Tag: endometrial ablation

Just a little somber this week

decisionsformyfamily8 Comments

The joy of reading.  My mother always tried to instill it in me with very little luck.  Thankfully, my daughter has it in her blood.  As I just sat down to the laptop to begin a post about my upcoming surgery, she came from her bedroom where she has been reading for about an hour.  She just needed to fill me in on what was happening in her book.  She is reading the first book of the Sisters Grimm series and is loving it.  I just love to watch her as she describes what she is reading.  The joy on her face, the light in her eyes.  She is able to visit a world of imagination through reading that I have never been able to find.  I think we will need to make sure we hit the library again before the weekend. 🙂

So, Friday is my surgery.  The official name of my procedure is hysteroscopy and endometrial ablation.  The procedure itself it not really a concern to me.  Based on what I went through last summer with the BPM, the pain, the recovery time, this should be easy enough.  See after the ablation it will be permanent, no more children.  Now, I was not really planning to have anymore, I am 41 years old and have two beautiful, smart and busy children.  I thank God for them every day!  Since my miscarriage a few years ago I have always thought about 1 more Bailey.  I love being mommy.  I feel like my girls have grown from infant to elementary school over night.

I am thrilled with my family.  I was not looking to change it or add to it but having that decision now made final, I guess it just it has made me just a little sad.  It will pass.  I will hug my girls and my husband just a little harder and maybe a little longer this week.  Next week the girls have karate camp and soccer practice is right around the corner.  The things that will fully remind me that I am doing what I am supposed to be already.

For the rest of this week, I will allow myself to sulk just a little.

Waiting for the call….

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As 2012 began to wind down, my mobility had returned to almost normal.  Three surgeries were now a thing of the past, just a memory.  The scars from the bilateral prophylactic mastectomy and DIEP flap procedures were healing nicely and the aches were improving with every day.  I began to set my sights on 2013 and a new start, one without worries about cancer risks or surgery.

Then came a visit to the gynecologist in October.  Based on the findings of lobular carcinoma in situ during the BPM, the doctor felt it would be smart to have a pelvic ultrasound due to the link between breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

On November 7, 2012, my thoughts of a worry free 2013 quickly came to an end when complex cysts were found in my right ovary.   January 14, 2013 I repeated the ultrasound hoping for improvement but found worse news.  The cyst was still there and larger, one was now also located on the left and something was seen in the lining of my uterus.  Worry free 2013 was long gone! A biopsy was performed as was a CA-125 blood test.  Both came back showing no cancer.  Instead the item on the uterine lining looked to be a polyp.  An endometrial ablation was recommended.  I decided to wait until a third ultrasound could be performed so we could make a decision about the cysts at the same time.

April 2, 2013 I went for that final ultrasound.  After I did something I do not normally do, I made a list of questions.  I was done having ultrasounds every few months and wanted to be ready for a real conversation about moving forward. Questions such as, Do we remove the cysts in the ovaries at the same time as the ablation? Do we remove an entire ovary or both?  Do we go fully radical and remove it all?

I was prepared for everything except for what came next.  The call came along with the normal pleasantries, how was our trip to Disney?  How was I feeling?  Although I do personally like my doctor, I wanted the results.  She stated with a long “WELL”, I was a bit nervous.  She continued, “the cyst on the left is gone, and the one on the right has reduced in size”. Ugh, what?  Gone?  The words swirled for a second in my head until I finally realized, this was good news!  I actually said to her, “well that is good news, right?” No more ultrasounds!  Not so good news about the uterine lining which showed a new cyst/polyp but we already knew that would not correct itself.

SO, I have a pre-op appointment at the end of May to prepare for the endometrial ablation.   My list of questions went onto the trash. In the greater scheme of where I have been and what I was expecting, a minor surgery! I would much prefer to stay out of hospitals yet, compared to the alternatives, I am pleased, and thankful!

Here we go again

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Tomorrow I once again get to enjoy the wonders of modern technology in the form of a pelvic ultrasound.  This will be the third one in a period of about 5 months.  I am not worried about what they find because I expect that they will be about the same.  I expect the cysts will still be there, meaning we will need to talk about what comes next.  The polyp will still be there since that does not rectify itself.  An endometrial ablation was recommended but I decided to just wait until we got the results of this ultrasound before even continuing to discuss dealing with the polyp.

To say that the ultrasound is invasive is an understatement.  I am growing weary of them and would love to hear that the cysts have disappeared and all is well with the world.  Right after I expect to see pink unicorns and hear happy music playing in the background while money falls from the sky.  So in my mind the odds of the second statement occurring is just as likely as the first so I am not optimistic, although unicorns and falling cash would be very cool!

Until tomorrow I guess….