Friday, November 30, 2012

Reporting Back

My new OBGYN was very nice and my appointment went rather smoothly. It was an intense appointment though and he gave me a lot to think about.  He seems very concerned about my ovaries. He wants to be proactive with them and he gave me three different options to ponder. None of them really appeal to me but I will do more research and acquire more details.

  • The first option is the least invasive. He wants me to start birth control pills. Now this seems like a bad idea because why would I want to add more estrogen in my body? It seems counter productive. Especially since Dr. Blackwood wanted me to be very aware of my soy consumption. And that's just estrogen in soy! He said he would put me on a low low dose of estrogen. About 10mg. I have read that women who take birth control for 5+ years lower their risk of ovarian cancer, but what if I have rogue breast cancer cells floating through my body?! I certainly don't want to feed them estrogen!
  • The second option is only based on theory. I'm sorry, I love research, but I am not doing something to my body based on theory alone. That theory is that ovarian cancer does not actually start in the ovary. Some are saying that the cancer starts on the little phalanges at the end of Fallopian tubes. It then presses up against the ovary and the tumor grows in to it. Some women are having just their Fallopian tubes removed.
  • The third option is removing both the ovaries and the Fallopian tubes.

Now the last two options would require that I freeze eggs or embryos and obviously consult with an IVF clinic. At this moment in time those two options seem just a bit extreme to me.

And to be honest this whole ovaries thing angers me. I'm 30! I want to have kids, but not yet. I hate that I feel pressured to have kids because my ovaries may be little ticking time bombs. I have stuff I need to do. I want to be financially stable. I don't want to rush anything just because something may or may not happen. As pointed out to me. When my mom and aunt Jeanne had their ovaries removed there was no sign of cancer, so that leaves me hopeful.

This whole little "but this isn't my plan" rant makes me think of a quote by Joseph Campbell I saw posted on a blog, "We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
For now I am waiting for test results to come back. I also need to get an ultrasound done and a couple more tests. I will see him again in six months and by then I should hopefully be well versed in ovaries and ovarian cancer.

- J.

4 comments:

  1. Ahh man Jess... I am really sorry to hear you are having to make these kinds of tough decisions... it angers me to. I am still waiting to hear back about my gene status... hoping I am negative... the only person in my family who had BC was my grandma on my Dads side... she had all boys. So hard to say... I find out in March 2013.

    I am impressed that your dr is wanting you to stay away from soy. I believe this is important too but it is so controversial... a lot of dr's wont even say this. I would be a bit scared of the birth control option as well... all options are scary!! Fricking cancer.

    Love this quote that you shared.

    Hugs

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    1. Thanks Ashley! Why is it going to take so long for you to hear back about your gene test? I think my results came back in about 2 weeks.

      I am definitely going to call my dr and ask her opinion about the birth control pills. I hate to not do anything, but at the same time, would this be the right thing? So frustrating!

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  2. Good luck with your research and I'm sure you'll be able to make the right decision. Follow your heart and instinct! Yes that quote is so true and brilliant!

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    1. Thanks Ciel! I hope you are feeling better from the chemo. Stay strong!

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