Last year, a sudden illness made me face life and death for the first time. I was frightened, confused, and worried. Fortunately, I survived.
It’s just four days after my period, and I’m pregnant?
Our company’s annual welfare check-up time is from June to October, and the specific time is arranged by yourself. In the first half of last year, I was just transferred to a new department. I was busy with business, and I didn’t want to waste time with my baby on weekends, so the physical examination was delayed until October.
On October 8th, the first day I came back from the National Day holiday, I went to the company to deal with some urgent matters and planned to go to the hospital for a physical examination on the morning of the 9th. I have been in good health since I was a child, and there is nothing wrong with the annual physical examination, so I never thought that I would get sick, and I never even dreamed that the next examination would be like a nightmare.
Items that require fasting include liver, gallbladder, spleen and stomach color Doppler ultrasound. The queue is very long, and it finally came to me near noon. As soon as the probe touched my stomach, the sonographer asked if I was pregnant. I repeatedly denied that my period was very regular, and it was only four days ago, so it should be impossible to be pregnant.
The doctor looked at it carefully for a while and said that there was a super large thing in my right ovary, 15cm*12cm*10cm , and asked me to go to the gynecological clinic as soon as possible for further diagnosis. I was stunned, she asked me if such a big thing is not feeling in my stomach? I did weigh about 10 pounds heavier than before, and I thought I had gained weight. The only abnormality was frequent urination and leakage a while ago, which I thought was caused by postpartum.
Ultrasound examination results丨Photo provided by the author
I didn’t care about other inspection items. I ate something casually outside at noon, and went to the gynecology clinic in the afternoon to get an expert number. The gynecologist took me to the hospital immediately after seeing the results of the physical examination in the morning (the internal system was interconnected). When I arrived at the ward, the doctor had already arranged for blood collection and full abdominal CT.
While waiting for the results, I asked the doctor what the blood was collected to check, and he told me that it was the tumor marker CA125 . My brain was blank at that time. I was afraid to call my husband, and he rushed over from the company as soon as he received the call. While waiting for him, I made a video call to my sister who was far away. The moment I got connected, I couldn’t help crying. My sister was shocked, and asked me about the situation while comforting me. My sister has always been the backbone of the family. I dare not tell my mother for fear that her body will not be able to bear it, so I can only talk to my sister. She told me not to be afraid, but don’t scare myself before I came out, even if something really happened, she was there when the sky fell. In extreme anxiety, I waited for Mr., who hugged me tightly and told me that he would be there no matter what happened.
Finally, at four o’clock in the afternoon, the results came out. My CA125 test result is more than 400kU/L, and the normal level is generally 0~35kU/L , which means that it is likely to be a malignant tumor simply from this indicator. The tumor is already large and at any risk of rupture or torsion, and doctors recommend surgery as soon as possible . I discussed it with my family and decided to go to another hospital with a higher comprehensive level.
When I got home at night, I cried again, thinking that my son might lose his mother at such a young age. I never thought that such a thing would happen to me. I am in my prime, always healthy, no smoking, no drinking, regular diet and rest, and a happy life. How could this happen? In the evening, I told my in-laws about the situation. They will have to work hard to take care of the children for a while in the future.
Hope rekindled and shattered
The next morning, my husband took me to the hospital for registration, and brought a series of test results from the previous hospital. The doctor here made the same judgment, saying that immediate surgery was needed. The doctor also saw my fear and reassured me that it might be benign, because from the CT results, it should be a teratoma . The probability of this kind of tumor being benign is more than 95%, and the older the age of onset, the higher the benign rate. .
At that time, I seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and rekindled a glimmer of hope. So I relaxed and started to prepare for the surgery. In the morning of the third day, the enema medicine should be consumed within two hours. I vomited before I finished drinking, it was the type of hyperemesis that sprays water out of my nostrils, and I had to continue drinking after I vomited.
I’m actually looking forward to the surgery, expecting a subversive result after the surgery. When I woke up and was pushed out of the operating room, my husband, sister-in-law and mother-in-law were waiting outside. The father-in-law takes care of the child at home, the younger brother is on a business trip, the elder sister is out of town, and the parents do not know. The result of the intraoperative biopsy was malignant. The doctor said that the intraoperative biopsy was a quick test, and there was a certain error rate. The final pathological result that came out two days later prevailed. The first time I talked to my sister after the operation, I was still stunned. I vaguely remember that in the video, my sister repeatedly called my name with tears in my eyes…
For a few days after the operation, I could not eat. I had a nutrient solution tube, a urinary catheter and a drainage tube inserted into my body, and an oxygen tube on my nose. My husband took care of me with clothes and lodging in the hospital. My sister couldn’t come back due to the epidemic, so she could only video a few times a day to understand my situation.
Two days later, the final pathological examination results came out, it was determined to be malignant, and the flame of hope was completely extinguished. Fortunately, the doctor said that although my tumor was relatively large, it was in the early stage and had not spread. The existing clinical treatment plan is very mature, and the malignant teratoma is very sensitive to chemotherapy . The doctor told me not to have too much psychological burden, and gave several good examples after the recovery, that is, the chemotherapy process will be a little painful, But persistence will surely win.
Four courses of chemotherapy, the drugs used were carboplatin and etoposide. Chemotherapy should be started one month after surgery, every 28 days for 4 days. According to the doctor’s arrangement, I just finished the fourth phase of chemotherapy before the Spring Festival, and I can spend the New Year at home with peace of mind. The doctor also told me that the drug would affect the hair on my body, so I was mentally prepared, but the hair would grow back after the treatment. Then I mustered up the courage to cut my hair short, thinking that it would be easier to take care of it even if it fell out at the back.
I cut my hair short.丨Photo courtesy of the author
After the operation was over and I was discharged from the hospital, my sister and I discussed whether to tell my mother about this. We lied to my mother that I had a common gynecological cyst, but to do some preventive treatment, I needed to rest for a few months. My parents-in-law helped take care of the children, but there was a lot of noise when the family went in and out. My mother usually lived alone and was relatively quiet, so I went to my mother’s house.
It may be that my sister’s “lie” was well told, and my mother was not very worried, but she still took care of me very carefully. She prepares every meal meticulously. All the food at home is as fresh and nutritious as possible, and it is not repeated every day. I greedily enjoy my mother’s care, eat, sleep, walk and bask in the sun every day, as if I have become a little baby that cannot be separated from my mother. On weekends, Mr. took me back to his home to accompany the children, and my life became a little more comfortable.
It may be that I got rid of the hospital temporarily, and the treatment plan has been clarified, and I finally feel a little better. It seems that I haven’t really rested since I went to work. This time my sister advised me not to think about anything and not to do anything, just treat myself as a vacation and put everything aside. Usually I am a person who likes to worry, this time I decided to listen to my sister’s words and enjoy a time of carefree and caring, thanking my family for giving me the right to be willful.
Chemotherapy for the first time, passed smoothly
The time for the first chemotherapy has finally arrived, and I have prepared myself mentally in advance. On the afternoon of November 2, he was admitted to the hospital and underwent a basic physical examination. All the indicators were normal. The next morning, my husband started the formal treatment with me.
On the first day, thirteen bags of fluids were injected, and some protective drugs were injected first, and then chemotherapy drugs were started. Carboplatin in the morning and etoposide in the afternoon. There are clear requirements for the infusion time of the medicine, and the infusion should be completed within one hour. The biggest fear during the instillation process is the bulge , which means that the drug does not enter the blood vessels, which may cause irreversible damage to the skin and muscles. Fortunately, the first day went well, and I didn’t experience vomiting. I ate three meals a day normally, and the injections lasted past eleven o’clock in the evening.
On the second day, the chemotherapy drugs were reduced, and only etoposide was given, but the drugs of protection and nutritional supplements were still the same. On the third day, only etoposide and protective drugs were administered. On the fourth day, only protective drugs were administered in the morning, and he was discharged in the afternoon. The first course of treatment ended, and it went relatively smoothly. I could eat normally without vomiting. The doctor said that the adverse reactions generally start from the second chemotherapy, and the more serious it is. In any case, it was a smooth pass for the first time.
When he was discharged from the hospital, the doctor ordered ” 30 million “: first, do not catch a cold, because other complications may occur when your immune system is low; second, do not go to places with many people, for fear of accidental infection; third, Be sure to control your weight well, and the positive and negative fluctuations should not exceed 5 kg. Otherwise, the dosage of chemotherapy drugs should be adjusted, and the entire treatment effect and process will be affected. I take it to heart.
The hair loss problem I was most worried about finally happened about 20 days after I was discharged from the hospital. There are usually white hair follicles at the bottom of normal hair loss, but the hair that fell out at that time did not, and the bottom part was obviously thinner than the tip of the hair. I try to minimize the frequency of shampooing and brushing, hoping to keep them for as long as possible. Except for the hair loss, everything else is normal. I have a good appetite, eat whatever is nutritious, and sleep more than ten hours a day. When the weather is good, I will go to the botanical garden with my mother to bask in the sun, and when the weather is bad, I will practice Baduanjin at home in front of the video. My sister chatted with me whenever she had time, and even specifically asked my mother to cook more food for me, and even allocated a “food-buying fund” to my mother. Anyway, I had a good time.
On November 15th, I went to the outpatient clinic for the first injection of the medicine to protect the ovaries. My right ovary was removed because the tumor was too big, but my left ovary is still healthy. Considering my young age and the assurance of my quality of life, the doctor suggested that I should be treated with chemotherapy four times, once every 28 days. The drug will inhibit the pituitary gland from secreting the corresponding hormone, which is equivalent to letting the ovary enter a dormant period to prevent chemotherapy drugs from causing damage to the egg cells. But the side effect is that the body will enter a state similar to menopause, menstruation will stop, and it will be hot and sweaty at any time. I was fortunate to have had the worst winter ever since I was a child.
After my second chemo, I went to pick the ‘surviving’ oranges
Second chemotherapy on December 1st. My weight is well under control, and the doctors and nurses say I look good. But the second chemotherapy was not as lucky as the first. On the first morning, I started to react to the chemotherapy drugs. I vomited all over the breakfast and couldn’t eat a single bite of lunch, so I could barely drink some water. In the afternoon, I couldn’t drink any water, and I felt nauseous all the time. When I had nothing to vomit, I retched, and the next thing I vomited was bile. Doctors prescribed intramuscular antiemetics, but they had little effect.
The nurse said that my reaction was too severe, most people would vomit but not even drink water. The nurse still urged me to drink more water, because drinking more water can promote drug metabolism. But when I drink and spit out ten, nothing can get into my mouth. The aunt on the next bed looked at me pitifully and poured me a little water chestnut water boiled by her girl. I tasted it and it tasted delicious. So the husband immediately went to buy horseshoes and rock candy, took the electric stew cup from home, and arranged it immediately.
On the third day of chemotherapy, the thing I was most worried about happened, my left hand was bulging . The head nurse came to seal me, that is, inject a circle of medicine around the bulge to enclose the injury. It was extremely painful. There was very little flesh on the back of my hand. I was stabbed with about ten needles. Not only was it pierced, but the medicine was also spread under the skin. I was crying and screaming, in pain and fear, and I was soaked inside and out after the needle was pierced. Endured the end of the second chemotherapy.
I still vomited for the first three days at home, but the symptoms gradually became mild and gradually returned to normal. About the fifth day, I was alive again, but my hair fell out so badly that it would fall out if I didn’t touch it. My hair was all over my clothes, pillows, and bed. I didn’t dare to wash my hair, but it didn’t help. My sister suggested that I shave my hair and watch them fall out a little more than a one-time fix. The husband said that he would shave his head with me, for fear that I would not be able to bear it alone. I refused, his huge head and flat back, shaved head is too ugly.
After doing enough psychological construction, my husband shaved my hair with a child’s clipper. He said he was very scared at the time, afraid that I would cry, and felt more like an executioner. I didn’t cry when I shaved, I was just horrified when I saw my bald head in the mirror. That look was so weird, I felt like a monster, and after a few minutes of shock, I put on the wig that my sister had prepared for me, and I felt a little calmer. I told myself it was alright, it was only temporary, it would grow out next year.
I have always liked outdoor activities. When I am sleepy at home for a long time, I want to go out for a walk, but I am afraid to go to places with many people. One Saturday, the weather was excellent, and my husband asked a colleague to pick oranges in the wild, which he knew was my favorite activity. We drove for almost two hours with our children and arrived at our destination. The people in the old town have all moved, leaving only some old and new houses. Through the abandoned town, we came to the endless orange orchard. It was already winter, and the oranges had already been plucked countless times, and only a few were hanging sporadically on some trees in the depths of the orange orchard. Some were eaten by birds, some were dry, but some “surviving” oranges were always found. The process of searching is so healing, dear people, warm sunshine, and beautiful scenery. At that moment, I forgot that I was a patient, and only the vast world and happiness surrounded me.
I survived the last two chemotherapy treatments.
The third chemotherapy on December 28. Since the last time I vomited so badly, I didn’t plan to eat this time, and wanted to rely on nutrient solution to survive. This time I stayed in a double room, and the next bed was a little girl in her early twenties with a beautiful face. The wards on this floor are filled with tumor chemotherapy patients, and I can’t help but feel sorry for her. She took the initiative to hand me the washed fruit, and we got to know each other after a few chats. Later, I learned that the little girl suffered from an erosive molar pregnancy. She was pregnant within a year of marriage. She was waiting for the arrival of her little life with joy, but she suddenly bleeds heavily. This time, it may be because of a partner who can talk to each other, and chemotherapy is not so painful. The two complained, showed off, touted, and gossip, and the big things became clear .
The discharge time this time is very coincidental, it happens to be New Year’s Day in 2022. This is already the darkness before dawn, the darkest hour has passed, no matter how hard it is, there will be another victory, and I seem to have seen the dawn of the dawn.
January 25, 2022, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the fourth chemotherapy. I made an appointment with the girl in the ward last time, and this time we came together, but we didn’t get a ward. She has to stay in a special sterile ward because her white blood cell count is too low. The fourth chemotherapy was also the most serious one. Because of the accumulation of drugs in the early stage, this time I started to experience hyperemesis from the moment I was hospitalized, and I couldn’t drink water chestnut water. Fortunately, the taste of strawberries was acceptable, so I reluctantly ate one strawberry. , holding the basin and vomiting for a long time, the red strawberry juice mixed with bile poured out.
So what to do when you’re uncomfortable? I just thought that I could go home for the New Year after I was discharged from the hospital. There are a lot of delicious food for the Chinese New Year, so I can buy new clothes. My husband also promised to buy me a necklace… Don’t laugh at me, this is what I thought at the time, relying on these thoughts I have survived the worst days.
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, I finished the four-phase chemotherapy and recovered and was discharged from the hospital! I finally won! The doctor instructed to be careful within five years. For the first two years, review the gynecological color Doppler ultrasound, CA125 and alpha-fetoprotein indicators every three months, do a full abdominal CT every six months, and review it every six months for the next three years. It’s safe after five years.
Now that I have recovered for half a year, I took off the wig that I had worn for half a year, and kept my hair super short. I always remind myself to maintain a good attitude and cherish my health. Only when I have lost it can I appreciate the value of what I once had.
Doctor Reviews
Ma Rui, Attending Physician, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tenth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University
Teratoma is the most common germ cell tumor. Germ cells have the special ability to differentiate into different cells, tissues, and organs. The tumor caused by abnormal differentiation process is teratoma . Testis and ovary are common sites of teratoma, in addition, abdominal cavity, thoracic cavity, coccyx or intracranial may also occur. Mature teratomas are mostly benign.
The authors diagnosed a malignant teratoma, an immature teratoma, located in the right ovary. The vast majority of malignant ovarian teratomas are unilateral and consist of immature embryonic tissues with different degrees of differentiation, mainly primitive neural tissues . Clinically, tumors can be graded according to the amount of primitive neuroepithelial content, and the degree of malignancy is closely related to the grade. The etiology of the disease is not completely clear , and 20% to 25% of patients are affected by genetic factors. Other influencing factors include endocrine factors, lifestyle influences, and environmental factors.
The clinical manifestations of malignant ovarian teratoma are non-specific , mainly manifested as pelvic mass, abdominal pain and abdominal distension, sometimes accompanied by vomiting, ascites, and a small number of patients presented with acute abdomen due to torsion and rupture of the tumor. Gynecological examination accessories touched the mass, poor mobility.
Once malignant ovarian teratoma is diagnosed, surgical treatment is required as soon as possible. The initial operation can choose whether to preserve fertility function according to the patient’s fertility needs. Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy may be considered for patients with early-stage or low-risk tumors who wish to preserve fertility.
Effective combination chemotherapy should be used as soon as possible after surgery. The degree of damage to the ovary is related to the patient’s age, the cumulative amount of chemotherapy drugs, and the duration. GnRH-a is used to protect the ovary during chemotherapy, and most patients can return to normal menstruation and reproductive capacity 2 to 3 months after chemotherapy. Malignant teratoma usually has a good prognosis after treatment.
Through the author’s story, we are reminded once again of the importance of regular physical examinations. Only by actively responding to diseases can we treat and prevent them early.
Personal experience sharing does not constitute diagnosis and treatment advice, and cannot replace a doctor’s individual judgment on a specific patient. If you need to seek medical treatment, please go to a regular hospital.
For the experience of benign ovarian teratoma, please click here for TA’s story and doctor’s comments.
Author: quiet
Editor: Swordsman Tewei, Li Xiaoqiu
Cover image: Figure Worm Creative
Here is the Nutshell patient, focused on telling health stories.
If you have an experience of getting sick or seeing a doctor to share, or want to talk about your own health-related anecdotes, please submit your articles to [email protected]
This article is from the guokr patient (ID: health_guokr), and may not be reproduced without authorization. If necessary, please contact [email protected]
This article is reproduced from: http://www.guokr.com/article/462402/
This site is for inclusion only, and the copyright belongs to the original author.