Amputation to Rid Cancer

I was in complete shock when I read this story. And I have to say, I am not sure I would have been strong enough to have this procedure done to me. Here's the story:

A Lacey's Spring, Alabama women underwent a translumbar amputation on March 27 th 2009. Translumbar amputation (also known as hemicorporectomy) is a medical procedure that removes the legs, pelvic bones, genitals, urinary system, rectum and base of the spine (in short...everything from the waist down). A very drastic way of ridding one's self of cancer, but was necessary to live.
Melissa McCutcheon is a single mom with 2 daughters, Alyssa is 13, and LeAnna is 14. She was diagnosed in October 2002 with cervical cancer. Since that time, Melissa had undergone numerous surgeries and treatments to help stop the cancer, but they failed. She had 54 radiation treatments, chemotherapy, hysterectomy, removal of part of her colon and bladder, and surgery to disconnect her right kidney...but the cancer still spread.
The cancer then forced her to become bedridden by effecting the bones in her hips and giving her nerve damage in her legs. It was when it finally spread to the base of her spine, that she consulted her gynocologic oncologist about the translumbar amputation.
The doctors said the surgery went as "planned" and she is recovery nicely. Melissa will eventually be fitted with a "bucket shaped" prosthesis to allow her to sit up.
This was an extremely intense story for me to read as I am sure it is for most. Her courage and strength is heroic to us all. I would like to leave you with this quote from Melissa McCutcheon:

"My daughters want me to be there to go to soccer games, to their graduation, if this is the only way that can happen, they're OK with it. More than anything, I'm happy to have a shot at finally being rid of the cancer."

My Stay at the Hospital Part 2

sunday wasn't such a big deal as i was home and had to be at the hospital on monday morning at 8am. though we were sure that surgery was to be on monday (mainly because we were told that), i took the adequate preparations to insure a complication free operation. i refrained from eating and drinking after midnight...even alcohol which would have made sleeping and relaxation a little easier. i went to bed around 12:30am and finally drifted off to sleep around 2am. i awoke bright and early at 6 in the morning and, as i was under the assumption that my conization was in a few hours, i denied myself my morning coffee as well as water or anything else. needless to say, i was incredibly thirsty and my mouth felt like it was stuffed with moth balls. i hadn't had cotton mouth that bad since my pot smoking days. which brings us to another chapter...monday
to be continued....

Happy Valentines Day

as the days get closer to my time of surgery, it is nice to be able to take a step back and look around on this day and see all the people i love and who love me. that is what this day is about after all.
i go in to the hospital on monday morning at 8am and will be in there for at least a few days. we visited the last doctor (anesthesiologist) yesterday and everything is fine for me to get the operation. but like i said, that is monday and today is a beautiful Valentines Day in Zagreb so i plan to live it up. we have plans to go to the mall and do a little shopping for books, so i have something to read while i recover. also going to get some food so i have snacks in there as well. i don't care what country you live in, hospital food is hospital food.
i also plan to quit smoking after my stay. i can't smoke in the hospital so will be without cigarettes a few days anyway....seems like the perfect time and the perfect thing to do. wish me luck as it won't be easy.
ok, going to get going and enjoy this lovely day...hope you all have a great one.

Conization

So i went to the doctor yesterday and found out that i need a conization. of course, after i got home, i started doing research on this. here is what i found out:

conization, also known as cone biopsy or cold knife biopsy, is where a piece of flesh from the cervix is taken out, either with a scalpel or laser, in the shape of a triangle. this piece is similar to a cone shape, hence the name.
this procedure has 2 functions:

1. to remove the abnormal or cancerous cells
2. to further investigate the extent of the cancer

upon removal of the tissue, the sample is then examined and the doctor and patient then decide what the following steps should be. sometimes, this is all that needs to be done. sometimes, further treatment is required.

this is a picture that i found on the internet giving a description of the cone biopsy process.

In a cone biopsy, the patient lies on her back, and a speculum is inserted into the vagina (A). The cervix is visualized, and a cone-shaped piece of the cervix is removed (B and C). A cauterizing tool is used to stop any bleeding (D).

in rare cases, it may become impossible to carry a fetus full term, so you may want to ask your doctor about this if you want to have children in the future.

