Saturday, February 21, 2015

The First Battle: Hysterectomy

Since I started my adventure with Uterine (Endometrial) Cancer, I have tried to keep a positive attitude. I have been posting on Facebook but I wanted to write something a bit more here.

After my OB/Gyn told me that I have cancer, I didn't panic or cry or get very upset. My first reaction was more of one of "time to rally the troops and win another battle". I never once considered that I might die, that was just not a thought I was willing to embrace. I was ready to fight and win.

I had to have a complete hysterectomy which was performed by my Gyn Oncologist, Dr. Byler Dann, at St. Francis Medical. She used the da Vinci Robot which is minimally invasive. I only ended up with 5 small incisions that were each one inch long. 

After surgery I was a little sore but minimal pain, this was a Friday. I didn't even bother with pain killers. I took ibuprofen 800mg and was up and moving the night of surgery. I was moving slower and had just a little pain when moving from sitting down to standing but nothing unbearable. However, by 9 pm after my 1:30 pm surgery, I had the IV out and put on my own clothes and makeup and was ready to go home the next morning.

I never wanted it to stop me. While I had to slow down, I refused to stop. No time for a pitty party, no need to fuss, just keep moving forward. 

My daughter, Sam, was around to help me with carrying laundry up and down stairs but I still did the laundry myself. On Monday I needed to get out of the house and decided to drive to the store. I was careful while I was there and used one of the electric wheelchairs so I wouldn't overdue it but it felt great to be out and about. I felt strong, I felt like I was winning this first battle.

Come back next week for post 2 and more of my journey.


3 comments:

  1. Ciao Brandy sei una persona speciale e coraggiosa un amica meravigliosa hai trasmesso tanto coraggio a chi soffre di questo male e con il tuo grande coraggio hai dato speranza e calore umano, un abbraccio affettuoso amica mia ti voglio bene.Elisabetta

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  2. Thank you for sharing your story and positive attitude. Your experience reminds me of my Mom after her second mastectomy. She was pestering the doctors to go home the same day. They made her stay overnight, and the next day when they checked her pain med IV dispenser, she had taken only the equivalent of 2 ibuprofen. Needless to say she resumed her active life in no time. I admire your courage and look forward to your next post!

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  3. From since I first met you, you have always been a strong person... of course you will get through this, i have no doubt. My thoughts are with you. Zed

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