Actually, this journey began last summer but who knew then that it would mushroom into all of this?
Quick summary:
I ended up having surgery on November 16th, 2021. It was a hysterectomy, double oophorectomy, and salpingectomy. That was supposed to be the end of it. It was difficult - discovered that I was allergic to something they used to prep my body and that I couldn't take oxycodone. But I was supposed to be all done. Then, I got the Friday afternoon phone call from my surgeon. Pathology report: all the large masses were benign but an incidental mass in the Fallopian tube happened to be an aggressive, serous carcinoma.
Within a week, I was referred to a gynecological oncologist. Biopsy surgery scheduled on January 18th. Here I am - a month later - still recuperating and already scheduled for chemotherapy.
The good news: no new cancer cells were found in my abdomen. The bad news: this surgery was extremely more painful and it is taking so much longer for me to mend. CT scans scheduled this weekend, chest port insertion next week, and the day after Ash Wednesday: chemo begins. Six rounds of IV transfusions approximately every 21 days. (I was originally told that it would only be three rounds if there were no new cancer cells. Wrong!). So, my Lent will be a roller coaster of medical appointments, transfusions, hopefully days at work, and weeks of wearing a mask while the rest of the world finally gets to ditch theirs.
I am going to try to utilize this time well - to learn how to take up the Cross and become a saint. I might whine and cry a bit here and there but I will try not to ever sound like a martyr. God knows that I need to keep from scaring my grandbabies. If you have advice and wisdom, then please do share it with me. Help me to find the positives and not focus on the negatives.
God bless my family for taking such good care of me during this time. Please keep us all in your prayers and I will try to offer up any suffering for requested intentions.