Worried About Surgery

its been a few days since my last post and for that i apologize. i spoke to my doctor on monday and i have an appointment tomorrow to go over the steps we are going to take with my cancer.
i have been depressed and didn't want that to come out in my blog, so i stayed away. as i said in earlier posts, i am an american living in croatia and right now i am worried about the communication difference, among other things. will i be able to talk to the nurses or doctors in the hospital? will they understand me if something hurts? will i be able to understand them when they tell me of my progress?
it may not seem like a big deal to most, but to me it is.
then there is the recovery period. i have never been pampered and i am guessing that that will not change. though, from what i have read, i will be out of commission for a few weeks. i will have to limit physical activity. problem is, i don't think i can. and if i do, then i will have weeks worth of dishes and cleaning to catch up on. should i pamper myself and play catch-up later, or just ignore doctors orders and go about my normal routine?
what would you do?

The Right to Live vs. Insurance

not sure about everyone out there, but i reside in zagreb, croatia. i am a united states citizen, born and raised for 35 years, so i know how the US health care system is. i currently have insurance to which we (my boyfriend actually) pays every month. it is expensive but mandatory here.
it is extremely difficult to find a gynecologist that accepts insurance that is taking on new patients. let alone trying to find one that speaks english. so everything so far has been out of pocket expense and quite frankly, we are going broke because of it.
if paying for insurance is required, then the government should be required to provide adequate doctors.
when i go into the hospital, fortunately (i guess), it will be covered by insurance. however, the cost of the operation is 4,000 kunas and 150 kunas per night, roughly 4 nights, in the hospital. those figures are our co-pay of 10%. so the entire process will cost about 4600 kunas or $1000 our expense and 46,000 or $10,000 totaled.
why does a procedure that they consider to be "routine" and only takes about 2 hours cost $8000 to begin with?
and why does the person who is needing the surgery have to pay? haven't they been through enough? when will the bureaucrats get off their asses and start helping civilians? do we not have a right to live or does that just pertain to the elite?

Informing Your Loved Ones That You Have Cancer

well i finally got around to telling my family that i have cancer. i didn't want to ruin their holidays so i waited until after to inform them of what was going on.
and, no, they do not read my blog...i didn't tell them i even had one. some things i like to write about and get my thoughts organized before my family knows. that's just the way i am:)
anywho, the questions for today are "how do you tell your loved ones that you are sick", and "do you actually let them know how you are coping with it"?
i guess honesty is the best policy but is that always true?
here's the situation:
when i e-mailed my sister and told her about my cancer coming back and the surgery, she told me that my mother has had heart problems and needs to see a cardiologist as soon as possible. my mother told her not to tell me because i "had enough on my plate". this of course is ridiculous! i thanked my sister for letting me know, but then thought, "i am a hypocrite". i withheld the information because i didn't want to worry them, but then i was upset when they withheld information from me for the same reason.
now, do i actually tell them that i have bouts of depression because of my cancer? or do i tell them i am doing fine and to not worry? would i want the truth from them even if i lie? where does hypocritical start and reassurance end?
it's interesting...i never thought of myself as a hypocrite in that sense, but i guess i am...as are many people. after all, small lies to comfort someone is still, in fact, a lie.

so if doctors take the hippocratic oath, does that mean that the patients are entitled to the hypocritical one?

Beginnings

well, it's official. we found out last night that it is in fact cancer. i need to call my doctor after january 7th and we can set up an appointment for surgery. needless to say i have been doing a lot of reading on the internet about hysterectomies, chemotherapy, radiation, etc...
its very scary, but i am trying my best to stay optimistic about all of this. its not the fact that i am fighting cancer for the second time in my life, but the fact that i am fighting. and i will continue to fight for as long as it takes.
this is not the end of my life, but the beginning. my outlook and perspectives are finally taking form. and though i am far from being an olympic athlete, i can and will jump any hurdle this life has to offer. i have the right to free will, the right to free speech and i have the right to live. i have been alive for 37 years, but now is when i finally start living.