Tanya's Cancer Blog
December 28, 2006
| Last chemo yesterday!!!! Yeah! | Views: 176 |
Well, I did it! Despite feeling nauseas and feverish, I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders yesterday. I got a certificate signed by all of the nurses saying I completed my cycle, and then got to ring the bell while everyone else in the room clapped. How fun! I also passed off my Chicken Soup for the Cancer Survivor’s Soul to the woman sitting next to me. She has breast cancer, and got very emotional listening to my story and telling hers. I said I’d been waiting for the right person to pass the book off to, and I just found her. I signed it, put my age, type of cancer, and signed it “Survived!”. I said she can do the same and pass it on when she’s finished. How cool would it be if 100 people read it and signed, especially if you were #100 and saw all of the people who made it before you!
So all good news from the doctors. My regular oncologist, who’s my age, great sense of humor, and very competent, said I’m hired to be the positive spokesperson for all of his other female patients. I said surly, and that I will be sure to mention the hair loss perks, like no leg hair or arm-pit hair for months, (or pubic hair if you would call that a perk). My blood counts are amazing and I have had so few nasty side-effects, he was frankly quite amazed. I mentioned that I’m having night-sweats still and he replies by saying “Sorry, my fault.” Funny guy, but actually it’s really the chemo’s fault. Whatever, could be SOOOOO much worse. Although it is pretty funny that my 62 year, post-menopausal mother and I have something else in common now. And she took up crocheting again, so now we sit around and “stitch and bitch” about night sweats and whatever else.
We’ve become so close since she moved out here to take care of me, it’s really been special for us both.
February 8th…official surgery date. My gynecology oncologist is a man of few words, and I think I saw a faint eye-roll when I whipped out my list of questions, but hey, I pay him! But he’s EXTREMELY good at what he does, and has gone above and beyond to try to save my fertility. But, unfortunately I still need the total hysterectomy. Irvin and I have come to terms with it, and honestly, if he said “guess what! you can have a baby on your own!”, we would have been thrown for a huge loop and in some ways felt worse. SO the surgery will be 3-4 hours, another big incision, but on my existing scar plus a little, 3-4 days in the hospital. I told him I can’t eat hospital food ever again, so I’m bringing my own, he said whatever I need to do, just no pizza and big macs. Darn. I swear they purposely feed you crap so you have to stay longer! I’m a chronic label-reader and I was appalled at the shit they try to feed you! Sugar, salt, trans-fat, whole milk, creamed everything…ack! I’m going to be so prepared this time, my last hospital stay was, to say the least, traumatizing. I got worse as days went on. Do you think they’d object to an aroma-therapy mister in my room??? I figured incense and candles were out of the question.
Thank you everyone for all of your support! I love hearing that so many people are following along, it really gives me strength and means a great deal to me. I’m taking a 1 month vacation before the last big push in February, but I will keep everyone posted!
Much love,
Tanya
11.07.06 - 
Thanks for your support -
Very good news. Now one last surgery and you can get on with the rest of your life. Congratulations!
hello tanya,
great news i am sooo happy for you!
I am also an ovarian cancer survivor !
I am 31 and I have been cancer free for one year ! My husband and I are hopping to be pregnant by march . If there is hope for me then there is hope for any one !
Kara
why are there so many women under the age of 33 with OvCa in their past? I thought this was supposed to be a disease for women over 50.
When I called the obgyn who was supposed to remove my cyst to tell him it was cancer, he said “that is impossible, you are way too young!” Yeah… it felt impossible to me too.
Kara and Tanya, best of luck to you both!
Yeah, I was told that I had endometriosis… much to the doctor’s surprise when they found cancer! Everyone was blown away. Just a question for you both…I’m wondering how different our diagnosis are since you were both able to preserve your fertility and I can’t? I have stage 1C, invasive in one ovary and micro-invasive in the other. Just wondering…
Hurrah! Great news and what a way to start the new year. I share your disdain for hospital food and the disconnect between what health care professionals tell us about diet and what they feed us when we are in their care. The only positive thing is that when I have been hospitalized I have not wanted anything to eat anyway so what they brought was irrelevent. Bless you in the new year.
