But of course, I really do have on underwear. I'm just not having surgery today ;-)
The oncologist does not feel like any kind of surgery is indicated at this time. She said, "Karen, you don't have cancer. Lets watch and see what happens."
It was a really difficult message for me to comprehend there in the office. My OB/GYN told me she would send me to see the oncologist, but that I would just be hearing the same thing that she already told me. I believed her. I believed it so deeply that it was hard to make myself even go to get the second opinion. I believed it so deeply that I was aggressively working to prepare myself for this terrible surgery...or some kind of surgery anyway. All the questions I had prepared in advance were written from the perspective of someone planning to have some kind of surgery. Everything I read pointed that direction. Everything I heard pointed that direction. And then I had all these opinions from many different folks...all well intended, and all rooted in personal experiences, beliefs, perceptions, etc. Some were staunch surgery believers. Some were staunch surgery opposers. Most fell somewhere in-between.
Tomorrow I will go do a follow-up ultrasound to check on the ovarian cyst, and also to check on the current status of the fibroid and to see what or how much remnant of the tumor still exists, if any. Most likely that will simply be compared with the ultrasound done last December, prior to the tumor resection. Then we'll look at it again in 4-6 months and again another 4-6 months after that. If it grows then she may change her mind...she doesn't like it when things grow. But for now, all is good.
So happy ;-)
Lessons learned:
- Always get a 2nd opinion, no matter what
- Sometimes little sisters know what they are talking about
- It pays to be informed when you go talk to a specialist
- Be weary of doctors who burn your butt
- Preparing for the worst is a challenge--preparing for anything is harder
