13 pt.4

So Andrea’s surgery went well. She should be awake in a few hours. The doctor reported that all looked clear and that her ovaries stayed in.

This was a debate with the original doctor. The original doctor was pretty adamant that from the time Andrea found out we’d come in for surgery in a week and Andrea would essentially do as she was told. Those are harsh words but they feel truthful to what I heard. Cancer kills, we go in an remove it first before it spreads was the method. Andrea had more of an issue with the fact that the original doctor gave her very little information and barely treated her like a person, she was just a collection of symptoms. Again, harsh words but we’re dealing with a potentially life ending proposition so I cut the doctor some slack.

The second doctor was willing to talk to Andrea more, give her info and explain the procedures and options in more detail. This doctor also was apprehensive about her ovaries. “Do my ovaries have tumors? Do they contain cancer?” The doctor has to tell her no if that is in fact the case but microscopic is the word no one likes to hear. Ovaries are extremely vascular, if the lymph nodes and and ovaries also metastisize then it’s highly likely to be a Huge life threatening ordeal.

If Andrea has her ovaries out, ovaries which are completely healthy she reduces her chance of anything spreading and she’s mostly done using them right? She’s had 4 children from natural child birth. Well, they still produce hormones that will continue to do their thing through her life cycle into menopause. So modern cancer is a balance between ok, let’s remove half of your body just in case or risk dying. Andrea has had a healthy normal sex drive and life for all of her adult life. The doctors and nurses were Aghast that she’d never had a surgery. There were concerns about anesthesia because she’s never had it and therefore they don’t know how she responds to certain drugs. “You’ve had four children, how did you not have surgery?” I waited for Andrea to respond and she firmly said, “I had four children from Natural Childbirth.” You could tell they’re not used to hearing that in a hospital where a normal bodily function can be deemed deadly.

“How much risk are we talking about? Give me numbers.” The doctor then told Andrea the risk was from 2-5% that the cancer could spread from her cervix to the ovaries if left behind. Andrea decided on her own that they could remove anything that had cancer and she wanted to keep the ovaries IF they were clear. If the doctors went in and there were anomalies remove them. I supported Andrea’s conclusion and the doctor was willing to sign off on it but expressed that if it were her…

2-5% on pokerstars loses me some hands in poker. 2-5% on life? It’s not something anyone wants to gamble with but as Andrea and I joked with the doctor I can always find a new wife. Fortunately the doctors had a sense of humor, something I find common amongst those in a medical field that concerns life or death.

So now we wait for the Friday the 13th lady to wake up.