Surgery # Two

Hello,

Greetings from Puerto Rico! 

Finally: an update on my recovery! Although I’ve been recovering well, it’s taken a good bit for my head to not feel foggy and to be fully aware of what's what so that I can accurately communicate what I want to share. I wanted to give everyone the update they deserve, but to be honest, it has felt a bit emotionally taxing when I’ve tried and sit down to sum up the last couple of weeks. The months of all the unknown and endless appointments seem to be catching up with me a bit.

First things first: how did the surgery go? Well, the initial report is that surgery went extremely well. Visually speaking, they found no other cancers in any other area of my reproductive system or my abdomen. Yay! This was the best report I could have heard. Next week I will have my post-op and hopefully get back the results of all the new biopsies they took. We have every reason to believe they will all come back negative for any cancer - but even so, I would appreciate continued prayers for good reports. This would most likely mean no further treatments, such as chemo, and I can then switch to three month check-ups as they continue to monitor the remaining ovary. 

During surgery they did end up doing four incisions instead of the predicted two. Upon examining the area where my previously removed right ovary and fallopian tube were, they found that some remnants of them were still remaining. I am so thankful that they were thorough enough to check those areas because finding and removing the remnants is extremely important for my long term health (as this is the area that the positive cancer biopsy came from). So although it was an added surprise, in the end it’s going to be so beneficial for my long term health as well as my remaining cancer-free. Did I mention I’m thankful?

Waking up from this surgery was so much better than waking up from my surgery in February. This hospital was bigger and I found myself in the post-op recovery room with four attentive nurses and several other patients sprinkled around the large ward. My friend Catherine came up and stayed the night with me, translating and advocating for me, which was extremely kind and needed as it was my only period of time in the hospital where I had nurses that did not speak english. 

I was also so thankful to have had my cousin Jennifer here throughout the hospital journey and the days after. It was such a generous gift to have her fly out and in doing so, leave her family in California. Thanks to her husband Ryan for encouraging her to come and making the sacrifices at home to hold the family together. Both of my parents arrived last Sunday and it’s been so nice to have them here. I’m not going to lie, I’m not a whole lot of fun as mostly I just want to sit around in the quiet dark and nap frequently but, of course, they are being kind and understanding of my predicament. 

As of today, I’m physically still sore, bruised, and I tire easily. Even simple car rides seem to wear me out so I’ve been trying to stay home and rest up as much as possible. I am not used to feeling this tired and definitely not accustomed to needing to have so much rest. I would love prayer for continued recovery as well as prayer for my energy to return to normal so I can get back to feeling more myself again.

Next week I will also meet with my blood Oncologist to continue the journey to figure out what’s happening with my blood plates and why they are still low. It seems to be unrelated to ovarian stuff, so we will have to continue to investigate that. I did have another successful double round of platelets before surgery which got me to a safe surgery level, but still not a normal level and unfortunately they again dipped the day after the surgery.  The combination of no other tumors, good numbers, and no other cancer visually found is an indicator that my blood issue is not a reaction to my body fighting ovarian cancer. In fact, usually with ovarian cancer you would see an excessive amount of blood plates and I’d be having the opposite issue. There have been some mentions of possible bone marrow tests, but I am just taking this one day at a time. We can figure that all out another week. This week I’m celebrating a better-than-hoped-for surgery, recovery, and NO NEW CANCER!! 

I went to sit on the beach for a bit yesterday for the first time since moving here in February. Looks like I’m gonna finally be able to enjoy this beautiful place as COVID restrictions fade and I’m feeling well enough to venture out. 

Thank you for the prayers, encouragements, inquiries and love! I feel it! 

Natalie