The Beast In The Belly

So, it's some form cancer.  The GP at the student clinic told me she thought it was probably lymphoma, which was good news because lymphoma responds well to chemo and radiation therapies.  She sent me over to a surgeon at the hospital along with the urging to ask Shayne to leave work and come with me to the appointment.  He did.

We sat in the surgeon's office and looked in depth at the results of the CT scans.  This thing...it's huge.  So much bigger than what I would even think could fit in my body.  It goes from my uterus to my liver and fills up almost one whole side of my abdominal cavity and it pushes my organs around to make room for itself.  The bright side is, I'm probably not as fat as I thought I was.

The surgeon told me that the removal of the tumor should be fairly easy, and he felt there was a 90% chance I won't need chemo afterward.  He wasn't all that concerned with a biopsy or a detailed diagnosis of what sort of tumor this is.  His first priority is to just get it out, then worry about doing an autopsy on it.  Shayne and I found this hopeful, but I feel a sense of doubt.  The next doctor might tell us something different again.

Since part of the tumor is dangerously close to my baby factory components, the surgeon referred me to a gynecological surgeon in Salt Lake.  I have an appointment in a couple of weeks to talk to her and plan for the surgery.  I guess I'm assuming the obgyn can circumnavigate my other organs with equal skill.

I'm already planning the books and music I will bring with me to the hospital, remembering what C.S. Lewis wrote about how he learned to enjoy the time he spent recovering from various illnesses and injuries because it gave him an opportunity to read as much as he wanted.  I intend to to the same.  During the worst of it, I won't even have to take potty breaks.  This will be way better than the time I spent in the hospital when I was four, because now I can read whatever I want.  I probably want to avoid funny books, as the abdominal incision will make laughter painful, but...

I guess I'll see what happens.  Cross that bridge when I come to it, wot.