Thursday, November 24, 2011

3 Words That Change Everything :(


You Have Cancer.....

That is what my sister heard yesterday while sitting in a Dr's office.
In Joanne's case it is cervical cancer which has now spread to the lymph nodes in her stomach, as well as around the aorta in her stomach.
How does this happen when you do everything you are supposed to do? She has gone for pap tests every year, as a matter of fact she had a discharge last year, (sorry if this grosses you out), & when she went to the Dr. he said, "well you just had a pap test & it was normal" ,so he didn't do another, REALLY ??????
Then Joanne started to gain weight, she was always a thin girl, so back she went, the Dr. then says, well I guess we can do an ultrasound, surprise there is something showing , so maybe we will have a cat scan done. Another big surprise, yup, you have some kind of tumours surrounding your stomach aorta & something showing in your swollen uterus.
Let's do a biopsy shall we....gee, these are squamous cells, cancer cells that have started as skin cancer, broken off from somewhere, travelled around in Joanne's blood stream until they settled in her uterus, then as the cancer progressed they broke off again & settled in her stomach :(
Could all this have been prevented? I think so, Joanne has also been complaining of a full feeling in her stomach after just eating a few bites of food, she has been saying this for years. I used to joke that I wish I had her problem.
Joanne's oncologist wants all of her past pap tests to review, interesting huh ?
So now we go through the normal things of fear & anger & overwhelming sadness. Joanne will be starting radiation shortly, we don't know yet whether they will remove her uterus, she is 49 yrs old.
This year the entire family will be going home for Christmas, we will rally around Joanne for support & love, that's all we can do.
Ladies, go for a pap test....5 minutes of embarrassment is worth it, trust me.

13 comments:

Chelsea B said...

Oh, Jolene! I am so very sorry to hear that! I'll be in prayer for her.

onecollie said...

Thank you Chelsea, she could use them :)

Dianne SS said...

I am so very sorry to hear this about your sister Jolene :(( It is a terrible shame that the medical profession has let your sister down so badly, when there were clear signs that something was not right. One hears more and more of these kinds of stories these days. This is one of the many reasons I have little faith in the medical profession anymore or in allopathic medicine. And now of course, in typical allopathic fashion, they want your sister to submit to a treatment which will have very negative effects on her body and immune system. I would strongly suggest that at the very least your sister consult with nutritionists, homeopaths, etc. so that she can be given tools that will help her combat the effects of radiation and the cancer. There are truly cures for cancer out there, despite what we are told by TPTB. My thoughts and prayers go out to your sister and to all of you. My wish is that she will be well.

WigglyZack said...

OMG Jolene, I am so sorry to hear this. I lost my mother to those three words when I was 10. A lot has changed since then and there are better treatments out there for your sister although the diagnostics still suck by the sounds of it. I don't know your sister but she will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Blazingstar said...

Oh no, this is terrible news. I am so sorry for your sister, you and the rest of your family. I will hope and pray that the treatments will pull her through this.

Vicky said...

I'm sorry to hear about your sister's diagnosis. Hugs.
Vicky

Tammy B said...

avitorJolene I am so sorry to hear the news about your sister. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and your sister.

Brianne said...

I'm so sorry to read this. I don't know you, but I love Collie blogs and follow yours regularly. She looks like a lovely, vibrant woman. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers during this tough time.

KEY WEST COLLIES said...

We are saddened to hear about this. Your pack is in our thoughts and prayers and healing collie vibes are going out to your sister.

Essex, Sherman & Dog Dad

Squishy said...

I am sorry Jolene. I think cancer is a terrifying word for so many people but treatments have come such a long way, so that is a good thing. I will say a prayer for your sister (and all of you as you will need it). I go for my paps (just had one & a couple of ultrasounds, blah, blah, blah). Please know that you and your sister have so much support during this time. Thank you for sharing and keep us in the loop. Oxoxox.

My word for today "pines" .......beautiful!!

Diana said...

OMG that sucks. Ill be praying for all of you.

Munster Madness said...

I haven't been on here in ages... Very sorry to read about your sister. I think everyone has been touched by cancer. Those truly are the three words no one ever wants to hear. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your sister.

Dave said...

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear this Jolene...my heart goes out to you and your family.

I haven't been following my bloglist lately and just read this - *big cyberhug*

If we can help out at this end with you/your dogs please let us know.

Dave & Sarah