Just to be on the safe side I will be having surgery on Wednesday. Yep here we go again! This one has nothing to do with my sinuses thankfully and probably has nothing to do with my Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.
Instead just for kicks I will be having a Laparoscopic Oophorectomy. I realize it sounds a little like I'm having trouble with an annoying Oompa-Loompa but really I will be having my right ovary removed.
In October when I had a follow up PET Scan (just to be on the safe side) I was told the scan was completely clear. It wasn't until going through my regular round of appointments with the Trio of Torture (ENT, Oncologist, Radiation Oncologist) two months later that an intern mentioned a spot on my ovary. Yes you read that correctly an INTERN told me about it. Two of the three doctors didn't even mention it and it wasn't until I asked to go over the scan with the third doctor that we finally spoke about this mysterious spot.
He was sure it was nothing but we would do an ultrasound "just to be on the safe side". In fact he was so sure it was just an average cyst that he was convinced it wouldn't be there anymore. Ovarian cysts are completely normal and often don't last through more than one menstrual cycle before bursting with no notice by the woman. Guess what it was there and it was a little more than your average cyst.
So he sent those results to my OB/GYN. She decided that since I was a cancer survivor we shouldn't take any chances and "just to be on the safe side" ordered a second ultrasound and some blood work.
The good news the blood work came back completely normal. The marker they were looking for was not only normal but low so the chance that this is ovarian cancer is completely slim but not definitive.
The bad news the cyst has grown to the size of a small tangerine and has blood flow going to it. Just to be on the safe side the best course of action would be to remove both the cyst and the ovary.
So Wednesday morning I will head to the hospital to have four small incisions cut in my abdomen and have an ovary removed. They will run pathology tests immediately to determine for sure if there is any sign of cancer. Because the surgery will be done laparoscopically I will get to go home that night. Recovery time will only be about two weeks but there will be very few limitations on what I can do.
So Just to be on the safe side could you send your good vibes, thoughts, prayers, juju whatever it is you believe in my way?
