Posted on 02/02/2004 11:20:25 AM PST by Pegita
Giznort Update - One week after Surgery From giznort | 02/02/2004 1:22:55 PM EST new
Dear Fellow Freepers;
Hi. I'm back home. Outlook not very good, as I had feared. I've been home since Thursday and have been concentrating on healing from the surgery and spending time with my husband and cats. However, I feel a very strong need for your and other freepers' support. What I've done is type up a brief summary in Word to fax to my co-workers relatives and friends, and after having done so, would like to pass this on along to you, asking for your prayers. I've drawn strength from you posts in the pasts and don't want to be too needy, but if you don't mind and could find the time, I appreciate your support in your prayers. God bless all of you and thank you.
Here's my "report":
Good Afternoon, All:
This is the most wide broadcast email that I have ever sent.
I just wanted to let you know that I had surgery on Monday for removal of a large mass on my right ovary, was released from the hospital on Thursday, and have been resting comfortably since at home. As you may or may not know, the surgery itself went as well as could be expected, and my recovery from the surgery is almost miraculous. I see great gains every day. I even walked down and up the basement steps on Friday. When my tummy gets a little sore and achy, I am lucky to get relief from one measly ibuprofen of the humble over-the-counter variety. My body lets me know if I stand too long, so I’m still a little weak, but getting better every day.
Unfortunately, that’s not the end. That is to say, the mass turned out to be cancerous, so an entire hysterectomy was required. Subsequent examination of the cancerous mass and removed tissue found that the ovaries, uterus, etc. were all healthy and not cancerous. However, due to the information available at the time of the surgery, this was not known and the hysterectomy was mandatory. Prior to my release from the hospital, Dr. Boruta, an OB oncologist, told us straightforward that this tumor appears to have grown on the blood supply to the right ovary, and not on any of the reproductive organs themselves. The mass is cancerous, and a very, very rare one at that.
Bear with me, as this is hard for me to write. I hope I am recalling our discussion as accurately as possible. It was quite a bit to handle, and still is. Please accept my apology for not calling or emailing you any sooner, but I am trying hard to face this head-on and deal with it in a positive fashion, and have been sticking my head in the sand the past couple of days.
Without getting into the medical terms at this point, Dr. Boruta made it clear that this cancer is not what he has dealt with as an OB oncologist, and that from his preliminary research, there is simply no data available on treatment of this cancer. I didn't ask for odds or survival rate info, but he said as he learned more, he was going to be up front with me and not sugar coat anything, which I agree is best.
He told me that a positive attitude, faith, and support of my loved ones is the best immediate action while he does his research. I have an appointment this Thursday afternoon with him for removal of my staples (stitches) and for consultation as to what treatment he feels will be best.
I ask for your prayers for my physical and spiritual healing and comfort, and for the arrest of this cancer, if possible, and for guidance to Dr. Baruta to the sources of possible treatment. Thank you for respecting my initial request for privacy, as I suspected the worst case scenario going into this and hoped for the strength to deal with whatever the outcome. Thank you for you kind thoughts and prayers, and I will keep you posted.
God bless.
Rachel
P.S. I didn't proofread this, but just wanted to get this out without further delay, so please excuse the typos!
P.P.S. I am amazed that certain little miracles seemed to have taken place to help us. Starting with replacing me at work, who would have thought that the lady who held the job prior to me, who had moved out of state, had moved back to the area and was looking for employment, and was in a position to step in immediately and take over? Add to that, the first nasty (make that normal) winter to hit the region in the area, with bitter cold and measurable snowfall. How did this affect things? Ken’s outside job rarely gets a break, but in weather extremes, he occasionally gets laid off. This hasn’t happened much in the past 10 years, but as luck (?) would have it, he was laid off last week, and even more profound, last night his boss told him that due to equipment needs on other jobsites, he’d be laying Ken off this week as well. It makes me stop and think that there are greater powers at work behind the scenes here. I’m very grateful
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From giznort | 02/24/2004 1:14:24 PM EST new
Hello:
Just a little update for you.
