"Relative 5-Years Survival Rate is.."

Hitting the Net immediately when I returned from hospital, I began searching for information on anything cancer, and in particular, ovarian cancer.

http://www.cancer.org/ gave the most comprehensive and easily understood details, posting information from the American Cancer Society. It showed clearly how ovarian cancer is staged, or how widespread it is. More important to me was a small table titled "Relative 5-Years Survival Rate", showing all 10 Stages, from Stage 1A to Stage 4. It refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer had been diagnosed.. 92% for Stage 1A and at Stage 4...17.5%... a chill ran down my spine.

Nellie's 3-day stay at the R Hospital was relatively smooth. Fed with her Mum's best soups and porridge, and with comforting visits by family and friends, she soon gained enough strength to return home.

4 days later, it was time to see her gynae again for her final results to be revealed, showing the staging of her ovarian cancer.

" I remember saying to myself, 'Be brave. Lets get the full story from Dr Goh' , and then take it from there. But what awaited me was more then I could handle. The doc said that not only has the tumour grown to such an enormous size, it has also spread to the womb lining, the ommentum.

She continued, "I am afraid your cancer is at Stage 3C!"

My husband and I held our hands, and wept. A minute later, and still fearing for the worst, he asked Dr Goh to give it to us in plain English what a Stage 3 cancer really meant... ' about 30% chance of survival' was her answer. My head was spinning. It took awhile to soak it all up. We thank the doc and took a sombre drive home. In the bathroom, I fell onto my husband's shoulder and sobbed.."

>>gleefully ntangle

"Why is it taking so long.."

Surgery of any type is a worrying situation. Surgery to see what exactly is inside your abdomen and then to determine if a tumour in an ovary is malignant or not is simply edge-of-the-seat stuff. And I was only the guy sitting outside the OT, waiting for the gynae's results and for Nellie to be rolled out.. safely.

It was supposed to be over within 3hours..
"So why is it taking so long..?", asked Nellie's mum, with increasingly worrying lines on her face. 4 hours passed. In the 5th hour, the gynae surgeon came out and gave the news..

"The tumour is malignant. We had to be doubly sure that we got out as much as we could. We took the womb out too."

I swallowed, but my throat was dry.

"I was feeling drowsy and could hear voices of the family around me..... My mum came over and asked if I was feeling fine. I said yes and went back to sleep.

It was not until the next morning that I was fully conscious and was waiting for the gynae to come over and tell me what had been done to me. My hubby came early in the morning and I could see from his face that things does not look right for me. I asked him if I was ok and he came over.. gave me a big hug and started tearing. I knew from that point that the cancer had hit me! The sadness and disappointment in his face made me realised that I was in a very major battle to fight from now on.......

The battle that I have to fight was confirmed by the doc who came over to see me around 10am. She said I have to be strong, stay positive and fight it! As devastated as I was feeling then, I told myself that I will have to fight this."

The doc showed us the picture of the ovary.. a massive size of a tennis ball! (see picture in next blog-entry). It was a disgusting sight, made all the more gory by the streaks of blood around it.

How can this be? Just 3 weeks ago we were strolling in the cool mountain air of Cameron Highlands. In fact, just 5 months ago, she had a full medical healthscreening and apart from a few innocuous comments, she was given the all clear. Everything still seemed so totally surreal..

>>gleefully ntangle

"Something's not right.."

Back from the mountains in Cameron Highlands after a nice 2006 New Year's holiday, Nellie began to feel pain in her abdominal area. She described it as "a small discomfort". But it was discomforting enough for her to seek medical help from her employer's doctors.

Her initial prognosis? Probably a urinary tract infection. She got her medicine, she took them and we didnt think much of it.

But the discomfort persisted. She returned to the same GP the following week. Some additional tests were done. Again, she was asked to take some new medicine and to monitor her condition.

Then..

6 Jan 2006 - It started with a cramp attack which lasted for about 10 mins. I was unable to move, feeling faint and started to cold sweat. Seated in my office chair I was waiting for the pain to go away. I was scared as this has never happened to me before. The GP suspected it was food poisoning.

13 Jan 2006 - A week later I had the same attack and it was then that I insisted she refer me to a specialist or whoever that can tell me why I'm experiencing this pain? Fortunately a lady Gynaecologist will be in the clinic in the afternoon and an appointment was made for me to see her. My appointment with Dr.Karolyn Goh at 12.30pm was even more shocking when the ultra sound scan showed my ovary had ballooned to the size of 10.8cm, a tennis ball instead of a fishball! She immediately wanted me to go for a further test and scan at Raffles Hospital that afternoon. I left the clinic and called my hubby immediately to tell him what happened.

19 Jan 2006 - My experience at R Hospital was something which I will never forget. With a full bladder, I was asked to wait until it was my turn..an uncomfortable 30min wait. With the additional scans, the tumour was confirmed. And it was likely cancerous. The doctor asked that we consider immediate surgery to remove not just the ovaries, but also the fallopian tubes and the womb... a total hysterectomy! My mind was spinning..how can this be? Just 3 weeks ago, I was in the cool mountain air of beautiful Cameron Highlands. Now, I am in the clutches of cancer..

We were asked to seek a second opinion, if we wanted. But my mind was made up. I had asked for the earliest surgery available.

The next day, I was rolled into the operating theatre...

>>gleefully ntangle

"This is my first public outing, dear"

And so it ended. Our incredible journey of nearly 6 months, fighting this monster of a disease called cancer. Or has the journey only just begun....

08-07-06
A date for a new couple, as they glide down the ballroom, hand in hand. But also, a new date for a not-so-new couple too... Nellie and I stepped out together to face the world. Her cancer is now in full remission!

How symbolic indeed that it took the wedding of one of our best friends' daughters to highlight the significance of Nellie's own 'walk down her aisle'. Looking beautiful as ever, in her beige dress, in stilts and oh... her favourite hair, of course.

We laughed, we shared, we told our usual golf stories, our wins... our spirits were high. What a lovely evening. To be amongst friends. People who, just 6 months before, rallied behind our crusade. With their thoughts, their prayers. It's such a lonely battle to fight alone.. this monster. Indeed, we fought a good fight. We won!

Over the next blog entries, Nellie and I will document what happened over the last 6 months when she was first told.. "I think there's a tumour in your ovary!"

We hope this successful fight of ours will provide, in small perhaps immeasurable but hopefully significant ways, for you to gather the strength that she somehow managed to find, in her darkest hours over those 6 months..

>>gleefully ntangle