Meeting Steiner

Originally I was scheduled for an appointment on Friday - May 14th with a normal gynecologist. I was not excited about waiting an extra day or two. However, my doctor also sent my pathology report to the specialist at the same time (a gynecological oncologist) who ended up calling and wanting to bypass the gynecologist for a visit straight to her (Dr. Norma Steiner) on Wednesday. Thank God.

Brian and I went in to the appointment and she confirmed being able to feel the mass through a vaginal exam. Next step: Surgery. Immediately. Next Tuesday. (Remember that blog post entitled "Oh, Fuck!") We're unsure what we're dealing with exactly, but the best way to know is to get in there, take out this mass, take a look around at the ovaries, uterus, and other things and take out anything that looks suspicious. The mass itself appears to be attached to one of the ovaries and to have twisted the ovary behind itself and be located closer to the intestine than normal. I think at this point is when the words "carcinoma sarcoma" are mentioned as a possibility and that's not good. So, my youngish doctor (she's a year younger than me!) schedules surgery for next Tuesday and tells me to plan taking at least 6 - 8 weeks off work starting immediately. I ask how many times she's performed this type of surgery and she says, very confidently: "Hundreds." I think to myself that I wish she had said "thousands."

I always dreamed of "having" to take work off for an extended period of time, but it didn't quite look like this. I pictured margaritas on a sunny deck, working in the yard and on my tan, getting buff from my exertions in the yard...not a sliced open belly and recovering abs, requiring no lifting, pushing or pulling of any weight. That ruins all the fun of having this much time off work. Damn it!