Why this Blog???

A couple of friends came over a few days ago unexpectedly to visit (thanks Linda and John!) and during the course of the conversation, Linda suggested that I journal some of my experiences since I've been diagnosed with cancer. It seemed like a fantastic idea, but I KNOW I won't keep a journal. I remembered someone, somewhere said you can have your blog made into a book and that seemed to be an answer to my dilemma. So here it goes!

Doesn't it just seem like there is so much cancer around??? I find it hard to believe that I have cancer! At any rate, here's how things got to this point....

It all started on Thursday, 8/14/09 when I had an appointment with my gynecologist to find out what was going on in my abdomen. I have a history of ovarian cysts and the normal thing to do when you get one of these things is to wait a couple of months and they usually clear up on their own. I felt one on each side and they were really weighing on my bladder, but again, I knew they would clear on their own with a wait. So I waited and waited, but noticed that even my uterus was hard and so that prompted the visit to my wonderful gynecologist, Stefanie Mikulics in Templeton, CA. As soon as she pressed on my abdomen, she knew something wasn't right, but being the cool cookie she is, she remained very calm and continued with her exam. Before I left her office, she had her nurse make an appointment for me at my normal radiology center in SLO. They weren't able to see me until Monday, but I could wait until Monday.

On Friday morning at 9:30am I got a call from Dr. Mikulics on her day off saying she felt uncomfortable waiting until Monday and she found another place that would get me in for an ultrasound in 45 minutes....Yikes! THAT freaked me out! But hey, how many doctors do you know who would make calls on your behalf to get you in somewhere on their DAY OFF?? Thanks Stefanie! You're the BEST!

So I got there and they did the ultrasound and then decided they wanted to do an MRI, which they did later that day. I went back to work and got a call from Stefanie that the MRI revealed a large solid mass on my right ovary. She also had taken the liberty of calling the best gynecological/oncological surgeon she knows, Kate O'Hanlan in the Bay Area and had be scheduled for surgery on the next Tuesday! Ugh! I was very scared.

I was instructed to pack my bags and be up there on Monday for a consultation with Kate. Pete was devastated I think. I feel so blessed to have him by my side for this whole crazy experience, but boy do I owe him....big time! What a love he is! So protective and loving!

We started praying for the best possible outcome and began to get ready for the trip.

More tomorrow....