I had chemo yesterday, and Ken went with me. Because it was my first time, the whole thing took 2 hours. Actual administration of the chemicals took one hour, and I imagine that the next appointment will take just slightly longer than that. I was fine last night, and so far today, good! I’ve got some meds to take every 12 hours to stave off any nausea and was instructed to take it without even waiting for nausea, so it’ll be hard to see if I actually had nausea as a side effect. Other symptoms that can appear in the next few weeks are wide and varied; skin rashes, sores, extreme tiredness, etc. If I get the skin reactions, I’m to avoid sunlight (even while riding in a car!) wear loose clothing (no underwires!) and no long hot baths, just quick cool showers. I imagine they have some meds to help with this. If I get the skin reactions, I can expect pigmentation to get darker (without going to a tanning booth – which is dangerous anyhow!). Hair can thin also, but it’s already been doing that the last couple of weeks, I think it was nerves!!!!
Depleted bone marrow production of white blood cells is a definite side affect which I will experience. This means that I will lose ability to fight off colds and the flu.
I have plenty of projects to keep me busy in the meantime, as well as plenty of amusements and books. Last night, on our way home, we passed one of the trucks from work and I thought of how I wish I wasn’t getting all this treatment and “time off” and really wished for a return to normal life, including work!!!!
Rachel
P.S. If you are inclined to say a prayer/prayers on my behalf, please know that I would greatly appreciate it. As I said before, I don’t care about the side effects of the chemo, BUT I PRAY THAT IT DOES IT STUFF AND WORKS!!!!!!! Thanks!
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Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks for the "ease" of Rachel's first treatment. Keep her faithful to her med schedule that she not experience side effects, and shield her, I pray, from colds and flu that would further compromise her immune system. May she prosper during this time with food, fellowship, and fun, for with You, O Lord, all things are possible. In the Name of Jesus, I praise You, Amen ...
Rachel is in my prayers for healing, for good news.
Love your attitude, Rachel - A tan with no sun, and no tanning booth...:-). I truly hope and pray that you don't have to experience the possible side effects that you mentioned, but just in case,I guess you could do like our preacher's wife when her hair thinned too, and use this as an opportunity to experiment with different hairstyles and colors via the great, natural looking wigs available these days. New tan and hairdo just in time for spring. :-)
So glad that you have come through the first treatment so well. God keep you close in His providential care, be you shield and protector, and grant you complete and total healing.
We shall continue to keep you in prayer all along the way to your recovery.
Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks that You are working on Rachel's behalf ... we continue to pray that Your healing touch will reach every cell that would do harm, yet preserving those that will strengthen her. May she prosper greatly during this time ... fill her days with joyful activity and her nights with peaceful sleep, as she and family rests in Your abiding love. In the Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen ...
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Good Morning,
Thank you for your prayer update. FYI, and if you want to share with others, I am feeling pretty good for someone undergoing chemo. I was told that this week would be the "bad" one for side effects. All I have to show for it is a nasty little headache in the morning, and joint/body aches (similar to how you feel right before you come down with a bad cold) and sensitive finger pads/palms that seem to find EVERY rough or sharp edge. I'm thinking of getting soft cotton gloves to wear when doing things around the house. If I stop to think before I try to open something or twist something, I can usually come up with a creative (and pain free) solution. I shouldn't even call it pain, it's a discomfort. I am truly blessed. Today, after I dry my hair, I'm going to go to my place of employment and talk with my boss about my return. I've got another chemo coming up on 3/23, so give it a few days after that and I hope to be back at work, with the doctor's permission of course.
I really appreciate your thoughts and prayers and thank God everyday for you and the others here who have helped me so much.
Rachel
Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks that You have seen Rachel through these weeks of rest from chemotherapy. Prepare her as another session is upcoming on the 23rd ... may she prosper under these treatments, so much so, Lord, that she will be able to return to work within a few days. May the followup reports reveal the success of the chemo ... the touch of Your healing hand. May it be thus, O God, in the Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen ...
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