointing all those that think im so strong... but I did tell ya im not as strong as ya think.When they told me today Im gonna have to get radiation I just bawled. It's scary all this stuff.
Okay so anyways recap: surgery on friday the 13th followed by 5 days of radiation followed by 2 weeks of hormone therapy.... and alot of prayers. and then ..Hope!
Cancer sux Ya'All!
Karrie I hope your surgery went well and you are soon feeling better. I stopped by your blog to grab to a cluster but I started reading some of your postings about your chemo days so then I had to click on the newer news as well. I lost my husband two years ago to lung cancer which spread to his liver, spine and skull. He had both chemo and radiation. The radiation was done on his skull. I had my husband for only six months after we found out he had cancer. I am amazed you can still work while going through all of this so never, ever let yourself think you are lazy. Your body can only take so much and the chemo is toxic. Radiation is worse then the chemo. My dad bravely fought Acute Myeloid leukemia for 18 months back in the mid-90's and he went many rounds of chemo. His oncologist told us my dad was the longest living patient he had with AML at the time. How he fought for so long I will never know. All I do know is that to be able to go round after round of chemo and fight each battle with cancer tells me you are a very strong women no matter what anyone else has to say. Until that person has walked in your shoes and fought our medical battles then they don't have the right to tell you that you are using your illness as an excuse or you are being lazy. Husband or not. I got sick nearly almost two years into my relationship with my husband and the specialist told me at some point down the road I may have to use a wheelchair to get around and everything else I would be facing. When I got home I had my husband come over so we could talk. I laid it out on the line and told him everything the doctor said might happen and I told him that if he thought he couldn't deal with me one day ending up in a wheelchair (we had never spoken about our future together) then I was giving him a chance to leave now without any hurt feelings on either side. He looked at me and said he loved me for who I was and he didn't care if I was fat or skinny or if I could walk. I also saw tears in that mans eyes. We did say together and my condition got worse. My husband was a truck driver who worked long hours and I had to stop working but that didn't faze him. He did his job, cooked, cleaned, shopped and everything else that had to be done when he found out that I had been lying by omission about my medical restrictions. He never once called me lazy. I always felt I never did enough to help him. Now he is gone and I have once again ignored my restrictions because I have a kid to raise. I guess what I am trying to say is from what I am reading you have kicked cancers ass before and you can do it again just don't let anyone and I mean anyone make you think you are lazy. Even Ironman needs a vacation day here and there.
ReplyDelete