We Have Remission

Sorry for the long absence.....  This post has been in draft since November 2012.  I have not been able to put together the words to relay what my life is all about until now.

After my 6th chemo treatment on September 26th I went for a CT Scan on October 12th to determine if there was any visible cancer left.  This would determine whether I would need another chemo treatment at this time.  I returned to the hospital on October 16th to consult with my oncologist.  This meeting set off a major turning point to my life.

The oncologist, Dr. Califaretti, delivered the news that the CT Scan did not show any visible cancer which is great.  This is technically a remission.  So the series of treatments from June to September did the job they were supposed to do.  All good.  I forgot to mention that during my last treatment on September 26th and in receipt of the last chemo drug, Carboplatin, I had an allergic reaction.  After receiving it 11 times in the last couple of years my body decided it did not want it.  After easing off the dosage and giving me some drugs to help me along I finally finished treatment that day.  Can you imagine that my doctor reminded me that I had experienced this?  I had totally forgotten between September 26th and October 16th.  The mind does some crazy things in times of anxiety.

Back to our discussion on October 16th.  During our discussion my doctor, in a no-nonsense way, strongly suggested that I not return to work.  This startled me as I was fully expecting to go back.  But life has a way of reminding you of your immortality.......

This cancer is unrelenting and she fully expects it will come back within the next 15 months or so.  This is because my last recurrence came within this timeframe.  Medically speaking recurrence does not generally extend itself beyond this.  Is she correct?  Only time will tell.

So my decision not to return to work was a difficult one.  On the one hand I like working and it provides satisfaction in getting things done and having clients who are happy with my work. There is also the social aspect of the workplace which I always value.  But on the other hand work can be stressful and demanding.  Client commitments, sales targets, professional development and other business demands can be challenging.  The demands on your personal time is a given and I have always been of the opinion, required, if promotion and success is your ambition.  Alas these things are not quite as important to me any more......

So now I am a lady of leisure.  I have all the time in the world to do what I want!  Well my days are full and I wonder now how I fit a career in there.....  Strange.  I spend most of my time with the family naturally.

Here is a picture from last October when Hurricane Sandy hit the New York area.  This is right in front of my sister's apartment.  A huge tree just toppled over and luckily landed on the side walk and not the house.  Even though her home is inland Hurricane Sandy did much damage to the neighbourhood.  The area closer to the shore was very badly damaged and the clean up continues still.  The area of New York City near the shoreline in pictures.

Let's hope these lives can be put back together.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

This entry is intended to provide you with an account of symptoms that alerted me that something was wrong and the progression of a diagnosis by our health care system.  It is somewhat long so grab a drink.

Early August there was a day at work where I experienced a sharp pain in my lower left side.  It was quite painful and I decided to go home at noon to lie down.  Pain was mostly gone by next day and I returned to work.  Decided to call the doctor's office anyway to ask them to book an annual checkup.  I was several months overdue and this was as good a time as any.  Appointment was booked for October 14th.  Busy office.

Life went on as usual.  The only symptoms I recall is feeling bloated much of the time and my belly was expanded somewhat.  Sometime early to mid August I recall that we played a round of golf at Puslinch and we walked the course.  It was a hot day, one of many this past summer, and I recall complaining about the heat.  Nothing out of the ordinary!

Most of the time I didn't have pain per se but I was bloated and gaseous.  I made the decision I was becoming intolerant to some sort of food item and made some effort to remove wheat from my diet to see if anything changed.  I studied up food intolerances and tried substituting for wheat. This went on for a number of days but nothing changed and I was getting larger and more uncomfortable.

On August 22nd we were scheduled to participate in a golf tournament.  By now I was experiencing heaviness in the lower belly, walking was painful and looked 4 or 5 months pregnant!   Oh joy.....There was no way I could do this even with a cart and I suddenly realized I needed to go to the doctor.  Of course, it was the weekend so I went to the clinic.  After some blood work, urine analysis, x-rays and physical examination they could not give me any diagnosis.  There appeared to be some heaviness in the pelvic area and it was probably because I was constipated.  I was given a prescription for some stool softener and an appointment for an ultrasound for August 31st, which was the next step.

We spent the following 5 days at Pat and Suzanne's cottage.  It was during this time that I really came to terms with my inability to walk very far.  We would go for walks and I would end up way behind of everyone and holding my belly.  I couldn't wait to sit down again.  Back pain began as well.

The ultrasound results were available very quickly and my own doctor called August 31st to tell me that there is a sizable tumour close to my ovaries.  She was very sorry to be delivering this news via the phone but thought that I would want to know.  She had also arranged for a CT Scan and appointment was set for September 3rd.  She also arranged an appointment at London Health Sciences Hospital with Dr. Monique Bertrand, Gynecological Oncologist upon the recommendation from the Grand River Cancer Centre.  Things started to happen very fast now.  Both David and I were stunned as you can imagine and quickly had to come to terms of what this meant.

On September 7th we met with Dr. Bertrand.  In her opinion, based on the results of all the diagnostic tests and her physical examination she was quite sure it was cancer.  In the back of our minds we were still hoping it was nothing but we knew.  However, to be 100% sure she requested a biopsy with a oncologist radiologist scheduled for September 17th in London.

She described the treatment plan for ovarian cancer which would begin as soon as possible.  Good news is that I can do this in Kitchener at the Grand River Hosp.  There would be 3 treatments of chemotherapy 3 weeks apart.  Then she will do surgery to remove as much as she can.  After this 3 more treatments to get rid of the remainder missed by surgery.

She didn't think there is one mass as originally thought but several smaller ones.  All in the area of the ovaries.  There was also a possibility of cancer on the peritoneum.  This is the lining of the abdomen.  Treatment is the same for both types of cancer.

This was all confirmed with the biopsy.

Physically, I felt fine as long as I was sitting.  My belly had expanded quite a bit because of something called ascites.  This fluid will reduce with chemotherapy.  My regular clothes do not fit around the waist.


Dr. Bertrand called me at work on September 22nd to discuss the results of the biospy.  She confirmed it was grade 3 ovarian and peritoneal cancer.  Next steps was to send all test results to Grand River Hospital who would get in touch with me for a preliminary meeting.

So on September 29th we met with Dr. Califaretti, oncologist  and my nurse coordinator, Pat to discuss my diagnosis and treatment plan in more detail.  They were wonderful and caring.  Any questions we had were encouraged and they were completely accommodating.  Appointment for first treatment was set for the very next day @ 8:30 am.  My journey is only beginning.......