The Masshole (#1)

Yesterday I walked around the block.
Today marks one month post op.
That is progress.

It’s been quite the whirlwind, and I’m still processing everything, but here’s the short of it:

I had been experiencing upper abdominal discomfort for quite a while. Eventually, I gave up on the self-diagnosing and scheduled an appointment with a primary care physician. One thing lead to another fairly quickly, and a “large, abnormal pelvic mass,” now and forever referred to as The Masshole, was discovered on a CT scan.

Fast forward through an MRI, bloodwork, a gynecological oncology appointment, more bloodwork, and eventually surgery.

The doctors are arguably the very best team of people one could ever meet. They operated on me to remove the mass and, as a result, perform a hysterectomy.

Pathology results show that the mass was benign, and I was able to keep my ovaries.

So here I am today on the other side of it now.
It is the good side, the healing side, the happy side, yes.
But it is still…raw.

I post this all for a few reasons:

  • To share a bit about where I’ve been and what I have been up to lately.
  • Extend a very big, sincere thanks to Sarah and the friends and family that have been along with me these last couple months and have helped by way of visits, meals, rides, dog check ins, book loans, calls and texts, etc. It has been a lonely time, and every single supportive gesture has made it bearable.
  • Encourage every single person to get and stay in tune with their body, be in touch with healthcare providers on the regular, and advocate for yourself in every way possible.

And I am mostly posting this just to get myself writing. Emotions surrounding the whole situation are still flooding in. Walking and writing seem to be the salve.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to reach out with any questions. The answers might help prompt me to write even more.

All the love. All the power.