Infertility to Adoption – Part 2 “You May Have Cancer”

Infertility to Adoption – Part 2 Catch up by reading  Infertility to Adoption – Part 1

The first time I walked into the oncology office was weird. There were lots of sick looking people, and I didn’t look sick. My husband and I checked in and waited to be called back. Heather, the nurse was so helpful and the doctor so kind. They talked to us, examined me and did blood work. I can’t remember how many times we saw each other before I had surgery 2 or 3 weeks later, but I will never forget making the decision of what to do if any cancer was found upon opening me up to remove my masses. We had to talk through and decide what I wanted to do depending on what she found. That was the first time we said, if we can’t have children biologically, then we will adopt.

My blood work indicated cancer cells were present…

The day before surgery I got a phone call from nurse Heather. She was concerned. I’m not sure she was supposed to tell me, but my blood work indicated cancer cells were present. She said she felt like she needed to call me. I remember hanging up the phone and falling to my knees on my bedroom floor. My husband and I have been Christians a long time, since childhood actually, but we had never had a crisis that proved our need for God like we did that day. We prayed, cried and asked for healing and for no cancer cells to be present the next day when I went in for surgery.

Surgery Day

We drove from Lenoir to Charlotte in the dark early morning hours. We knew we would be there for days. But it felt like the only thing we knew.

Did I have cancer? Would I ever be able to have children? What was going to happen?

I remember being groggy and coming out of anesthesia. The news was good.

NO CANCER! Thank God!

The doctor had determined the growths were endometrial masses. Two of them. Hard and the size of grapefruits each. I was left with one ovary and a damaged fallopian tube. My right ovary, tube and appendix were removed along with the masses. I still had an ovary, so I didn’t have to deal with hormone replacement therapy or hot flashes yet.

It was a long hospital stay, 5 or 6 nights in total. And my husband never left the hospital. He took work calls, he entertained me, he greeted our visitors and thanked them for coming. He made sure I was as comfortable as I could be. He was my caretaker.

My husband never left the hospital.

When we left the hospital it was evident that I could not go home. Our bedroom and main bath were upstairs, and I had a 5 inch vertical incision below my navel from the surgery. My parents lived in a split level house, so that was not an option either. And that’s when my husband’s aunt said she would take care of me. Ada is her name and caregiving is her game. This woman was such a blessing to me. She helped me in and out of bed, cooked for me and looked after me. My husband helped me bathe each day after work and would stay with me a few hours every evening. Thankfully I was able to go home after 5 days of excellent care and nourishing meals from Ada. She was so good to me.

Things were looking up. I finally got to go back to that beautiful old house we called home.

(November 2008, 2 months after surgery)

I was healing. Getting my strength back. There was also hope. Hope of children, with IVF, In Vetro Fertilization.

How much money does that cost? Could we afford to do that? Would IVF work for us? Would this cure my infertility?

Only time would tell.