It’s been over a year since my right (?) ovary was removed, sliced, diced and frozen. Tucked up in Oxford for future use. I won’t even try to find out what the name of the procedure was but Google will help you should you need!
It was possible that I was going to be flying to Edinburgh for it but thankfully oxford had availability.
We had to get there quite early and I remember being one of the first there. We sat in a wait room which was more like a conservatory attached to a corridor.
Then we went trough to a bay with chairs in and the girl opposite plus bf and mum were doing cheese jokes so I think I chipped in with the explosion in a cheese factory… I had a chat with the head doctor who was lovely and had previously rung me from home at a weekend – now that is service! So great. We spoke about her son and his training contract and his girlfriend doing the LPC. And then spoke to the surgeon (Harvard lanyard wasn’t just for show….) and the anthestist. The nurse looking after me was called Holly and the anthetist assistant Anna had learned English in my hometown.
The surgeon had said that they would make incisions both sides and through my belly button but only take one out. They usually take the right(?)
I remember coming to in recover, being moved and then hearing Bear’s Den playing on the radio – which was surreal as I was supposed to be going to their gig that evening! I had great chats with the guy looking after me in recovery who got me some tea I drank though a straw.
Later on, the surgeon came around for a chat and then commented on my pink pants (neon pink so yes they were pretty obvious…) and then later I was told to get up off the couch to go home and I almost fainted. I had never had that happen to me before but now I am all too familiar with the rushing sound. It was also the most painful thing – trying to get off a couch which didn’t move up or down and no steps to reach the floor. Tricky. Opposite the girl’s sister had turned up to take her and mum home and the sister almost fainted! Just as well my mum had been there to be nursey and tell her what to do (lie down, legs up!)
Trying to get off that couch was one of the most painful things I have experienced so far – surgery in your lower stomach and you have to try and bend! Other than that, it was one of the simplest things. Future fertility trust is the one.
So flying forward and following on from my previous post – after the stem cell transplant in January, I was experiencing horrible hot flushes. It took til about June/July before I got referred to a specialist dealing with early menopause caused by cancer treatment. Symptoms made worse, not just with the chemo interference but by “ovarian insufficiency”. Totally strange to be relating to older women in this way.
Thankfully tablets solved the problem until Friday. I had felt that the initial consult was rushed – considering I have had to wait for long periods (hahahah no) before to see doctors, I have never felt that, especially for my oncology ones, I have not had their time and attention however late clinic is running. I have always seen the doc and then a specialist nurse (auto corrected to socialist – I don’t know but I can ask her!) and they have given me more than enough and I am so grateful.
This other one however – over two hour wait (and this has happened twice now!) for a less than 20min (and around 4min) appointment has felt rushed. And annoying now as because of this I have to go back to them. FML.
There has also been incorrect asking for consent to have a student in on the consultation- as far as I understand you should ask the patient before hand (I.e out of the room) if this is ok – not offhand and not whilst they are in the room “oh I have a student with me if that’s ok”. Well it was ok but it would have been difficult if it hadn’t been – she was talking to me as we walked in and hadn’t mention the student but (and this could have been critical for some patients attending this particular clinic) he was sitting there and she didn’t mention him until we had sat down…
At the first appointment, the doc said I needed to have sex. For my health. On the face of it great, I suppose. But be realistic and a bit more understanding – this was with hardly any questions and on the initial appointment – should I have felt insulted? Or something? I think I was just a bit taken aback and felt “Oh GREAT, rub it in why don’t you! Young adult cancer strikes again – ruination whirlwind of life!” Can you think of anything worse than this when you feel like crap, feel you look like crap, have no life as you live at home and and still find it difficult to have any confidence whatsoever. DING DING DING.
So back to Friday – had the second appointment last Monday – I’d mentioned that I’d been having headaches on and off for about a month but wasn’t sure it was linked to the tablets. She paused and I waited for her to ask further but she didn’t. So it pretty much went – tablets working? Yes no symptoms i.e. hot flushes, bone scan looks fine, are you in a relationship? Errr no. And then pretty much here’s an appointment for a year and come back to us if you have any concerns….
Friday was massive migraine with aura and GP said don’t take the tablets. I couldn’t do any work all day.
Boys have it easier.
Say What 