Let’s begin
Officially in cancer territory
In July, I was diagnosed with stage IV endometriosis after about a year and a half of escalating menstrual pain. The first specialist I saw chose mitigation as treatment. It dulled the pain, at best, and I managed it as best as I could as I needed to power through my last year of school and two jobs.
Two days after my 41st birthday in March, I ended up in the emergency room in debilitating pain. I had two fibroids in my ovaries that had ballooned to about twice their size in the last few months and a massive infection that was a hair away from sepsis.
I spent nine days in the hospital and had two surgical procedures. The second one was a laparoscopy with the intention of removing my ovaries and fallopian tubes, which they could not do because I had so much inflammation. What they did do was clean up my many abscesses and send off a sample for a biopsy.
On April 5th, my health records app pinged me about my biopsy results. I’ve been sitting on it for the last 12 days until my gynecological team could confirm it in today’s appointment. Pathology found a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma, and they’re transitioning my care to a gynecologic oncologist, whom I hope to hear from in the next week or so.
I’m now officially in cancer territory. And I still have stage IV endometriosis. I still have two weeks left of school. I still have a mountain of work waiting for me.
Most importantly, I still want to live. I still want to get really, really old with Ibz. I still want to have ridiculous adventures with my family. I still want to see my best friends again. I still want to spend the coming summer biking and hiking and camping and rollerblading (I bought a pair today). I still want to get better at skiing (next season). I still want to swim, be in the sea again. I still want to buy this pink electric guitar. I still want to write the best thing I’ve ever written.
And I believe I can still do it all. After all, a low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma is as non-threatening as cancer can possibly be, from what I’ve read.
The rest of my life starts now.