Hello I am a 37 year old female with 2 daughters aged 16 and 11.I joined this site last year and have been toying with the idea of writing a blog for a while now.I have been having a rough few weeks so I have finally decided to write it all down just to kind of get it off my chest.
February 2008 I noticed a large lump in my abdomen,I had lost a few pounds but had put this down to starting a new job,being busy with the kids etc etc.I remembered the first time I felt the lump I thought it was the just the way i was laying so i moved around then stood up but i could still feel it.I waited 3 days before going to the Dr because i just thought it would go away(dont know what i was thinking there lol)
I walked into see the Dr he asked what was wrong and i told him i had found a lump.He asked me where it was and asked me to lie down so he could examine it.I have always been fairly slim and when i lay down the lump was sticking out of my abdomen.He felt it then asked me a few questions how long had i had it,had i lost any weight etc etc.I could tell by his face that it wasnt good.He sent me to the local hospital to get blood tests done.I had the blood tests done within an hour of seeing my GP.
When i got home there was a message from another hospital asking me to call them about going for an ultrasound.The scan was booked for that afternoon,by this time i was petrified because it was all moving so fast.
I went for my scan that afternoon, they didnt tell me anything just said that yes there was a lump(i knew that without a scan because it stuck out so much).
A week later i was sent for a CT scan again they told me nothing except i would hear from my GP in the next week or so.A week later i got a call from my Gp telling me i needed to go for an MRI
I went for the MRI,i was in the scanner for over 2 hours by now i had convinced my self that it was really bad but still no one would tel me what they thought it was.Again i was told i would hear from my GP with the results.
A few days later i came home from work and checked my voicemail and there was a message from my GP asking me to call him.Unfortunatley it was now 6.30 so too late to call.I had a very long and restless night waiting to call him.The next morning i decided to go to see the GP instead of calling him but as i didnt have an appointment this was easier said than done.The receptionist was adamant i wasnt seeing him and i was adamnt i was.After about 5 minutes of arguing with her the DR came out and told her i didnt need an appointment and he would see me now.
He had the results of the CT and MRI which which stated i had a tumour on my liver but they wernt sure if it was benign or malignent.The Gp then said i was being referred to another hospital and that i would hear from them very soon.
I decided to put it out of my mind till i heard from the new hospital.My sister in law would call every night to ask had i heard anything and i would say no.She would tell me i needed to call them and ask what was going on but i told her "no news is good news",and i said i would just wait to hear from them.
This went on for about 3 weeks,al the time it was in the back of my mind but i just kept telling my self it couldnt be anything serious or i would have heard by now.
I finally heard from the hospital, a nurse called and told me they wanted me to go in for an endoscopy as that would give them a clearer picture of what the lump was.
The next week i set off for the hospital with my brother and sis in law as i was told i would be groggy afterwards and would need someone to take me home etc etc.I arrived at the hospital filled all the forms in and changed into a gown.I walked into the endscopy suite and sat on the table with my arm held out whilst the nurse prepared the needle for the sedation. before giving me the sedation the nurse checked my name and date of birth.The Dr who was sitting at a computer in the corner suddenly jumped up and asked the nurse why was i here,she told him he had said to book me in for an endoscopy he told her no he wanted to speak to me in clinic and that i didnt need an endoscopy.By this time im sitting there on the operating table bum hanging out of the gown they made me put on wondering what the heck was going on.
The Dr told me to go and get dressed and he would come and talk to me and tell me what was going on.His exact words to me were "I know what you have,you dont have Cancer" at this i just burst out crying with relief i was so happy to hear that.
to be continued......
