Donation protected
Earlier this month, after experiencing sudden significant abdominal pain, I was diagnosed with a very large (about 16cm) mass on my left ovary. I was out of work for 3 weeks while undergoing diagnostic testing and waiting for the surgery. All the doctors I interacted with were concerned because the mass had "cancerous properties." I was not able to do minimally invasive surgery because of the risks associated with rupturing the mass, and was given a 4-6 week recovery window. So on Friday, 1/24, I underwent a procedure called a laparotomy, unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Essentially, they opened up my abdomen from below my navel to my pubic bone and removed the mass as well as my left ovary and fallopian tube. The mass turned out to be a cancerous tumor. However, there was no visible evidence of the cancer spreading. I should find out at my follow-up appointment on 2/6 about the results of the biopsies and whether the cancer spread, which will determine whether chemotherapy treatments are in my future. I spent 3 nights in the hospital and was just discharged yesterday, 1/27. So far I'm healing well without any complications (other than needing a second surgery to repair a hernia that resulted from the significant swelling and abdominal pressure created by the mass).
Financially, this experience has taken a toll. After working towards my Ph.D. in clinical child psychology for the past 8 years, I finally was licensed and started a real job with a good salary in September, 2019. Before my diagnosis, I had just started to get my finances in order as far as making my student loan and credit card payments manageable. The additional $3,500 in debt that I've accumulated over the last month from medical bills (this is in addition to the $3,600 MRI bill I had to pay out of pocket and am appealing the insurance company to get reimbursed) has added a lot of financial stress. Meeting the goal of $2000 would allow me to pay off a significant chunk of my medical bills and help me stay financially stable while I'm healing and waiting to return to work. Please consider making a small donation as any little bit will help and I will be extremely grateful.
Continue reading below for the full version of events.
The Full Story
On Friday, January 3rd after a full day of seeing clients at work, I went to the gym to do my normal workout routine. It was an upper body day, so I started on bench press. As I was doing my sets, I noticed a sudden sharp pain in the lower left side of my abdomen. I tried to push through the pain, but near the end of my workout the pain had spread all throughout my abdomen. I was dizzy, nauseous, pale and clammy. I thought I might pass out. I was eventually able to recover and drive myself home where I immediately went to bed. I woke up the next morning with continued pain throughout my abdomen. It hurt to breath and my belly had swollen significantly. I went to the Emergency Room where they did an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan. The doctor told me that I had a very large (about 16 cm) cyst that appeared to be on my left ovary. She asked me about my family history of ovarian cancer, and I told her that to my knowledge there was no family history of ovarian cancer, although I knew my aunt (mother's sister) had uterine cancer and underwent a full hysterectomy before I was born. I was sent home with order to get an MRI and instructions to see my OB/GYN the following Monday.
When I met with my OB/GYN on Monday 1/6, I was in significant pain and my belly had swollen to the point where I looked about 4 months pregnant. She told me my cyst had abnormal, potentially cancerous, qualities and she was highly concerned about it bursting, potentially exposing other parts of my body to cancerous material. She said I would need to schedule surgery ASAP and ordered me to be on bed rest until I could get the cyst surgically removed. She did some blood work to test for cancer markers and referred me to a gynecological oncologist who could do the surgery to remove the cyst as well as order the necessary biopsies to check for cancer and prescribe treatment if cancer was found.
I had to wait until Thursday 1/9 to do my MRI, which added more support to my doctor's suspicions of the cyst being a cancerous tumor. I then had to wait until the following Thursday, 1/16, to do my pre-surgical consultation. The doctor said that, although my cancer markers in my blood were negative, the cyst could still be cancerous. Because he could not rupture the cyst, he would need to perform open surgery which has a 4-6 week recovery period. My surgery was scheduled for the next week, Friday 1/24.
The surgery went well overall. They removed the mass without rupturing it and determined that it was, in fact, cancerous. However, the doctor did not see any cancer growth outside of the tumor. They also had to remove my left ovary and Fallopian tube as well as some of the surrounding tissue to perform biopsies to make sure the cancer had not spread. My left ovary was essentially "dead" due to the tumor cutting off oxygen to the tissue. The doctor said the significant swelling in my abdomen was likely my body's response to the ovary dying. The swelling decreased about a week prior to my surgery because at that point the ovary was "dead." My uterus and right ovary are fine. I have also developed a hernia in my right groin area, likely due to the significant swelling and intra-abdominal pressure from the tumor. Fixing the hernia will require another, hopefully less-invasive surgery.
I spent 3 nights in the hospital and will need another 3-4 weeks minimum before I was get back to work. So far I'm healing well and on track to recovery. I'm able to eat and walk around and my pain is being well-managed. My follow-up appointment is next Thursday, 2/6 and I should find out the results of the biopsies at this appointment. It the biopsies are negative for cancer cells, I'm out of the woods and 100% cancer-free. If the biopsies do show some cancer growth, I'll likely need to do a couple rounds of chemotherapy. My doctor did reassure me that the type of cancer that was found in the tumor is a rarer, but much more treatable, form of ovarian cancer.
