Hello family! :)
I know most of you, if not all of you have heard the last updated news from my appointment with the Oncologist on Monday. I would like to first off say I am so thankful and I appreciate each and everyone of you for sticking by me throughout my journey. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful, amazing and very LARGE family! I believe I might have a family members in just about every state! (haha) Thank you to those have provided me with email address, you know who you are! :)
My appointment was at 11am on Monday with Dr. Matthew Borst (Oncologist). I am very thankful to have been referred to such an amazing doctor. I do believe he was put on this earth just for patients like me. He is fantastic! :) We spent about 3 hours at his office on Monday going over anything and everything. He showed diagrams of exactly what anatomy is being effected and how it was all connected. Very educational. I had a pelvic exam done, with that he said the ligements (that hold the cervix in place) felt to be very normal. Which is great news, as this means it might not have spread to the muscle or surround tissues. He also said the tumor is about 2mm. He says this measures about the size of two thumbs put together, thumb pad to thumb pad. My cervix only measures around 4mm. To put this into prospective the tumor is more than half the size of the cervix. The tissue samples that were taken at the colopscopy earlier this month were sent off to pathology. The results came back as cancer, but we are unsure at this time which type of cervical cancer. As that pathology report reads in lamen terms, we are looking at it being one of three types of cervical cancer. Neuroendocrine, Adenocarcinoma and Squamous cell carcinoma. Neuroendocrine and Adenocarcinoma are the two we hope and pray it isn't. Squamous Cell is the one we hope for. It's the easiest treated, the most common and the overall survival rate is much higher. As the other two are not low survival rates, they are just lower than Squamous and effects much more than just the one area of the body. Dr. Borst has suggest I have a partial hysteroctomy at this time, as the tumor is protrouding through the cervix, and is visible to the naked eye. With this surgery he will be taking my Uterus, Cervix, ligements and pelvic lymph nodes. These will all be sent to the lab for disection. Pathlogy will disect the tissues samples, this will then tell us what type of cervical cancer I have, and most important what stage I am. Right now, because we don't know what type of cervical cancer, or how advanced it is, he is calling it Stage One (IB1). Depending on what type of cervical caner it is will determine if radation or chemotherapy will be needed post op. If the cancer is in the ligements then radation will be started immediately after surgery. If the cancer is in the ligements and the lymph nodes then radation and chemotherapy will be started immediately after surgery. If it's just in the cervix surgery should get it all.
There is still a chance once he is in there, he might have to do a total hystorectomy. In which case I would be put on homone therapy soon after surgery as well. With either a partial or a totaly hysteroctomy I will be unable to have children. I have a call into him to see if it is at all possible we harvest some of my eggs before surgery. Following up with my PCP tonight she states at this time, she is not sure I will be able to freeze them before surgery. When they harvest eggs usually this takes a few days (days in which we don't have) to inject the patient with hormones, for a few days and then harvest the eggs, to make sure we are getting a good amount of eggs. Since surgery is scheduled for Friday at 930am we just don't have enough time. If a total hysteroctomy isn't done on Friday, we may be able to harvest them some time after surgery when I have recovered. I can't tell you how much I appreciate and love those of you who have offered to be a surrogate for us. That is a decision we will have to think long and hard about, when we are ready to start a family. That's an amazing gift you have offered to give to us. I will forever be greatful for you! :)
I know some of you have asked mom details on the hospital, so I am going to include the address and phone number as well as my home address and phone number for those family members that have requested this information. My surgery will be at 930am on Friday August 31st. Surgery should last about 3-4 hours. I will be inpatient for about 2-4 days. My recovery will be about 4-6 weeks.
Banner Good Samaritan
Tanya Johnson
1111 E. McDowell Road
Phone Number: 602*839*2000
540 N. Nassau, Mesa, Arizona 85205
Phone: 480*272*0386
Phoenix, Arizona 85006
Please feel free to email me or text, phone calls are welcome as well. :) After all what am I going to do for 6 weeks if I can't lift anything heavier than a milk jug? I am sure mom will have her phone on her as well for those of you who can't make it to the hospital or are out of state. Once I am able to I will update you all I will as well! I am going to have a blessing tomorrow night, Scott's mom Marsha was wonderful enough to set this up for me. That is going to be at 7pm in Mesa. Let me know if you want to come, I can give you more information on where it's going to be at.
I love each and everyone of you with all my heart,
Tanya
P.S...I hope I have covered everything, if you have any questions or if I have missed something please let me know! I am more than happy to answer any questions anyone might have.
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