FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2006 07:56 PM, CDT
I had my appointment at 8:00am at MD Anderson yesterday. I had every intention of sending out an update when I got done at MD, but I was completely exhausted (and a little too medicated). I saw the doctor first thing and she ordered just about every test that I had already done in San Angelo to be done again...and then some. They re-did my CT scans and had to hook me up to IV to inject Barium through me, they drew blood, they did new x-rays, they were ever so thorough. To compound all of this, I have an EXTREME fear of needles. We waited for several hours for that IV, partly because I had a panic attack early on that prompted them to call in their IV Team to come in to do it. There was only one team member on call in the whole building, so we had to wait for a couple of hours. She got the IV in correctly on the second try. Just my luck. Once the IV was in, they gave me a Benedryl drip to make me a little sleepy and calm me down a bit. We didn't get done with all the tests until after 7:00pm.
The waiting rooms were filled with fish tanks and had jigsaw puzzles at nearly every table. I discovered that I am not so good at jigsaw puzzles! Every person we met at MD was so very nice, very friendly, and very warm. They all seem to be very compassionate and to really care about the patients there.
The technician who did my CT scan was named Alma and had grown up in McAllen. I think she could tell that this was not my cup of tea and she started to talk to me about the Valley and about visiting Mexico. She asked me if they knew what was wrong with me yet and I told her I had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She left the room and did another round of tests and she came back in to talk some more. She told me that she was not supposed to be working in this department today, but had gotten placed there anyway. She said that she believed that she was there that day to talk to me. Alma went on to tell me that she, too, had ovarian cancer. It was discovered when she was almost 19 years old. She has been cancer-free for several years now. She felt so strongly about the treatment she got at MD and miracles they work, that she studied to be a CT technician and decided that was where she wanted to work. She was very encouraging and a comfort to talk to.
Because of the holiday on Monday and my doctor's schedule, my next appointment is not until Thursday afternoon. At this appointment, the doctor will discuss the plan of action she recommends based on the tests that were done yesterday. She told me to enjoy the holiday weekend in the meantime. Ha!
~Heather~

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2006 07:55 PM, CDT
The appointment in Dallas went well today. The doctor we saw was top-notch and extremely impressive. He went over all of the treatment options he saw for me and best and worse-case scenarios for each. We all agreed that the most aggressive treatment option would be the best to pursue. This would entail surgery in the next week and chemotherapy thereafter. The type of chemo used to fight this type of cancer will cause me to lose my hair. This has been hard news to deal with. I know it seems so minor in the whole scheme of things, but this news has just reinforced the reality of this whole ordeal. I looked at a wig catalog in the waiting room today and I was not impressed. I am thinking a brown paper bag might be my best option.
My nurse from San Angelo called today to tell me that my pathology slides had come in and were being overnighted to Houston. Great news. I also talked to the woman at MD Anderson today and I have an appointment first thing Thursday morning. We are hanging out in Dallas tonite and heading to Houston tomorrow. We will have a couple of days to kill in Houston before the appointment, but this is better than trying to go all the way back to San Angelo and back east again.
It was hard to really gauge today's visit since we have nothing to compare it to yet. I know we will have a clear decision after Thursday and we will know just where we need to be. I look forward to having that clear game plan and working towards being cancer-free. I am ready to fight.
As always, thanks for your prayers and encouragement.
Love always,~Heather~

SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2006 07:54 PM, CDT
Hello everyone!
It has been a few days since I have provided an update, so here it is...
Today I really don't have too much to report medically, other than that we will be leaving tomorrow for Dallas to visit the Simmons Cancer center at UT Southwestern. As I type this letter, my Dad is on his way here (to San Angelo) and should be here about 8:30pm to drive with us tomorrow. We will eat a late, but wonderful, dinner that my fantastic friends from the Junior League of San Angelo brought over just a little while ago. Jared, my Mom, my Dad, and I will leave about noon tomorrow to head to Dallas. Mom and Jared stayed up late last night hunting for a room and found a great deal on a 2-bedroom suite for us to stay in.
At Southwestern, I have the first appointment of the day at 8am. From what I understand this visit will just be a consultation, so hopefully I will not be poked or prodded just yet! After the appointment in Dallas, we will go on to Houston and my brother, Jason, will meet us there. I have not yet been able to get an appointment with MD Anderson, but I am confident that I will have one by Monday morning. I already have a woman who is assigned to my case and she has told me that she will be able to get me an appointment sometime next week. The catch is that they will not see me until they have my pathology slides, so we are scrambling around trying to find them and get them there. I ran into my local doctor last night and he has been working on tracking them down for me today. They are now either at the Mayo clinic or are en route to somewhere. I am confident that we will be able to get them where they need to be. I am not sure if I will get to come back home anytime soon or if I might be in Dallas or Houston for a while. This makes packing a tricky task! I generally will pack everything but the kitchen sink for just a night or two, so I am hoping I can pare down a bit!
At present, we all feel like MD Anderson is definitely the best place for me to be. However, we know that getting a couple opinions would also be best. We might just be blown away in Dallas and choose to stay there, but we will certainly choose the place where we feel most comfortable and most confident.
I am feeling and getting around much better. Just a few days ago a trip to the mailbox was a struggle and now I am able to run a few errands with Jared and Mom. I even went to a baseball game last night (for just a couple of innings, at least)! I will be glad to have the next surgery behind me and know that I won't be cut open again, at least for a while.
I can't tell you how much I have appreciated your flowers, cards, letters, emails, phone calls, visits, etc. They truly do lift my spirits. Most importantly, I am grateful for the wonderful prayer chains that are ongoing. God might get sick of hearing my name, but I truly believe in the power of prayer and I know that I will get through this with God's grace and guidance. Just today, I received a post card from a church in Burnet, Texas notifying me that I was on their prayer list--I will have to get out the map for that one as I'm not quite sure where that is!
I have ordered a laptop that should come in soon so I can stop stealing Jared's from him. I will continue to check and send out email as long as I am able. I imagine I will be out of commission for several days after my next surgery, but Jared or my Mom & Dad will keep you posted on my status.
As always, I covet your prayers for myself and especially for my family. This has taken a toll on all of us, but it has been so overwhelmingly comforting to feel the incredible outpouring of love and concern from so many people. We have had friends and neighbors offer to feed our dogs & mow our lawn and complete strangers offer us lodging in their homes. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful support system and I want to tell you all, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.
Love always,
~Heather~

