the day after sunday

Hello everyone

Well I guess one way to "deal with" a diagnosis like endometrial cancer is to find something worse. On Saturday I got the results from my echocardiogram which demonstrated pressures with in the right ventricle indicative of pulmonary hypertension. We reviewed this with a Cardiologist in Eugene on Saturday, and again on Sunday.  He said that you cannot make the diagnosis without a stress echocardiogram, which would show you what the pressures are during exercise. There is also regurgitation of the tricuspid valve. This is the valve that separates the right atria and the right ventricle. This means that that valve is leaking. This also needs to be quantified and during the echocardiogram they can measure pressures across the valve.

Although I have totally freaked out about this, I am going to try very hard to assume that this is NOT pulmonary hypertension, but something else. I am going to "back away" slowly from the drivers seat and perhaps let a clever cardiologist take over.

We have an appointment for the stress echo and consult next Tuesday in Eugene.

This Friday is my next brachytherapy and next Wednesday is chemo.

External beam radiation is the next treatment I will be having and it will start May 19th or so.

To begin with there will be a 4 hour session for "simulation"

This is where they use a ct scan to mark out where all my key organs and bone are, then make a map to determine where the radiation will be directed.

They make a mold of your body and so that each time you go back for radiation you will be in exactly the same position.  They also mark your skin with little temporary tattoes so they know where to line up the radiation beams.

One of the biggest concerns with this type of radiation to the lower abdomen/pelvis is scarring of the bowels which can cause bowel obstructions any time down the road.

I decided that since I will be due for a colonoscopy in a few years, that I am going to see if I can get one before radiation starts, because it will be a much safer procedure before radiation. After a person has undergone radiation to the bowel area a colonoscopy can possibly be technically more difficult. Also endometrial cancer patients have a somewhat higher risk of colon cancer, so to get all my bases covered, will likely do that this week.  Could be a very busy week.

Ken and I have also decided that this is the time we really need to spend time together and so we are going to sell the property that we bought up in Canada last summer and pay off the debt it created which will allow Ken to work less.

We are going to go on a big trip in the fall.

Love and peace

Janet Bates

jankenb@gmail.com