Yellow Flags

Yesterday I mentioned that I had another appointment with my new GYN to go over my ultrasound results and would talk about them today. I drove up there fully expecting the results to be completely normal, despite the odd cramps that I've been having for nearly a month. I was wrong.

The ultrasound showed that the lining of the uterus, which should be no thicker than 4 mm, was 5.7 AND there was a small mass on the left ovary. Stunned, but maybe not surprised.

So...first he cautioned that these were only yellow flags, not red flags. In a younger woman, he is never too concerned with cysts or small masses on the ovaries because they are mostly estrogen driven. I had one at age 14 and another in my early 40s. The first was surgically removed because it was mistaken for appendicitis; the second was shrunk with the use of birth control pills. In a postmenopausal woman, especially one like me on Arimidex to squelch all estrogen, any sized mass on the ovary is of concern.

The lining is thick, yes, but I have no bleeding. If it was that thick with bleeding, it might be a red flag, but without bleeding, only a yellow flag. I did my own internet research last night, and without bleeding, it would need to be 11 mm or greater to be a red flag. Still, it shouldn't be thick at all and the thickness rarely resolves itself, usually only gets thicker.

Next steps:
1. Endometrial biopsy. I have that scheduled for Tuesday morning.
2. Meet with his wife, the Oncology Gynecologist. I'm calling her office today.

If the biopsy shows any pre-cancerous cells, then I will be scheduling a complete hysterectomy pretty soon.

If the biopsy shows nothing abnormal, then I will still meet with his wife, but I will also be asked to have another ultrasound in six weeks to see if there are changes. If everything stays the same, then I will repeat the ultrasound in another six weeks, and continue that routine for maybe six months or so. Of course, if in six weeks, things HAVE changed, then there will be a complete hysterectomy. And once I talk with his wife, if I decide that I want the hysterectomy anyway just for peace of mind, he felt sure that between him and his wife they could justify it for the insurance company.

HOWEVER, he said to me, "You are NOT a good candidate for surgery." WHAT???? I have had TEN surgeries under general anaesthesia. Why am I now not a good candidate? I think this news stunned me more than the results of the ultrasound.

Well, he said I'm over sixty and overweight, so that made me a risk for anaesthesia. Hm...I was over sixty for the last three general anaesthesia surgeries: partial mastectomy, put the port in, take the port out. BUT, I did weigh forty pounds less for the first two of those and twenty pounds less for the last one.

When the general surgeon told me in the spring of 2009 that I was too heavy for the hernia surgery, I weighed 295 that day in his office. I dropped down to 220 from April to November and then he did the surgery with no complications. This morning I'm still 260. I guess that is too much, so I feel a little like I did in the other surgeon's office. It's not a sure thing that I will have this surgery, but it's sure enough in my mind to put me on high alert. I feel like I MUST lose this extra forty pounds ASAP so that when the surgery gets scheduled, I'll be ready. If I don't have the surgery, at least I will have dropped forty pounds!

I must say that I was very grateful for Mark's presence yesterday. He made sure he was free to go with me even though it took three hours out of the afternoon. He wanted to give me moral support, which it turned out I needed more than I thought I would. Had he not been in the car with me to talk to on the way home, I probably would have stopped at the first store and bought a big bag of Doritos, maybe ice cream, maybe M and Ms. I would have drowned my anxieties in 2,000 calories, for sure! That's the way I like to deal with stress. So counter-productive!!

Instead, he was with me in the car, and I had someone to talk to. I felt a little like crying, but I didn't. We did go to our favorite local bar and have a shot of Crown Royal on the rocks before meeting our friends, Randy and Joann, for dinner at Lakeside. It was Thursday, so that means free wine with dinner. I felt much better with the whiskey and wine! Ha ha! Very relaxing. I also sent Evey a text, and she called me back. I really enjoyed being able to talk to her about everything.

Since both lobular breast cancer and the Arimidex are associated with higher risks of uterine and ovarian cancers, I have the slight feeling that this just might be something getting started in its very earliest stages. If that's the case, I feel blessed that I worried enough about these light cramps to get myself into the doctor's office. It could very well be that I have just caught this very, very early. Or, it could still turn out to be nothing. Either way, I feel good that I'm being proactive. And if it does motivate me to drop those forty pounds quickly, so much the better!