19/06/2017
Have you read Tammi Letourneau-Hart's story? She wrote this by request for the YWCA........She was amazing!
I'm a 39 year old female. I had a my tubes tied 15 years ago, I'm telling you that because in Feb 2014 I started noticing I was gaining weight. My boyfriend and I had been eating out allot and eating at buffets a lot, I did not think anything of it really. I had different things going on like one day my stomach would feel very bloated and then my back would be very sore then my periods started coming every other week. I did not feel good at all and I had gotten a cold. I did a few different dollar store home tests. First I did a pregnancy test and when it was neg as I expected, I then thought maybe I have a tubular pregnancy and then I did a home UTI test and was unsure how to read it. The next day I felt very bad. I went to work and I had to sit down many times as my back was in allot of pain and my stomach hurt very bad, I had went up three pants sizes from the beginning of Feb it was now March 20th and when I got home from work I layedd down for an hour or so and told my boyfriend I could not handle the pain any longer and I need to go to the ER. The doctor ran a urine test, a blood test, he took a chest x Ray and he came up with nothing. I felt like he was treating me like a drug seeker as I could not explain why I felt sooo sick but it was not just hurting in one place. He sent me home with cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep. I suffered through the weekend and on Mon March 24 I could not handle the pain any longer and I called into work and then called the DR., my doctor was full so I asked to please get me in with anybody available. The Dr. Asked me what was wrong and she asked to listen to my stomach and with in two minutes she told me I needed a CT scan and she ordered it right away, I was all done and back in bed by noon. The Dr.told me she would not be In the office until Wed and she would let me know what the results are then.
I was back in bed by noon and I slept until the next day in constant pain and disomfort.
Tues morning I woke up to the phone at 7:45am, it was my boss wondering what was going on. The other line beeped in and it was the DR. Office telling me I need to come in to discuss my results. I was thinking why can't you just tell me over the phone that I need some laxatives because I'm constipated. I went in by myself thinking it was not a big deal and when I got there a different Dr. That I did not know came in and explained to me that the CT scan revealed five tumors on my ovaries and there was some thickness around my kidney so they want me to go have an MRI to get a closer look at what's going on.
All I heard was cancer, tumors and MRI, I went home and called my Mom and asked her to please come right away(she lives in IA) I was in shock, scared, dis belief and I wanted her more than anything to be with me when I went back to get the full results of this nightmare. I went in and had the Mri done at Mercy Hospital the next day. My Mom came to Minnesota right away on Wed March 26th, we went together this time to get the full results and I recorded the Dr. As he spoke so I could go back later and listen if needed. The Dr. Explained that I had five cancerous tumors 1 very large one (8 # 11oz at surgery) on my left o***y two med size ( like grapefruits) on my right o***y and two smaller ones(like a lemon or lime) on my right kidney. He stated I needed to go to a oncologist OB DR. Asap and he then recommended DR. Tan at mn C**n Rapids oncology. She however was on vacation and would not be back for ten days or so. I then was told to make an appointment right away with my primary DR. YAZIGI at Allina health C**n Rapids. (The two doctors that had seen me were from the same office) internal medicine. I got in to see her on Friday, she had already Horton all my results and knew what was going on. All the doctors and staff had been amazing so far, they scheduled all my appointments for my Ct scan and MRI the same day I was in, they made it all a little less devastating by me not having to call and make all these appointments and having to repeat my self over and over. My pmd prescribed me some Percocet for the pain wished me the best of luck and I went home. I was so confused and scared. My Mom then started contacting my brother in AZ and my sister in Rochester,MN
My brother requested all the paperwork/ test records ect be scanned and emailed right away as he could not believe what we were telling him so he wanted to see for himself. My sister was angry that I could not get in to the ob/onc for ten days and she insisted I come to the Mayo clinic right away. I'm the baby of the three of us. My mom did a great job explaining to me what was going on and then she went back home while we waited to get in to Dr. Tan. I returned to work on light duty were I sat at the desk all dayand answered phones and did pc work. I work for a rental car company and I drive the cars to body shops for customers who have been in an accident and I also wash and detail cars, I was in way to much pain to be getting in and out of cars all day.
On April 8th I went in to see Dr. Tan and she explained to me that I had ovarian cancer and kidney cancer (1 in 100,000 people get 2 cancers at the same time that are not related) She then explained that I would need a complete hysterectomy plus my appendix removed along with the tumors, she recommended me to a kidney Dr. Upstairs from her office and got me an appointment the next day. I went to my appointment the next day and he explained he would need to remove my right kidney due to cancer. The Doctors would now have to find a date that they were both available at the same time for my six hour surgery. They were able to schedule it for 4/14/14 at 6am.
I was still in alot of pain and my stomach was so big I was unable to to get up from the couch without assistance, I needed help bathing and the pain Percocet was not helping at all. DR.TAN prescribed me Oxycodone and took me of work for 6-8 weeks. I was not sure how I would pay my bills as I had only been with that company for three months, I had no medical insurance and no benefits to help during this medical leave.
I have two children, both girls. One is 22 and the other 14. I explained to them what was going on and naturally they were very scared. (My oldest daughter was 5 months pregnant at that time)
My Mom came back to Mn to be with me for the surgery and my family and friends came to the hospital with me the day of surgery. The surgery lasted 6 1/2 hours, they did a full hysterectomy and the other Dr. Removed 1/3 of my right kidney. The Doctors were very good at keeping my family updated during the surgery.