And about that hospital food…..I finally just told them to bring me a cheese sandwich and V8 juice, no way they could screw that up.
Happy New Year!
Tanya,
I’m so glad that I found this site! CONGRATS!
I think that anyone who has survived what we have needs a much needed vacation! Glad that you are taking the time to go somewhere, and enjoy!
I am also a OvCa survior stage IIIC. My last treatment was Nov. 27th ( I had 6 treatments total) and will be 47 next month. My husband is from Scottsdale, where he lived when we met 5 1/5 years ago, so I actually know where your city is!
I can relate to the hospital food. My first hospital stay was 12 days…the bullion they brought me had so much salt in it…YUCK! Even though my stay was long, and the food was actually freshly cooked…they wouldn’t let me eat it most of it…I was on a soft food diet when I got out.
The second stay was much worse, and a different hospital…I was only in there for 5 days…but it felt like an eternity! Again…soft food diet up until they released me.
I’ve heard about getting to ring the bell, but at my Oncologist’s office, they don’t do that. Maybe I can get them to start the tradition.
I also like what you did with your copy of Chicken Soup…great idea! I purchased a couple of baseball caps that said “Cancer Sucks”, and another that was white crochet. I gave them all to ladies that either didn’t have a cap…just hadn’t gotten around to getting one.
I also purchased teal bracelets that say; “It whispers…so listen”, and have given them to friends, and other cancer survivors. I just want to help get the word out to women that this is a silent killer…and think what your husband wants to do is a truely wonderful thing!
Great to meet you, and hope all goes well for you in the upcoming year!
Karen
tanya,
congrats on finishing the chemo. what spirit kid! keep up the good work. tell irv and ma i said hi. thinking of you always.
paul s.
Great news. I can see why they think you’d be a great poster girl for all this. What an inspiration you are.
Twelve years and I’m still sweating all night.Yuck.
Love to you and your Mom.
Janie
to answer your question from above. I was diagnosed with stage 2C. The cancer tumor grew in my left ovary on the outside part. It spread to my pelvic wall. It did not spread to my uterus nor did it spread to my right ovary. Before my surgery, they did not suspect cancer at all, just a cyst. I felt very strongly that I did not want to wake up with no ovaries. I told my doctor that. So, he checked my right ovary thoroughly and it looked good. Of course, when i woke up and they told me they removed one ovary, tube, and “some other stuff that looked funny” I flipped out. I was on morphine and started calling people (still don’t know who I called) I was screaming, “these bastards stole my ovary”. No one told me I had cancer until the next day. They “didn’t want to upset me”. So…...... I felt just fine that they removed it once I knew why.
I followed up surgery with six rounds of carbo platinum and Taxol.
I am told that I can try to have kids if I make it two years out. I was also told I’m not considered fully cured until 5 years out. I’m not sure I want to think about having children until I can consider myself fully cured. I’ll be 35 at that point and my boyfriend will be 44. I’m not sure what we will do. Right now, we are just enjoying each other and our dogs. I was never 100% sure I wanted babies… so maybe this is nature’s way of making the decision for me.
Best of luck to you Tanya. I think you will make a great mom! You are very strong.
Congratulations Tanya!
So glad to hear your good news ~ you’ve done a great job getting through your chemo – I’m so happy for you! Nice to hear you’re taking a month off before the next step – are you and Irvin going out of town, or would you guys like to get together for a congratulatory dinner? We’d love to take you to celebrate. Give me a call if you’d like to. If not, we understand – and don’t forget you and Irvin (and your Mom!) are in our thoughts.
Happy New Year too as we look forward to many more ~
Luv & Hugs, Caryl & Doug