In addition to the stress of the pain, medical interventions, time off from work, and uncertainty about my cancer status, there is also a significant financial burden. Luckily, I'm able to quality for short-term disability from my work, which gives me enough to live on. However, I had to pay out of pocket for my MRI because of issues getting pre-authorization from the insurance company. I appealed their initial denial, and have to wait another month for their decision. Meanwhile I have an extra $3,600 sitting on my credit card from the cost of the MRI. The total costs for ER visits, the surgery, and hospital stay in $3,500 (my out-of-pocket max). Meeting my fundraising goal of $2000 will help ameliorate a significant chunk of my financial burden and decrease my overall stress while I focus on recovery.
Financially, this experience has taken a toll. After working towards my Ph.D. in clinical child psychology for the past 8 years, I finally was licensed and started a real job with a good salary in September, 2019. Before my diagnosis, I had just started to get my finances in order as far as making my student loan and credit card payments manageable. The additional $3,500 in debt that I've accumulated over the last month from medical bills (this is in addition to the $3,600 MRI bill I had to pay out of pocket and am appealing the insurance company to get reimbursed) has added a lot of financial stress. Meeting the goal of $2000 would allow me to pay off a significant chunk of my medical bills and help me stay financially stable while I'm healing and waiting to return to work. Please consider making a small donation as any little bit will help and I will be extremely grateful.
Continue reading below for the full version of events.
The Full Story
On Friday, January 3rd after a full day of seeing clients at work, I went to the gym to do my normal workout routine. It was an upper body day, so I started on bench press. As I was doing my sets, I noticed a sudden sharp pain in the lower left side of my abdomen. I tried to push through the pain, but near the end of my workout the pain had spread all throughout my abdomen. I was dizzy, nauseous, pale and clammy. I thought I might pass out. I was eventually able to recover and drive myself home where I immediately went to bed. I woke up the next morning with continued pain throughout my abdomen. It hurt to breath and my belly had swollen significantly. I went to the Emergency Room where they did an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan. The doctor told me that I had a very large (about 16 cm) cyst that appeared to be on my left ovary. She asked me about my family history of ovarian cancer, and I told her that to my knowledge there was no family history of ovarian cancer, although I knew my aunt (mother's sister) had uterine cancer and underwent a full hysterectomy before I was born. I was sent home with order to get an MRI and instructions to see my OB/GYN the following Monday.
When I met with my OB/GYN on Monday 1/6, I was in significant pain and my belly had swollen to the point where I looked about 4 months pregnant. She told me my cyst had abnormal, potentially cancerous, qualities and she was highly concerned about it bursting, potentially exposing other parts of my body to cancerous material. She said I would need to schedule surgery ASAP and ordered me to be on bed rest until I could get the cyst surgically removed. She did some blood work to test for cancer markers and referred me to a gynecological oncologist who could do the surgery to remove the cyst as well as order the necessary biopsies to check for cancer and prescribe treatment if cancer was found.
I had to wait until Thursday 1/9 to do my MRI, which added more support to my doctor's suspicions of the cyst being a cancerous tumor. I then had to wait until the following Thursday, 1/16, to do my pre-surgical consultation. The doctor said that, although my cancer markers in my blood were negative, the cyst could still be cancerous. Because he could not rupture the cyst, he would need to perform open surgery which has a 4-6 week recovery period. My surgery was scheduled for the next week, Friday 1/24.
The surgery went well overall. They removed the mass without rupturing it and determined that it was, in fact, cancerous. However, the doctor did not see any cancer growth outside of the tumor. They also had to remove my left ovary and Fallopian tube as well as some of the surrounding tissue to perform biopsies to make sure the cancer had not spread. My left ovary was essentially "dead" due to the tumor cutting off oxygen to the tissue. The doctor said the significant swelling in my abdomen was likely my body's response to the ovary dying. The swelling decreased about a week prior to my surgery because at that point the ovary was "dead." My uterus and right ovary are fine. I have also developed a hernia in my right groin area, likely due to the significant swelling and intra-abdominal pressure from the tumor. Fixing the hernia will require another, hopefully less-invasive surgery.
I spent 3 nights in the hospital and will need another 3-4 weeks minimum before I was get back to work. So far I'm healing well and on track to recovery. I'm able to eat and walk around and my pain is being well-managed. My follow-up appointment is next Thursday, 2/6 and I should find out the results of the biopsies at this appointment. It the biopsies are negative for cancer cells, I'm out of the woods and 100% cancer-free. If the biopsies do show some cancer growth, I'll likely need to do a couple rounds of chemotherapy. My doctor did reassure me that the type of cancer that was found in the tumor is a rarer, but much more treatable, form of ovarian cancer.
In addition to the stress of the pain, medical interventions, time off from work, and uncertainty about my cancer status, there is also a significant financial burden. Luckily, I'm able to quality for short-term disability from my work, which gives me enough to live on. However, I had to pay out of pocket for my MRI because of issues getting pre-authorization from the insurance company. I appealed their initial denial, and have to wait another month for their decision. Meanwhile I have an extra $3,600 sitting on my credit card from the cost of the MRI. The total costs for ER visits, the surgery, and hospital stay in $3,500 (my out-of-pocket max). Meeting my fundraising goal of $2000 will help ameliorate a significant chunk of my financial burden and decrease my overall stress while I focus on recovery.
Organizer
Michelle Hendrickson
Organizer
West Falls Church, VA