While taking the blood thinners, we had to adjust the dosage time and time again. During this time, while washing my hair in the shower I felt a bump on the front left part of my head, just inside my hairline. It was probably just a little smaller than a marble. I remember thinking, how strange, it didn’t hurt. Just figured I had hit my head on a cabinet or something else and had forgotten about it. A couple of weeks later, I could just about swear that the bump on my head was larger. The next appointment for my blood tests was to see if it was too thin or not. I mentioned the knot on my head to my family doctor. He took the time to feel it and said it didn’t feel like anything bad and I should just keep an eye on it to make sure I didn’t have any other symptoms, which at the time I had no symptoms at all, just a knot head. My husband had a knot on his head several years earlier and it turned out to be fatty tissue. I just figured it was probably the same type thing.
I go back and forth to the doctor for the blood tests. Blood clots don’t go away very quickly. It’s a good lesson in patience even though I didn’t really want the lesson. Before I knew it, it was time to go back to UVA for my 12 month check up. About two weeks before the appointment, I notice that the knot on my head was getting even larger. At this point I am beginning to get pretty concerned about it because I noticed one night my vision seemed a little off. Things I could see a few weeks before were blurry, not real blurry but enough to notice the difference. I had begun to have slight headaches. It was spring time and for me when everything is in bloom I experience allergy problems and headaches. The headaches didn’t alarm me as much as realizing that the bump was even bigger and my vision seemed to be getting worse in my left eye. I do wear glasses but both eyes have always been the same and now they weren’t. I called my Oncologists Assistant at UVA and asked for her to call me back because I had some questions for her. She called me back pretty quickly and I began to tell her what had been going on with my health and the knot on my head and the vision impairment. I could tell by the tone of her voice and the questions she was asking me that she already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. I just had a feeling. First thought is, No, not again, I just did this last year. We made an appointment for a PET scan the day before I was to see the Doctors in Charlottesville.
Once again, I went to the internet. Now when I tell you that I went to the internet, I am very careful about what websites I get information from. I do some with WEB MD and most of my information comes from the American Cancer Society and other organizations that are reputable and have valid information. Keep in mind though the Big C (Cancer) is never exactly the same in anyone. There can be and are similarities etc. but what treatments work for one person doesn’t always work exactly the same on others. Some will get sick, some will not. Best thing to do is to ask questions and then once you get the answers, ask some more questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your doctor will most likely be your best place to get information. One of the things that I like about UVA is that they have what they call “Tumor Board”. It is a group of Oncologists from several areas of specialty and resident doctors that have a meeting once a week and they discuss their patients and treatment plans and how all of the above are progressing. The way I look at it, I am getting expertise from each and everyone in that room during that meeting. Keep that in mind.
Went for my PET scan and received the results the next day. My Mom was with me, she has been such a blessing through all of this, and it’s been nice to have her with me through all this. My oncologist came into the room, said, I’m not going to beat around the bush, I am just going to spell it out clearly and then we will talk. He sat down, looked at my Mom then looked me in the eye and said, “your PET scan reports came back positive.” Well, no surprise there for me but my sweet Mom was rejoicing and saying how thankful she was. I knew at that point, Mom thought positive was good. So, I looked at her, she looked confused by the look on my face. I said, no Mom, we wanted the tests to be negative. I still remember the look of disappointment on her face. I felt as though I had let her down, I know I have no control over whether I get cancer or not, just don’t like breaking that kind of news over and over again, even if it is over several years time.
Now for a little bit of good news. Turns out the tumor was in an area of the brain that’s fairly easy to treat. I had taken extra clothes just in case I needed to stay longer, turns out that was a good thing too. My oncologist sent me down to my radiation doctor so they could do a work up and get me set up for treatments. Because it was dealing with the brain, they wanted me to have the treatments at UVA rather than at home. Even better news . . . I received my first treatment that very day. I am all for let’s (as Larry the Cable Guy would say) git er done!
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