Hi All, It has been a long time since I have posted. I can barely get grips on the events of the last couple months, for more than one reason. I can say that I am grateful and blessed to be here. I'm really praising Jesus every day. Guys, life is so precious! God has been good to me. I don't intend to make myself a spectacle, I am just asking for prayer and also hoping that if you have experienced similar symptoms that you get yourself checked out immediately.
If you ever have a feeling that something is definitely not right, seek a second, a third, a twelfth opinion until you find out what the problem is!
For the past year I have been experiencing a multitude of uncomfortable symptoms. There were so many symptoms that I started to think I was downright crazy. My moods were terrible because I just hurt all of the time. When my husband was unemployed I gained a lot of weight. I had a belly, and that is not normal for me. I was getting so desperate about my "weight problem" and my lack of progress with dieting and exercise that I did a 9-day dinner detox before Easter, followed by replacing meals with soy-protein shakes.
My arms and legs seemed to be shrinking but my belly grew and grew and my abdominal symptoms were getting pretty severe. Standing after sitting for awhile my guts seemed to get caught up in themselves. I couldn't stand up straight and chores were getting to be too hard in spite of an extremely mild Winter. I am in my late 20s.
I saw my OB/GYN and had an ultrasound and many tests performed but everything checked out normal. My symptoms just stuck around. Finally on April 29th I woke up in pain on my right side. I had pretty bad pain. I had friends and family out that day and I had to tell them, "I hope you don't mind, but I might have to lay on the floor." Lay on the floor I did, which is not normal for me. I am a "grin and bear it" type.
The next day I went to the ER since I had a very severe episode of right-sided flank pain in the morning. I spoke to a nurse that morning and she said it sounded like a kidney stone and to go to the ER immediately. They could do a CAT scan. Unfortunately they did nothing for me besides a urinalysis and a serum pregnancy test. Both were negative and they sent me home with a prescription for Norco and Zofran. No CAT scan, not even blood work! I didn't fill the prescriptions because I didn't want to cover up the problem I was having.
The episodes came and went, some so severe that I would feel like I was going to pass out. My husband was royally upset that the ER did so little for me. My Mom was beside herself. My friends and family could not believe it!
I just dealt with it until May 6th. The pain was out of control at this point. I could barely get out to the car so that my husband could drive me and my children to the ER on the way to his work. This time a different ER! This ER actually treated me. I had a CT scan followed by an ultrasound. I had a 164.2mm dermoid mass on my ovary. If I didn't have a copy of the CAT scan I would not have believed it for myself. It had pushed my liver up to the level of my heart and my heart was practically in my throat. It was crushing my right kidney. At this point I looked to be about 7 months pregnant and was very swollen.
Two days later I underwent surgery. My Doctor said it was the size of a baby once it was out. It had been compressed inside of me. They got the mass in its entirety, unfortunately it was abnormal. Apparently this happens 1-2% of the time. So this is what I need prayer for. It was deemed to be low-grade by the hospital where I had my surgery. The specialist is having his team of pathologists study the slides, so they can make their own determination. I just ask for prayer that it is very low grade like the initial findings so it will not be suggested that I need aggressive chemo. I may still need to have another surgery depending on the findings. I'm pretty sure he is going to recommend a complete hysterectomy, even though I really feel this was isolated to the right ovary. It had been giving me grief for years.
I ask for your prayer to the "greatest physician" that it is the lowest of the low grades, that if I need surgery it will be minimal, or even better that I will not need another surgery. Prayers for complete healing. We are seeing this doctor in the morning on the 8th of June to find out what is next.
God bless you, be well, and I hope this story may help/bless someone in the future. If you ever need prayer, please just ask.
If you ever have a feeling that something is definitely not right, seek a second, a third, a twelfth opinion until you find out what the problem is!
For the past year I have been experiencing a multitude of uncomfortable symptoms. There were so many symptoms that I started to think I was downright crazy. My moods were terrible because I just hurt all of the time. When my husband was unemployed I gained a lot of weight. I had a belly, and that is not normal for me. I was getting so desperate about my "weight problem" and my lack of progress with dieting and exercise that I did a 9-day dinner detox before Easter, followed by replacing meals with soy-protein shakes.
My arms and legs seemed to be shrinking but my belly grew and grew and my abdominal symptoms were getting pretty severe. Standing after sitting for awhile my guts seemed to get caught up in themselves. I couldn't stand up straight and chores were getting to be too hard in spite of an extremely mild Winter. I am in my late 20s.
I saw my OB/GYN and had an ultrasound and many tests performed but everything checked out normal. My symptoms just stuck around. Finally on April 29th I woke up in pain on my right side. I had pretty bad pain. I had friends and family out that day and I had to tell them, "I hope you don't mind, but I might have to lay on the floor." Lay on the floor I did, which is not normal for me. I am a "grin and bear it" type.
The next day I went to the ER since I had a very severe episode of right-sided flank pain in the morning. I spoke to a nurse that morning and she said it sounded like a kidney stone and to go to the ER immediately. They could do a CAT scan. Unfortunately they did nothing for me besides a urinalysis and a serum pregnancy test. Both were negative and they sent me home with a prescription for Norco and Zofran. No CAT scan, not even blood work! I didn't fill the prescriptions because I didn't want to cover up the problem I was having.
The episodes came and went, some so severe that I would feel like I was going to pass out. My husband was royally upset that the ER did so little for me. My Mom was beside herself. My friends and family could not believe it!
I just dealt with it until May 6th. The pain was out of control at this point. I could barely get out to the car so that my husband could drive me and my children to the ER on the way to his work. This time a different ER! This ER actually treated me. I had a CT scan followed by an ultrasound. I had a 164.2mm dermoid mass on my ovary. If I didn't have a copy of the CAT scan I would not have believed it for myself. It had pushed my liver up to the level of my heart and my heart was practically in my throat. It was crushing my right kidney. At this point I looked to be about 7 months pregnant and was very swollen.
Two days later I underwent surgery. My Doctor said it was the size of a baby once it was out. It had been compressed inside of me. They got the mass in its entirety, unfortunately it was abnormal. Apparently this happens 1-2% of the time. So this is what I need prayer for. It was deemed to be low-grade by the hospital where I had my surgery. The specialist is having his team of pathologists study the slides, so they can make their own determination. I just ask for prayer that it is very low grade like the initial findings so it will not be suggested that I need aggressive chemo. I may still need to have another surgery depending on the findings. I'm pretty sure he is going to recommend a complete hysterectomy, even though I really feel this was isolated to the right ovary. It had been giving me grief for years.
I ask for your prayer to the "greatest physician" that it is the lowest of the low grades, that if I need surgery it will be minimal, or even better that I will not need another surgery. Prayers for complete healing. We are seeing this doctor in the morning on the 8th of June to find out what is next.
God bless you, be well, and I hope this story may help/bless someone in the future. If you ever need prayer, please just ask.