It's Not Cancer

The relief I feel is palpable. It's not cancer.

My gynecologist called me when -- get this -- I was in a timeshare presentation in Hawaii, the Big Island. I excused myself, walked outside and walked on the grass next to the ocean. What an ironically beautiful place to take such a phone call, I thought.

I didn't understand most of what Dr P tried to explain to me -- after all, in stressful times like this, I only picked up on two terms ("there's no cancer" and "you'll need an operation"), but I did pick up that there's definitely abnormal activity going on in the endometrial wall. So much so that Dr P told me that she advocated for a complete hysterectomy. When she asked me how I felt about that, I said I was all for it.

Imagine being in paradise but unable to go in the water because you're on a perpetual bleeding cycle. One that won't quit. This operation will finally take care of that.

She did add in the conversation that she'll set up an oncologist to be on call during my operation, a Dr. Stern. Dr Stern will advise Dr P during the hysterectomy if more tissue or lymph nodes should be removed.

Stacy, the scheduling maven, called me later to advise me to call Dr Stern's office tomorrow to be scheduled for his end of the operation.

And so it begins.

The Biopsy Is Over

My in-hospital but out-patient biopsy was done yesterday. It took all day.

But gosh, it was pain-free for the most part, except for the tech who tried to stick the needle in my hand over and over. I took two little pills -- actually, they rested between my cheek and teeth and just dissolved. They opened up my cervix to make it easier to insert the camera through the cervix to the uterus. So I felt some cramping from that, a little disturbing until I remembered where it was coming from. My doctor, Dr. Vineela Paddatoori, had prepared me well.

The object of this surgical procedure was to do a biopsy of several parts of the uterine wall while using an inserted camera to see where the best samples might be. And to do a PAP smear. I haven't had a biopsy since 1978. And have never had a PAP smear.



I was too far out of it to remember Dr. P's visit with me, but she explained to my partner, Ruth, that the lighter parts of the picture are the parts about which we should be concerned. The parts which may indicate uterine cancer.

She took 11 camera shots of the lining of the wall. It looks quite disturbing. We won't know the official results for another week or so. And, really, we won't know the results until Dr. P. interprets it all for us.

Right now, I feel great. Post-op has been really easy. For now, we wait. However, I'm 90% convinced that a hysterectomy is in my near future, as the signs don't look healthy.

Setting Up Appointments, otherwise known as, Shoot Me Now...

I don't know how sick people do this. Sit through seven phone calls, trying to figure out what your appointments will be, and how to get back to people who don't answer their phone.

I got a call back from the Surgical Scheduler (you gotta love that moniker) for my gynecologist, who told me to call her back. Only she doesn't answer the phone. I finally reach her -- by accident, she picked up the phone, or so it seemed -- and she told me she wasn't ready for me. This is after she had called ME.

So I waited for her to call me back. This is a stressful time for me. I want to set this up so that I can behave like I'm supposed to, and actually go through with this surgical procedure. But this is one obstacle on the way. 24 hours later, literally, she called me back. But then I found out why it takes so long.

She has to clear times with the doctor, and she has to clear surgical times with the hospital. She has to set up a pre-op appointment with me and the GYN, with me and the hospital people (most likely the anesthesiologist), which is usually two days before the surgery, and then the actual surgery. And then she sets up a follow-up appointment with me and the GYN, again. AND I have to have my doctor send in an approval slip, a "clearance note," to her. That last part didn't make any sense to Dr. Miller (another tough person to get a hold of), but I think I talked the Surgical Scheduler into faxing my doc a note about it. Whew.

So I'm all scheduled for the actual surgery on December 15th, with pre-op appointments prior to that. You know, after this part of the dance, I think the actual procedure is going to be a piece of cake.