2nd Opinion

We have just gotten back from the visit with the 2nd-Opinion-Giver. Grant and I were MUCH more comfortable with this doctor and this institution. They were much more user-friendly, with a better “bedside manner,” and less dogmatic in what the condition is and what will be done with it. There was much more discussion of possibilities and “if this, then that.”

But mostly the consensus was we need to get this thing out, biopsy it, and proceed accordingly. So surgery is scheduled for April 3. Biopsy will be done on the mass while I am under. If it is just a cyst, which is what I am intending, and what we hope for, then that will be that for that. If not, further affected structures might also be removed, but this doctor was willing to consider leaving things that are unaffected.

What was most surprising was his estimation of the size. By physical examination, he estimates it is now 25 cm. That is almost 10 inches! That really explains my general discomfort, bloating, and distention.

The other thing I find encouraging about that estimation is that multiple professionals we have interacted with have said that cysts are far more likely to grow quickly, unlike a tumor. This thing has gone from 2 cm in December to 6 cm in the beginning of March to 25 cm in an additional 20 days?!

Plus the doctor and the resident intern were definitely giving us indications that, though there are some things about this that are “suspicious” (its structure and the CA125 number,) I am also not showing many of the typical signs of ovarian cancer. First of all, I am 12 years younger than average, and maybe there are symptoms which they would expect, if it were a tumor this big, which I apparently do not have. They asked about not being able to eat as much as before (no), swelling in the legs (no), and I can’t remember what else.

Or if it is malignant we may have caught it early.

Unfortunately, it will be a big incision to get a big mass out, and I will be in the hospital for 3 – 4 days.  But I anticipate feeling much better without this big thing in my belly. Ugh.

Grant is also still quite upset at 1st-Opinion-Giver who may have scared us half to death for no good reason.  If it turns out to be a cyst and only a cyst, or even a lower stage malignancy, he’s determined to let that provider know exactly what he thinks.

Stay tuned….