I’ve never one to stand up to doctors (except the ones I work with…I’m a nurse), but a little voice told me “waiting and watching” just wasn’t good enough. Since I wanted to try to get pregnant after the marathon in March, I asked that he do an exploratory laparoscopy to get a definitive diagnosis. Her desire was to see her family and friends accept Christ and live a life pleasing to him. My mom is a mother of two girls and 7 grandchildren. She is a graduate of VSU with a Masters in Sociology. She has spent the last 20 plus years of her life working in the ministry.
It was 3rd stage ovarian cancer and the doctor said her probibility of survival with chemotherapy treatment was 1-5 years. In mid-January 1992 (6 months after the normal check-up), still feeling fat, I found, much to my surprise that I had a sudden weight loss of ten pounds. That kind of weight loss is very unusual for me even on a diet, but I didn’t take it as a negative happening.
June 99 I was experienced gastrointestinal discomforts to the point of vomiting until the pains subsided. There were only two episodes but enough to how to exclude words from google search send me to the personal physician. I did have a distended abdomen at that point and irregular periods, but assumed they were premenopausal symptoms.
Might not be wise, or every persons’ prize , but the point is…I almost died. To my friends and family, who have endured eternally, this person of my own who breaths shade and light and trees, yes me…I want to thank you for being there, for being fair. For seeing my vision of a person whole, which tries to control, but can’t. A new soul of happenstance…A person who now knows a new kind of control…one I can not predict. And I was never one to forfeit…so to feel for it….I want it…go ALL, especially what I’ve given up to learn from it…and still life is worth it.
In hindsight, she had most of the symptoms of ovarian cancer for several months. The only symptom she did not have was the bloating, possibly because she was on a no-salt diet with my dad. During this time, she was diagnosed with digestive tract issues. It wasn’t until her gastro doctor insisted that she have exploratory surgery that she finally consented. Mom and Dad had to cancel a cruise with their high school classmates to have the surgery. Mom had never been sick and the prospect of surgery scared her.
