Woke up this morning and realized I am going to feel good for 2 weeks! Small things we take for granted in life. I am not very motivated to get things done around the house because it is so boring.....housework is boring. I would much rather be teaching art lessons or visiting with friends. The best thing about chemo week is I am too sick to do almost anything around the house. No cooking, laundry,or cleaning!
Thanks for all the notes and prayers-I feel so loved. There are so many amazing things that happen when you get really sick. I am in awe at how kind everyone has been to me.
The most common question every woman my age asks is what were your symptoms?
In Sept 2009 I began a watery discharge,no other symptoms. I looked up on the Internet to find out what it could be and there was nothing. I waited until December to go to the gynocologist.
In Dec a culture was done -negative. I also did a pap smear-negative.
In January, feeling like something wasn't right I went in again. The gyn0c0gist did a vaginal biopsy and pelvic exam-negative. I now know fallopian tube cancer has a watery discharge but it would of shown positive on the biopsy.
I had no other signs of menopause but the gyn doctor though it might be related.
At the end of March when I got my period, I began to have spotting in between periods. I waited 2 periods. Even though this can be a sign of menopause, I still felt something was wrong. I waited 2 periods and made another appointment at the end of May.
At Mays appointment the gyn ordered an ultrasound "just to be sure". It indicated a mass in my pelvic. Which more commonly is begnign.
This was followed by an MRI and a Pet Scan. Which confirmed cancer.
Something I now think was another sign was the bursitis in my hips had changed. I have had reoccurent bursitis from standing and teaching. I really didn't think about how it had become more in the groin area. Previously it had been only in the outer hip area. In hindsight, I did have this symptom. I had no other symptoms.
What I think you should know:
When you have your annual pelvic exam, make sure your gyn does a rectal/vaginal. This was not done on me until May. The only way for a doctor to really feel your ovaries is through a rectal/vaginal pelvic exam. Ovarian cancer is very rare and difficult to detect- that is why it is called the "silent Killer". My gynocologist/onocologist told me that 90% of her ovarian cancer patients are stage 3 or 4. I am blessed to be one of the 10% at stage 2! I know it is because God was telling me something was wrong. Before I got the results of the pet scan, I knew in my heart it was cancer. I am confident God is going to cure me of this disease,I just have to survive chemo and radiation.
If you want to know more about ovarian cancer and symptoms check out the Gilda Radnor website -I found it to be the best.
May God Bless you as He has me
Bonnie
I love your heart in all of this. And praise God that He allowed the discovery to happen before stage 3 or 4. I love how you said there are so many amazing things that happen when you are sick. The hardest thing for me is learning that letting others help is really what God wants. We don't want to "burden" other people, but I'm learning that is really routed in pride. God wants to use people in our lives, wants to bless them for helping us, and wants to teach us humility in the process. I don't want my life to be about disease, but He's has blessed our family immensely when we let other people know about it and help. (Still figuring out the humble part!)
ReplyDeleteThank you for being so willing to share Bonnie. I am so glad you want to be teaching art and can confess housework is boring! Wouldn't it be more fun if we could do it in a group, laughing and sharing the sameness of it all. Housework would be less boring if it could be finished once and for all. Blessings on you as you continue to heal. We continue to pray.
ReplyDeleteI love you so much and I am so glad that God blessed you with being one of those 10%, b/c if not, I would've had to come live on your couch. You are too important to me (and so many others) to be taken away from us!
ReplyDeleteI will be so honored to have your name be one of the names that I am walking for on October 22nd for the Livestrong Challenge 5K here in Austin. I have already raised $275 for Cancer and it isn't even September yet!
Love you so much! I know all your students would want you to be teaching Art too! They all love you so much! I'm so glad I got to be a part of the receiving end on some of those lessons at Sinsheimer and Los Ranchos!
Miss you!