Two short weeks from the day the doctor suggested surgery, to the surgery was the longest time of my life….
On Wed. Sept. 24 I called Empower, and that call saved my life…
My mind went out of control, why because May 9, 2005 I was stage 4 and had mastectomy – which was very life changing.
Somewhere afterwards someone/or I read something to the effect that the first 5 years after cancer surgery were the most critical and any problems during that period would normally be a cancerous situation…so when the GYN/OB surgeon decided that due to the pains and the fact that the uterus was closed to the point that he could not get inside to see and after he had 2 separate ultra-sounds and 3-D imaging all showing that the uterus wall was too thick for my 68 yrs (should be 7mm and was 11mm) surgery was the only opinion, he recommended D & C ( Dilatation & Curettage) and based on the findings a hysterectomy and my mind went out the window….
I know nothing about either and the thought of the later put me over-the-hill…the idea of a surgery that could cause me to be out of work for six weeks, in these politically charged time, as I work for the state in what is called an ‘uncovered position’….
Last fall I had met Empower founder Michelle Robson and we exchanged cards, and I kept hers…So when my mind snapped on Wed. Sept 24, I called Michelle and she was able to calm me by listening and making positive statements and referring me to the website…
This was my starting point from ostrich to taking control and deciding that I would take the steps necessary to win whatever battle was in store and I was envisioning the worse…
Then I called for PRAYER Warriors to join me (via email) and got lots of good support messages back. The 24th and 26th I had several pre-surgery tests, from getting clearance from my asthma doctor to blood work, chest x-ray, EKG, etc., and for me this was each at a different facility due to the fact that my primary care doctor was out of paternity leave.
The EKG did not come back as the Surgeon would have liked thus, some rhythm was off, and to have anesthesia I needed it to be perfect, thus had to have a cardiac clearance. By weekend of Oct. 4, I was ready to do whatever/whenever, on the surgeon’s timeline.
You must understand, that Patience is a virtue which up to now I had not possessed nor had I realized what a controlling person I was until all this hit me! So Monday about 3:30 I got the call to go take one more EKG test and if it was ok then surgery would be Wed. Oct 8 at 7 a.m.
The cardiac clinic worked my in for 3:00 Tues and after cardiac ultra sound I was cleared, my blood-pressure was a little on the high normal, and my heart beat was 115, but they could tell I was in the panic mode, the cardiac doctor, whom I’d never met before, had the perfect bedside manner and I left that office READY for the surgery the next morning…calm as a cucumber…went into the surgery with positive attitude, fear and panic had left me…
Maybe I was just petrified to the point I was not feeling.
By 10 a.m. I’m getting into my friend’s car and headed for home to recoup, surgeon who is also a pathologist said all was fine, my uterus is “Pink and clean”, so no problem see him in two weeks and cleared me to go on the vacation I had scheduled back in July before I got in to see him….
So during that two week period I experienced every emotion from the pits of depression combined with fear/panic to now walking on air after it is all over…. Point DON’T count yourself out until it is over….!
Princeline Roxbury
Phoenix, AZ