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2006 05:52 PM, CDT
5/16/06
I am feeling better today. I got out of the house today to go to the doctor. They took my staples out and it wasn't too bad. We got a sort of curveball today from my doctor (I'm sure the first of many). Last week our only discussions and thoughts were about MD Anderson. Today, his recommendation was for us to go to a specialist at Southwestern in Dallas. I think he knows someone there and he also said that he felt we would get more personal attention there than at MD. We are still trying to decide what to do. It's quite overwhelming. We have to decide fairly quickly and either way we will be leaving Sunday to go somewhere (Dallas or Houston) to start treatments and visits by Monday, May 22. I will let you all know when we decide what to do. I am going to go ahead and move this update to the blog, so you can keep up from there. Thanks again for all your encouragement and prayers.~H~

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2006 07:51 PM, CDT
5/15/06Thank you so much for your prayers. I am feeling better and better every day and am trying to heal from this surgery and prepare for the next one.From what we know now, I will have to have a hysterectomy as soon as I am able and start chemotherapy thereafter. I will go in tomorrow to my doctor here in San Angelo to have my staples removed. My doctor said that it would be in my best interest to go to MD Anderson and let their team take over completely because I am only 26 and the doctors here do not have the experience needed to deal with my case. By Friday, MD Anderson should have reviewed all of my tests and we should have more of a "game plan" for what we will need to do. My doctor has predicted that we will probably need to be in Houston by next Monday to schedule my next surgery and start treatments. There will be doctors there that will specialize in cases like mine. It sounds like we will be in Houston for quite a while.Right now it's a lot of hurry up and wait. I still feel like this is all a bad dream, but I wake up every morning with the realization it is not. I have had a few visitors and I feel much better when I have people around me. Anyone who would like to stop by or call is certainly welcomed to. I appreciate any encouragement I can get. My family and/or I will try to keep you posted as best we can.~Heather~

My Diagnosis

FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2006 05:42 PM, CDT
May 12, 2006
Dear Friends and Family,
For those of you who have not been in touch with us, Heather had surgery on Wednesday to remove a cyst (grapefruit size) on her ovary. A doctor had treated her the week before for a bladder infection. She had been having stomach pains for the past month. After treatment the pain persisted and with further testing Monday the cyst was discovered. The doctor immediately sent her to an OB/GYN who scheduled her for surgery on Wednesday. Her husband Jared, Jareds mother, Jareds grandmothers and myself met with Dr. Wilson when the surgery was completed. We were all in shock when he told us the cyst/tumor was malignant.
Fortunately they were able to take the tumor and right ovary out. He said that the cancer looked contained but to be sure we needed to do a chest x-ray and CT scan to determine if the cancer had metastasized. These tests looked good in terms of being cancer free except for a suspicious spot on her liver. He ordered an MRI to rule out cancer being in the liver.
This afternoon he came in to tell us that he had good news and bad news. The good news was that the liver looks fine. The bad news was that the pathology reports found cancer in the other ovary. That means that she would need a hysterectomy and follow-up with chemo. The other good news was that the tumor was a stage 1-C ovarian cancer. The five-year success rate of survival for this type of cancer is 83-95%.
He is sending the pathology to a specialist in this type of cancer at M.D. Anderson for further evaluation. His recommendation was to do follow-up treatment at M.D. Anderson. He estimated that the results would not be available until Friday. They would then be able to narrow down the specific type of cell we were dealing with. He also noted that this type of cancer in women of Heathers age is very rare.
In about ten days, we will most likely go to MD Anderson for further evaluation. We ask that everyone keep Heather in your thoughts and prayers. The family also covets your love and prayers.
Mike and Mary Kay Broughton
Jason Broughton
Jared Marks
Ricky and Lisa Marks