Cancer....surgery....recovery....

You know it's really amazing how quickly we are reminded of how precious life truly is. 

In November I went in for my yearly appointment with my amazing OB, Dr. Romberg. The results came back abnormal, which isn't always something to be concerned about. I went in again for another check and again, it came back abnormal. In December I was scheduled for a colposcopy which was an in office procedure that basically took away the area that showed abnormal cells. 

The procedure showed severe abnormal cells still again and the severity was worse that expected, pre-cancerous cells, therefore scheduling me for what is called a "cone" procedure. This procedure is an extensive biopsy of the area, a day surgery to remove the cancerous cells. It would also give my doctor an idea of how severe the pre-cancerous cells. I went in early January and was so blessed with the help of my mom, dad and step parents with the triplets. The hope was that after 6 weeks of recovery from the "cone" procedure, I would have a CTScan and that the cancer would be gone. 

The results however showed, stage 1 cervical cancer. I remember my doctor calling me. I was in my kitchen with my grandmother. My babies were at Mother's Day Out, Mimi and I were recovering chairs in my dining room. My phone rang, and it was my doctor's cell phone. She explained all the details and what would happen next. I would need to recover and heal from the cone procedure and then have tests following. That would be the only way to get a clear idea of the cell activity and make for certain there was nothing else after the area have been removed. 

Here I am with 2 of my loves, resting and snuggling. They totally understood that momma had a "boo boo."

               

With much prayer and support, I had to wait. 

There was a small set back however at about week 2. I came down with a small cold. I started coughing and just not feeling great. I dropped the kids off to school and carried on with my normal routine. I went to the bathroom and noticed an abnormal amount of blood, possibly coming from the surgery site. I called my doctor immediately and they told me to come into the office. Jack came home to drive me, I was loosing too much blood to even drive myself. Our dear friend Kathy came over to take care of the kids while we rushed to the doctors office. 

I won't go into too many details, but the bottom line was that after about 3 times trying to pack my inside, not asleep mind you, they were not able to stop the bleeding. I was admitted into the Baylor that evening. The goal was to try to stop the bleeding and heal from there, however after almost 72 hours, and the condition not changing, Dr. Romberg had to stitch up the area again. I had coughed so hard at some point, that a stitch loosened. 

Let me just tell you this was when the line "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health" really shows its true colors. If it would not have been for my amazing husband Jack, I would NOT have made it thru the pain and suffering of the past 72 hours. He squeezed my hand when I was in pain, he helped me stay dry and clean, he made sure I was comfortable, and just did whatever he could to make sure I was taken care of. I am so grateful for all he did for me. 

I was released from the hospital the day following the 2nd procedure and had to take it EASY again really had to heal. I am so grateful that my Dad and Denise were able to take the babies to East Texas for a week so I could recover. This gave me the time I truly needed to heal and stay healed. I had to wait another 6 weeks tho to check to see if the cancer was still there. The waiting game...agian....

After 6 weeks I was scheduled for a CTScan to see if the cancer had spread. Jack and I went in early one morning and were placed in a room. I had to drink this radioactive "smoothie" and digest for close to 2 hours before the scan was performed. It did not taste good at all! 

The scan came back clear. The cancer had NOT spread and did not show any signs of existence. The cone procedure had worked and gotten the amount that was cancerous. A hysterectomy was scheduled. I was so fortunate that Dr. Romberg has a partner who is knowledgeable in the robotics hysterectomy procedure. This would allow for minimal invasive surgery that would actually only take about 1-2 weeks to heal, and close to 4 weeks for full recovery. For a momma with triplets, this was something that was a great option! It was somewhat of a

Dad and Denise offered to watch the babies again for a week while I recovered from surgery. I went in early on a spring morning and for the 3rd time was put under, with hope that this would be the very last time.

It took about 3-4 weeks for full recovery, but I was able to do things with my family and around the house after about 2 weeks.

Here are some pictures I took while I was recovering....

My babies knew their Momma was sick, but weren't exactly sure what was going on. I am SO grateful for a faithful Father, a smart doctor, a loving family and supportive church. God is good.