I woke up in a room and I was hooked up to oxygen and I was still very loopy from the surgery meds. I only remember a few things about that day. The nurses were all very nice and helpful. I was on a lot of pain meds for five days. My nurses got me up twice a day to take a walk and I could not be released until my kidneys and bowels were functioning correctly. I received allot of gifts and flowers and I had many visitors it all still felt like a dream as it happened so fast and came on so quickly it was a huge shock to me and everyone around me.
Dr. Tan and her team came to see me to inform me that they believe they got all the tumors and cancer out during surgery however I had many lymph nodes that had fallen off what they called my fatty blanket when they removed it so I would now need to do 6 rounds of chemo therapy to make sure it does not spread any were else.
They sent me home after five days with oxygen to be used 24 hours a day, I was told not to drive, not to vacuum, not to sit in a bath and not to lift anything over 10 lbs for five weeks.
I went in for my two week check up and my incision looked great however I was still in excruciating pain in my stomach.They said drink lots of water and fluids to keep my kidneys and bowels moving and that would help the pain.
Dr. Tans nurse told me that they had many resources at the clinic and if I wanted to talk to the financial counselor I could, they also explained that I would be getting carbo and taxol for my chemo treatments and I would loose my hair 14 days after my first treatment, The clinic has a room for patients to go to and pick it 1 wig and some hats, scarves and turbans at no cost as it is all donated to them, if you do not alter the wig in any way you can exchange it through out your treatments for a different one.
I was in so much pain I thought I will never recover, I went to the county and applied for assistance, cash, medical and did stamps. I was approved for 437.00 cash, 317.00 in food stamps and full medical for my daughter and I. They helped me fill out child support papers and file them as they will not give assistance without them. This was not enough money for me to pay my bills and I began falling into deep depression as all the bills started coming in, my family all went back home and I felt all alone. I did not want to ask anybody for anything so the stress and depression worsened and I felt helpless. My PD put me on zanax and Zoloft to help with all these feelings.
I began praying and reading uplifting quotes and preparing myself for this very scary journey that I would be on for months. As long as I keep my spirits high, positive thoughts and don't think about all the bad things that are beyond my control I would be ok. I let go and have it all to God to help me through this journey.
I started hearing about different programs that offer grant money to women with ovarian cancer. I applied for a 1500.00 grant from Pay it forward and I also applied for a grant from the Ángel foundation. My doctors had to fill out portions of everything I applied for and I was granted 2350.00 all together between the two foundations. My mother started an online benefit donation site called "Pay it forward" and my friends and family begin donating money everyday.
It was time to get my port put in to begin chemo soon. I woke up and got in the shower and went to get my clothes and I got very dizzy and light headed and felt like I was going to pass out, I sat on the couch for a few minutes and tried to relax. My girlfriend was on her way to get me to drive me to the hospital and when she knocked at the door it took me a minute to answer as I was still very dizzy, when she came in I told her I don't want to scare you but I cannot stand up for more than 2-3 minutes without getting very dizzy and she said well let's just go to the hospital atleast they can help if you pass out. So I got there and I was so dizzy I needed a chair to ride in to get upstairs. I quickly found my bed and the nurse came in surprised that I was already in my bed. I proceeded to tell her I was very dizzy and I felt like I was going to pass out when I stand up. The next thing I know I was surrounded by doctors and machines and my blood pressure was very low( chemo causes what they call"chemo brain" I cannot remember alot of things) I don't remember the numbers but they sent me to the ER and I spent the next nine hours waiting for answers after many tests they found for liquid pockets in my stomach three on my left side and one above my right kidney, the doctors were unsure what it was from so after they spoke with my oncologist she told them to admit me. I had a CT scan fine the next day and they pulled some of the liquid out with a needle and sent it to the lab to be tested and then they put a tube in my stomach to drain the other liquid out slowly. They kept me in the hospital for five days. I was again scared and alone, feeling worthless that I could not be there for my children and I just wanted to go home.
During all of this I was unable to eat and with a combination of everything they took out of me I had lost 40 lbs and they sent me to a dietitian to make sure I was informed of what I needed to be eating and drinking to stay healthy during chemo. My body is now very saggy, weak and out of shape because of all of this. I'm unable to diet but I would think that a low profile workout if approved by my doctor would be helpful in many ways to not only help me look better but to feel better and restore my strength for when I'm able to go back to work. I have nephropathy in my hands as most chemo patients get in there hands and feet. I constantly feel like I have a steam roller going up and down my legs constantly from having no vit D in my body. Cancer has taken a huge toll on my body and I'm very weak and unable to do many things because of it. I believe if the YWCA wad an option for cancer patients/ survivors it would be a phenomenal gift. Many women in my cancer group have stayed that they either gained a huge amount of Wright or lost a large amount and I'm sure they could benefit from this program if offered to them.
I have three chemo treatments left, my hair is starting to slowly pop back out and I still have no answers to the liquid that is still in my stomach causing me pain everyday and leaving me to take a variety of pain pills, anti anxiety and depression medicines as will as anti nausea, vit D and hydroxyzine to help make all the other meds work better and help me sleep. Cancer has given me a whole new outlook on life. I appreciate everyday that I'm able to get out of bed, I talk to my family more often and I spend every good minute with my children. My faith has grown to be so great and I have become an inspiration to others not only cancer patients but to everyone around me that feels my strength and courage to fight everyday and keep moving on.
Let go and let God, do not fight alone as you will not win!!
