First of all, thanks you so much to each one of you for your kind comments and lifting me and this health issue up in prayer! It means so much.
I'll get you up to date here. My friend Jen suggested getting a second opinion and found a list of top-rated doctors for Denver. I hadn't thought of that and am so thankful for her idea! I made an appointment for last Monday (April 7) with a "top doctor" about 20 minutes away. But the Friday before I also had an appointment with my other doctor, and had an ultrasound there too. The original doctor was very mystified as to what it is, and said we could do laparoscopic surgery to "fish around" and see if the mass is in a place that can be operated on safely, given the high blood flow nearby. She said I might need to consider a hysterectomy because it's easier to just take the uterus and tube out than to try to take this delicate thing out and then get patched back together. Hmmm. The mass hadn't grown so that was good news. She also thought there is a possibility I have endometriosis which may have deposited the mass in that spot. I went away from that appointment with the choices: exploratory surgery to see where the mass is and possibly take it out but the surgery might be risky, hysterectomy which is less risky (but I don't want it!), or just bear the pain each month (and she didn't give me any ideas on pain management.)
Okay, so on to the next "top doctor." I liked the office environment better, and she was very professional, direct, and got me in quickly for a 3D ultrasound. I could hear the sonographer talking to her out in the hallway when she gave her the report and the sonographer kept saying, "I don't know.... I don't know.... I don't know..." ;-) Oh, boy. :)
The Dr. came in and said she thought this was either a dilated fallopian tube (from...? not sure but the sonographer thought it looked cyst-like but said the Dr. was a "wizard" so she'd let her diagnose it), OR an ectopic pregnancy that fizzled out. She thought it was most likely the latter, and said we could try one shot of a chemo drug (Methotrexate) that is a non-surgical approach to target the stem cells. If the diagnosis is correct, it would dissolve those cells in 2 weeks.
Hmmm...sounds pretty good, and I even almost got it that day but the office I'd need to do it in had closed already. After reading more about the drug, Jim and I aren't too excited about the potential side effects, possibility of birth defects if I accidentally get pregnant 3 months following the shot, etc.
She said if we don't feel comfortable with the shot option she can schedule a laparoscopic surgery and see if the mass is safe to operate on given its location, but said there is a higher possibility of a lot of bleeding. I asked if she could just look around and not do anything if it's not safe and she said yes. She also said if the mass if far enough down the tube she'd just take it and the tube out and sew it back up...didn't mention a hysterectomy so that makes me feel better about her!
It's kind of a strange feeling to be the patient that has an ailment everyone is mystified about. I don't like that feeling! I also don't like the feeling that whatever choice I make I have to take a pretty big risk. I could leave it there, but then endure days of crippling pain each month - and what about the mass? Could it turn cancerous over time? Could it dissolve on its own and be absorbed into my body? Is there any harm in leaving it there?
In the long run, would a hysterectomy be better than all the pain or having a risky surgery?
So at this point I'm trying to do as much research as I can, praying about it, and want to also share it so I can get people's ideas on it. If you have an idea, let me know. :)
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