A Stealth Attack
By Joanie Shawhan
Do you know the
symptoms of one of the most insidious diseases assaulting women today? I
thought I did. But despite my background in oncology nursing, I had missed a
cardinal symptom of ovarian cancer—nausea. Over the course of several months, I
had experienced a few episodes of queasiness, mistaking it for the flu.
Fleeting thoughts of ovarian cancer even crept into my mind, but I brushed them
away. This nausea is just too infrequent,
I rationalized.
During the
blackness of night, a late warning sign emerged. I rolled over on a firm
grapefruit-sized mass in my abdomen. When I pressed on the growth, stabbing
pain clutched my abdomen and sucked my breath away. I hope this is just a uterine fibroid.
My doctor agreed
that a fibroid was the most probable diagnosis, but we needed to schedule an
ultrasound. In the darkened room, the ultrasound technician shot me a glance. I
knew something was wrong. After the scan, I tucked the films under my arm and
strode into my doctor’s office. She examined the images, then spun around and
faced me. Her verdict? Ovarian cancer—the size of a cantaloupe. While she
rattled off the tests and surgery that still needed to be scheduled, I sat
numb. Words spilled over her lips, but the syllables sounded foreign and
distant. Is she talking to me?
After surgery, I
endured the ravages of chemotherapy: baldness, crushing chest pain, nausea and
brain fog. Fatigue siphoned my strength and left me winded.
My sister said, “We
have to make this fun,” and she sent me my first installment of hats. Fun?
Hats—yes. Chemotherapy—no.
But after a
while, my hair grew back with perfect summer highlights. A spring returned to
my step and the fog lifted off my mind. The anxiety that gripped my chest prior
to each follow-up appointment has dissolved into what I now dub “a social
visit.”
I won my race
against cancer.
|
May is Women’s Health Care month:
Do you know the symptoms of ovarian
cancer?
v
Pain
or pressure in the pelvis, abdomen or lower back
v
Abdominal
bloating or a sense of fullness
v
Nausea,
constipation, diarrhea, gas or indigestion
v
Urinary
frequency or urgency
v
Fatigue
If
you experience any of these symptoms, consult your doctor.
The
life you save? Your own.
|
Joanie Shawhan is an ovarian cancer
survivor and a registered nurse. She writes encouraging articles for women
undergoing chemotherapy and is available for speaking engagements. Publishing
credits include Coping
with Cancer magazine and God Still
Meets Needs. When not writing or
attending book club, Joanie enjoys designing jewelry, knitting, and playing
guitar. Website: http://joanieshawhan.com/.
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