Back in the middle of January 2024, we did think that it was just another normal day but my wife (who is 55 years old and had been married to since 1995) had told me that she had thought that she was having another period despite the fact that she had her menopause back in 2020. I have to admit that I am not a doctor but know that if something is not right with your body then it should be checked by a GP to rule out a cancer diagnosis. That is exactly what I had told my wife to do where she had also bloating, cramps in her lower abdomen and needing to use the toilet more again. She was also diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome about 15 years ago so she had naturally assumed that she had another flare up of that.
To cut a long story short, her GP had referred her to have an ultrasound scan where they had seen that almost everything was normal where there was no sign of endometriosis and the condition of her uterus did seem all fine. She had her ovaries checked where the left one had seemed normal but the right one was enlarged which the radiologist had identified this as a complex ovarian cyst which was septations, had a mixture of liquid and solid components and was also hyper-vascular. This was where the bombshell hit that this was identified as a ‘cancer alert’ where the largest cyst was nearly 8 centimetres across. She also had a CA125 blood test which the result was 88 (above the 35) that had warranted further investigation for suspected ovarian cancer. She has also had other tests for bladder, colon and blood tests which have come back as normal.
However, she has had further checks including a CT scan and a physical check and the nurse from the department had started talking about cancer treatment options such as chemotherapy and surgery and that literally has really put the wind up me. She is also due to have a biopsy but that has yet to happen although the NHS is required to stick to its 2 week rule on diagnosis and treatment. Her GP did tell her that she should not worry about this whether this was an ovarian cyst or cancer and it will be treated with all sorts of drugs and treatments that currently available. I have also been told that the NHS is the best in the world when it comes to emergency treatment.
My wife has been in regular contact with the gynaecology department but the stream of bad news keeps on coming in and is currently awaiting to have a biopsy, not to confirm the presence of cancer but the type that it is such that they can personalise her treatment plan. The latest being that they want to investigate further is the ascites in her abdomen contain cancerous cells. It is not something that I would want to hear and are desperately hoping that the medical team can at least bring some more hopeful and good news soon.
Whilst I am confident that the surgeon and his team who is handling her case can give the treatment that she needs, the biggest issue that is causing the worst anxiety is the unknown. I try not to fall into the trap but thinking about all the ‘what if’ situations and try to avoid looking on the Internet to allay fears. Some of these fears are ‘being told what I had expected all along’ and the prognosis of how successful the treatment will be such that any cancer can be into remission or even be cured.
I am also told that I need to be strong for her which I am trying to do but seeing the partner that I have been with since 1990 and having to see her go through the treatment plan even though it may save her life is something that I am really fearful over. I had a less severe scare with her a couple of years ago where she had some rectal bleeding which the first thing that had come into my mind was colon cancer but this was ruled out and was found out to be from constipation due to irritable bowel syndrome. Whilst I have hoped that I would never had faced seeing either myself or my wife have a cancer investigation (which is what this is at the moment) but my gut feeling is that this is what she has got.
I would like to know if there is anyone else who has been through what I am going through at the moment and how they had managed dealing with the diagnosis, the treatment including its side effects and how their lives have adapted to the new way of life.
