Hello all! After seeing the hematologist and having another surgery, I'm here with another update!
Hematologist appointment first - I had my appointment with the blood doctor. He was great. Very friendly, and listened to everything I had to say before he talked. He figured out that one of the medications I stopped recently was causing the high white blood cell counts. Bam! One problem solved within just a couple minutes. He also said that the cancer and problems I've been having with all of that is most likely what's causing my iron to decrease, even when I'm not having periods. So he scheduled me for an iron infusion through an IV. I'll be doing that this coming Thursday! He's not super concerned about my numbers, because the iron pills are bringing up my iron levels. But it's just so slow, so the iron infusion will bring my iron counts into normal range, and then I'll continue the iron pills to keep me at a normal range. He told me that I'll feel awesome after the infusion, so I'm excited for it! :-)
Surgery update next - I had my latest (and hopefully last) surgery yesterday. I woke up at 3am, and we were on the road by 330am. We got to the hospital at about 545am, and got checked in at 6am. I was called back pretty quickly, we'd maybe been sitting down 20 minutes. I got to change into my oh-so-fashionable hospital gown and non-slip socks. My IV was inserted, and all my fancy hospital bands put on. I was styling! lol And then came the waiting.. My surgery was scheduled for 8am. The anesthesiologist came in at just after 8am, and said that he'd been told that my surgery was pushed to 830am. Nobody told us! But no big deal. My oncologist came in at 840am, to make sure we didn't have any questions. We joked that this was my 4th one of these, we're old pros now! They gave me the good drugs, and rolled me into the OR.
I woke up in recovery about an hour later. Minimal headache and nausea, mostly I just felt so tired! I was in recovery for about an hour, before getting wheeled into recovery2 and getting to see my hubby! Once I was steady enough to stand, I got dressed and we were ready to leave! I ate a banana just to tell my stomach to shut up, and once Brian was on the highway, I passed out! I slept the entire 2 hour drive home. And then ate a huge lunch! I had a bit of a headache, mostly from the lack of caffeine. And I was pretty dizzy and lightheaded, so I stayed parked on the couch for the rest of the evening. After we had dinner, I read in bed for a little while, and then feel asleep by 830pm. Woke up naturally at just after 7am, 10.5 hours of sleep later!
I'm feeling pretty good today! Minimal bleeding that comes and goes, a tiny bit of cramping. Still dizzy and lightheaded, so I'm staying parked on the couch again today. Some television, knitting, and reading. Thank goodness for my wonderful husband, he's been taking care of the dogs, the house, meals, and everything else. He's amazing!
My follow-up appointment for after surgery is on the Feb 15th, I'll get the pathology results from my surgery, and
then I'll know what my next steps are going to be. Whether it's going
back on the cancer pills, another surgery, different medications.. Then I'll have a follow-up appointment with the blood doctor on Feb 16th, so expect another blog update after those two appointments in a couple weeks!
Thank you to everyone for your good thoughts, prayers, and well wishes!
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
6 Months Later..
Hello again family and friends! Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!
I thought I'd write a (probably long) post about my health, and everything that's been going on lately. Be forewarned, I'm not holding anything back, so this might be too much information for some people. :-)
So, I officially went into remission for my endometrial cancer in July '17. While I was coming off the cancer pills, I started a period for the first time in about 13 months. The cancer pills actually prevented normal periods, so I hadn't had one since I started taking them in June '16. And that period was horrendous. I was in a lot of pain, and couldn't leave the house for over a week from the start. I found out that although the cancer pills prevented bleeding every month, they hadn't prevented my uterine lining from building up every month, they had just prevented my body from shedding the lining every month for a normal period. So, when my body was completely off the cancer pills, it tried to shed all that lining in one long period. I ended up bleeding for over a month. At that point, my oncologist prescribed a form of estrogen to help my body stop bleeding. Thankfully, that worked!
In September, I started a medication to regulate my periods and bleeding. Then I had a 3 month check up with my oncologist in October, and everything looked good! The period pills hadn't worked yet, but I was told to just give them a few months to start working.
In December, I had a normal blood work check-up with my primary. Everything looked great, except my iron was back to being too low. Not too concerning, except that I hadn't been having normal periods, so he couldn't figure out where my iron was going in my body. Plus, he noticed that my white count had been elevated for a few months. So he decided to refer me to a hematologist (blood doctor), for more detailed blood tests.
