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Showing posts from 2017

Make a plan and then watch it burn!

Hello I made a plan. I spent time thinking about it and working out the details.  I was feeling pretty good about it.  In retrospect pretty sure that was my first mistake! Soooooo......My mom hurt her ankle and cannot put pressure on it walking or driving.  She is in a lot of pain and will not be able to make the drive up for my surgery.  I will now be spending the first week of recovery here at home vs. with my parents in NC.  (Prayers for a speedy recovery for mom is appreciated!) So I needed a new plan quickly and I was starting to panic about what to do.  I wasn't planning on having to make meals and wasn't planning on going up and down stairs right away.  Wasn't planning to dodge my boxer from jumping or sitting on me.  Plus Jon has to work Fri, Sat, Sun and Monday so I was worried how it would all pan out when I get home from the hospital on Friday.   Right away my dear neighbor Denise stepped up to calm me down and to let me know she will not let me

I made a choice.

So I have spent the past few weeks thinking.   Trying to nail down what is most important.  Trying to give myself some perspective.   So I have outlined my worst case scenarios.  Worst case scenario #1:  I don't have the surgery now and end up with cancer in the next few years.   Worst case scenario #2: I have the surgery now and a few years from now I am unhappy and upset that I never had my own biological children.   Worst case scenario #3: I have horrible menopausal symptoms for the next few years.   So. When I write them out.  I see something pretty clear.  #2 and #3 are temporary and there are options for me to work through.   #1 could equal death.  Which is pretty permanent.   So. I'm gonna do it.  That's how I feel right now.  I'm going to chose short term suffering to have a better long term life.   I am trying to read up on things I can do to mitigate menopause that are not hormone based.   If you are reading this and have a

Not cancer but still tough choice

 I haven't written here in a long time.  Not regularly   since cancer days when I was trying to cope and process everything.  I have found myself in a situation I am having trouble fully wrapping my head around.  I don't have cancer again (insert wood knocking)  but I am making a difficult choice.  This choice will significantly lower my future cancer risks.  But at the cost of biological children.   Here are the facts. I'm 37.  Statistically if I have my ovaries taken out (oophorectomy) prior to 40 then I will have an 80% reduction in my risk of ovarian cancer.  Ovarian cancer is nasty and often fatal because it is so hard to detect.  I have BRCA1 gene and I am a Breast cancer survivor.   Based on my history it is beneficial to also do a total hysterectomy at the same time.  My lady parts history makes me a bad candidate for laparoscopic so I have to do old school abdominal surgery with 6 week recovery.   After surgery my body will be thrown into menopau