Hearing A Whisper…

It was the October of 2008 when I noticed that after I would void my bladder (pee), I would get a strange pulling sensation in my pelvic area. It was so odd; I had never had this feeling before. After about 10 days of this, I went to my GP doctor. He examined me and gave me a quick test to see if I had a bladder infection. Negative. We looked at each other, and both said at the same time, I should see my gynecologist. I had been to my gyno 6 months prior and all was well, so my concern level was low, especially because his exams were very thorough with me, as I was on the pill, and I am a diabetic. His rule… I had to see him every 6 months if I wanted to continue on the pill. Who was I to argue?

I liked Dr. K., he got me through a “high risk” pregnancy (from the diabetes), delivered Evan, and was my doctor for 14 years. He was kind, gentle and an excellent ob/gyn. As I waited to see him, I chatted with the ladies at the front desk, who had been there for years. I looked through the magazines, at all of the pregnant ladies in them, remembering how much I loved being pregnant with Evan. I would have loved to have had another child, but I had divorced Evan’s dad, and by the time I met Frank, I was over 40. With the diabetes becoming pregnant was no longer an option. Besides, Frank really didn’t want any more children. “Nancy, come on in” said his nurse.

So, in I went all happy and perky. I got undressed, put on the paper robe, covered my legs with the paper blanket and waited for the door to open. The room hadn’t changed since I was there last time. It had the same pictures on the walls, the same medical machines and gadgets, the same crack in the wall… The door opened and in came Dr. K. with his usual soothing voice and warm smile. I explained to him what had been going on. He didn’t seem concerned, but did his usual full exam on me none the less. When he did the internal sonogram, he was looking at the monitor to see the images of my insides, and then my mild mannered, soft spoken, sweet doctor said “what the f*ck is that?” I said “is what?” He said “there is something on your right ovary; it wasn’t there the last time you were here 6 months ago. I want a better look at it. Get dressed, and meet me in my office.”

When I got to his office, he was behaving as I never saw him before. He was pacing, sitting down, standing up, he sat down again… Then he explained to me, that he couldn’t see the what it was well enough to know what was going on, but it could be serious, and he didn’t know if he should admit me to the hospital or not.  Whoaaaaaaaaaaa… I explained I was NOT going into the hospital without further evaluation. So he took some blood to test, and the next day I was back in his office to get a Transvaginal Ultrasound, where they can take images of the inside two ways; through the vagina and externally on the belly. Yup, it’s a tumor, and my CA125 that day was a115.

The next 4-6 weeks was a whirlwind for me. My parents wanted me to go see a specialist at NYU that they knew of from a friend, and I wanted to stay on Long Island, keeping things close to home. Keep in mind, at this point we didn’t know if it was cancer or not.

So, I saw a Gynecological Surgeon that was recommended by Dr. K. My parents came with me to hear her assessment of her examining me. Ugh, she probed and pushed. It was awful. Much more intrusive then Dr. K’s. exams, or any other gynecological exam that I could remember, but she was a “specialist” so it was a different type of exam. After, we all decided that we would wait until my I got my period and do another Transvaginal Ultrasound and a CAT scan to determine what to do next. About 10 days later, I went back to Dr. K’s. office for the TS exam, and had a CAT scan the next day. There weren’t any changes. I called over to the “specialists” office for an appointment to get the ball rolling. I knew I needed to get the ovary removed, and now I wanted it out asap… Well!!! She was on vacation, and the way their office worked is that you can only be seen by the doctor who is caring for you. The doctors in that practice don’t cover for each other. The appointment person I spoke with was so freakin’ rude, too. I was beside myself. I need medical attention now. I called back to Dr. K’s office, who in turn called the specialist’s office, but no change. No one else there would see me. I would have to wait for her… I was disgusted beyond belief, and told them I didn’t want to see any of their doctors ever again. So like it’s been said so many times, things happen for a reason.

I called the Dr. at NYU that my folks wanted me to see all along (Dr. P.). It was such a pleasant and professional office. They fit me into her schedule for early the following week. She was lovely. Very no-nonsense attitude, but so sweet I just wanted to hug her. She explained the only way to know if it is cancer or not is to remove it with surgery, which she would do asap. Talk about night and day experiences?!

So, I guess it goes to prove that even at 46 years old, your parents are always right. I really appreciate the way they handled the situation. They let me do what I wanted to do by seeing the Dr. on Long Island. They didn’t interfere, they just supported me. They are both cancer survivors, and knew the potential path ahead of me. They wanted the best for me. I love them very much.

Oh, by the way… the pulling sensation had NOTHING to do with the ovarian cancer. It was just my body telling me something was up. When Dr. P. did my hysterectomy, she went to remove my uterus, and my bladder was stuck to it, and came out with it! They were connected from the scar tissue my body produced after I had a c-section when Evan was born. So everytime I would pee, my bladder would empty and as it got smaller it pulled my uterus. That was the pulling sensation I was feeling. I am so thankful my body let me know, and I am glad I listened to it, because the symptoms of ovarian cancer are so slight they are often overlooked or misdiagnosed. They can be, cramps, bloating, a pain in your back, frequent urination, feeling full and/or indigestion. All of these symptoms can and often are attributed to something else.

SO… LISTEN TO YOUR BODY… IT MAY WHISPER SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU!