My Medical Story (in short)
I have dealt with chronic abdominal pains since I hit puberty at age 12. I experienced heavy menstrual cycles, weeks of bleeding at a time, and often times being so dizzy and nauseous that I would faint, even when I wasn't on my period. Hearing from numerous doctors at several hospitals all around Washington State, that my only solution was to basically suck it up and know that there was nothing conclusive enough to diagnose me with anything; that "[I'm] just one of the unfortunate women that deal with heavy periods," one of my doctors actually said to me as his closing statement from the examination room.
I accepted this was how it was and that I did need to suck it up. At 18 I underwent a couple routine procedures and scans to further investigate my strange and sudden symptoms even when I'm not menstruating, but to no avail. At 19, I got accepted to college at Washington State University in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. Half way through my first semester on the WSU campus, my pains got worse: more sharp and sudden. I believed it was caused by the emense stress that every college student endures, especially in his or her first semester.
Several urgent care and Emergency Room visits later, my stubborness finally gave in and I went in search for a specialist; a doctor who would be willing to run different tests or exams to help relieve my pain and figure out the cause. At Pullman Regional Hospital, I found my doctor. He was willing to get me into an emergency exploratory laproscopic surgery to diagnose my pain and symptoms. In this surgery, he found severe spreading and grouping of black cysts and legions that he defined as Stage IV Endometriosis. It had attacked half of my reproductive organs and had created a lot of legions and cysts throughout my abdominal cavity, which caused me a lot of pain, daily. And with the ebb and flow of my hormones each day, week, and month, the endometriosis would grow and spread.
Two surgeries later, most of the endometriosis and cysts were scraped and cauterized from the walls of my abdomen.
Only a year later, in 2013 one of my routine CT-scans showed three tumors inside my uterus, not previously there during my last checkup. A biopsy was scheduled to check the tumors for malignancy and results returned positive for stage IIa Uterine/Endometrial Cancer. I was just accepted into the Honors College and was only 2 semesters from graduating with my Bachelors at the age of 21. I was going to be the first one in my family to attend and graduate college at that time, but life gave me a different award. Six intravenous radiation sessions, three Tomotherapy sessions and two awful rounds of chemo pills spread over spring semester at WSU, and then I was in remission. Just in time to graduate and get better at the adulting thing.
I was so fortunate to be one of the smallest percentage of women to be diagnosed with Uterine Cancer under the age of 40, and to have survived and not had to undergo even more invasive treatments and permanent scars. Throughout my cancer treatment, I signed up with Beachbody to be an online health and wellness coach. This was ultimately the change that lead me to get certified as a personal trainer in 2015, start earning my Master's in Nutritional Sciences in 2016, and branch out to start my own personal training and meal prepping business in 2017. I have grown and gained confidence and strength not just in the gym, but through my battle with cancer and post cancer care, as I continue to go in for monthly scans, semi-annual biopsies, and a surgery every 1-3 years to relieve me of my pain. Cancer has helped me accept my weaknesses and grow from them. Cancer has also shown me my strengths; having to push through any tough situation, literally fight for my life and my health.
Thank you for liking, reading, following, subscribing, and commenting on my posts and blogs! I appreciate each of you who follow my story and are so supportive!
Do you want to help? Check out my GoFundMe and read my story and share with your friends and family members! The more who support the better! OR you can support financially by donating right here straight to my personal paypal if GoFundMe doesn't open. Your donations help me pay off my past due medical bills from treatment, previous surgeries and procedures that insurance won't pay. Thank you ahead of time for anything you can give. Everything is appreciated and used directly to my medical bills.
Donate Now!
I accepted this was how it was and that I did need to suck it up. At 18 I underwent a couple routine procedures and scans to further investigate my strange and sudden symptoms even when I'm not menstruating, but to no avail. At 19, I got accepted to college at Washington State University in the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication. Half way through my first semester on the WSU campus, my pains got worse: more sharp and sudden. I believed it was caused by the emense stress that every college student endures, especially in his or her first semester.
Several urgent care and Emergency Room visits later, my stubborness finally gave in and I went in search for a specialist; a doctor who would be willing to run different tests or exams to help relieve my pain and figure out the cause. At Pullman Regional Hospital, I found my doctor. He was willing to get me into an emergency exploratory laproscopic surgery to diagnose my pain and symptoms. In this surgery, he found severe spreading and grouping of black cysts and legions that he defined as Stage IV Endometriosis. It had attacked half of my reproductive organs and had created a lot of legions and cysts throughout my abdominal cavity, which caused me a lot of pain, daily. And with the ebb and flow of my hormones each day, week, and month, the endometriosis would grow and spread.
Two surgeries later, most of the endometriosis and cysts were scraped and cauterized from the walls of my abdomen.
Only a year later, in 2013 one of my routine CT-scans showed three tumors inside my uterus, not previously there during my last checkup. A biopsy was scheduled to check the tumors for malignancy and results returned positive for stage IIa Uterine/Endometrial Cancer. I was just accepted into the Honors College and was only 2 semesters from graduating with my Bachelors at the age of 21. I was going to be the first one in my family to attend and graduate college at that time, but life gave me a different award. Six intravenous radiation sessions, three Tomotherapy sessions and two awful rounds of chemo pills spread over spring semester at WSU, and then I was in remission. Just in time to graduate and get better at the adulting thing.
I was so fortunate to be one of the smallest percentage of women to be diagnosed with Uterine Cancer under the age of 40, and to have survived and not had to undergo even more invasive treatments and permanent scars. Throughout my cancer treatment, I signed up with Beachbody to be an online health and wellness coach. This was ultimately the change that lead me to get certified as a personal trainer in 2015, start earning my Master's in Nutritional Sciences in 2016, and branch out to start my own personal training and meal prepping business in 2017. I have grown and gained confidence and strength not just in the gym, but through my battle with cancer and post cancer care, as I continue to go in for monthly scans, semi-annual biopsies, and a surgery every 1-3 years to relieve me of my pain. Cancer has helped me accept my weaknesses and grow from them. Cancer has also shown me my strengths; having to push through any tough situation, literally fight for my life and my health.
Thank you for liking, reading, following, subscribing, and commenting on my posts and blogs! I appreciate each of you who follow my story and are so supportive!
Do you want to help? Check out my GoFundMe and read my story and share with your friends and family members! The more who support the better! OR you can support financially by donating right here straight to my personal paypal if GoFundMe doesn't open. Your donations help me pay off my past due medical bills from treatment, previous surgeries and procedures that insurance won't pay. Thank you ahead of time for anything you can give. Everything is appreciated and used directly to my medical bills.
Donate Now!
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