At the beginning of this month, I went in for another 3 month check-up with my oncologist. After a long talk about my iron and absent periods, and period pills still not working yet, he agreed with my primary's hematologist referral. He also decided to refer me to a gastroenterologist to check for an ulcer. Next, I had an ultrasound to look at my ovaries and uterus. My oncologist saw then that my uterine lining was thicker than it was supposed to be. Again. He decided right then to do a biopsy. I'll skip describing how much fun that was.. I was sent home to wait for the results. And he sent me for more blood work, to rule out any other problems for my low iron. So far, those blood tests have come back normal.
I got the results of my biopsy last week, and my cells are pre-cancerous again. So, I'm having another D&C surgery on January 29th. 2 weeks from now! Once I have this next surgery, my oncologist will decide if I need to go back on the cancer pills, based on what my pathology says after my surgery. Best case scenario, I don't have to go back on the cancer pills after this surgery, and I can be prescribed stronger period pills to help prevent my body from building up a lining and not shedding it, which is how the cells become cancerous. Then I have a post-op surgery follow up with my oncologist on February 15th, to go over the pathology results and to decide on our next steps.
I have an appointment with the hematologist this Friday, the 19th. Hopefully, we'll be able to figure out why my iron keeps dropping, even when I don't have a period, and why my white cells have been elevated, even when I'm not sick. I'm ready for some answers! And then I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in April. Seriously, April. That was apparently the earliest they could see me. But I'm hoping that the hematologist will be able to figure out my problem without going to the gastroenterologist, and I can cancel that appointment in April.
So, that's where I'm at right now. Hematologist on Friday, another surgery in two weeks, and then a follow up appointment for surgery on February 15th.
Thank you all for your continued support, thoughts, and prayers. I really appreciate them all! <3
I thought I'd write a (probably long) post about my health, and everything that's been going on lately. Be forewarned, I'm not holding anything back, so this might be too much information for some people. :-)
So, I officially went into remission for my endometrial cancer in July '17. While I was coming off the cancer pills, I started a period for the first time in about 13 months. The cancer pills actually prevented normal periods, so I hadn't had one since I started taking them in June '16. And that period was horrendous. I was in a lot of pain, and couldn't leave the house for over a week from the start. I found out that although the cancer pills prevented bleeding every month, they hadn't prevented my uterine lining from building up every month, they had just prevented my body from shedding the lining every month for a normal period. So, when my body was completely off the cancer pills, it tried to shed all that lining in one long period. I ended up bleeding for over a month. At that point, my oncologist prescribed a form of estrogen to help my body stop bleeding. Thankfully, that worked!
In September, I started a medication to regulate my periods and bleeding. Then I had a 3 month check up with my oncologist in October, and everything looked good! The period pills hadn't worked yet, but I was told to just give them a few months to start working.
In December, I had a normal blood work check-up with my primary. Everything looked great, except my iron was back to being too low. Not too concerning, except that I hadn't been having normal periods, so he couldn't figure out where my iron was going in my body. Plus, he noticed that my white count had been elevated for a few months. So he decided to refer me to a hematologist (blood doctor), for more detailed blood tests.
At the beginning of this month, I went in for another 3 month check-up with my oncologist. After a long talk about my iron and absent periods, and period pills still not working yet, he agreed with my primary's hematologist referral. He also decided to refer me to a gastroenterologist to check for an ulcer. Next, I had an ultrasound to look at my ovaries and uterus. My oncologist saw then that my uterine lining was thicker than it was supposed to be. Again. He decided right then to do a biopsy. I'll skip describing how much fun that was.. I was sent home to wait for the results. And he sent me for more blood work, to rule out any other problems for my low iron. So far, those blood tests have come back normal.
I got the results of my biopsy last week, and my cells are pre-cancerous again. So, I'm having another D&C surgery on January 29th. 2 weeks from now! Once I have this next surgery, my oncologist will decide if I need to go back on the cancer pills, based on what my pathology says after my surgery. Best case scenario, I don't have to go back on the cancer pills after this surgery, and I can be prescribed stronger period pills to help prevent my body from building up a lining and not shedding it, which is how the cells become cancerous. Then I have a post-op surgery follow up with my oncologist on February 15th, to go over the pathology results and to decide on our next steps.
I have an appointment with the hematologist this Friday, the 19th. Hopefully, we'll be able to figure out why my iron keeps dropping, even when I don't have a period, and why my white cells have been elevated, even when I'm not sick. I'm ready for some answers! And then I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist in April. Seriously, April. That was apparently the earliest they could see me. But I'm hoping that the hematologist will be able to figure out my problem without going to the gastroenterologist, and I can cancel that appointment in April.
So, that's where I'm at right now. Hematologist on Friday, another surgery in two weeks, and then a follow up appointment for surgery on February 15th.
Thank you all for your continued support, thoughts, and prayers. I really appreciate them all! <3
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