I picked up Karly early from school yet again today for another doctor's appointment. She has a lot of check-ups, that girl. Today it was the pediatric gynecologist ... because when your 13-year-old has ovarian cancer, you definitely want a pediatric gynecologist on your team.
So now, 4 years later, it's routine and maintenance, which is nice and wonderfully uneventful. The doctor has a new nurse, which lead to a funny moment. She was going over Karly's history with me -- meds, surgical, etc. -- and then stopped with an odd expression. "It says post-menopausal here ... ?" which made me laugh. Because, yes, that is right, and yes, highly unusual.
That's what removing an ovary, 5 rounds of chemo and then 33 days of abdominal radiation will do -- it will push a girl who is just entering puberty right on through menopause.
Then the doctor came in, and she checked Karly over and chatted her up. We had quite a long visit with her, actually -- going over meds and overall health and so on. We'll continue with the hormone replacement patches that Karly has been on for quite some time, as they seem to be working well for her (no more hot flashes, for one thing).
At one point, the doctor told Karly something to the effect of how she couldn't get over how great Karly looked. She said, basically, "when you have a patient that is very sick, that's the image that stays in your head for a long time. And you were a very sick girl - and now you look great!"
How true that is ... and how surreal that we've moved forward so far from that point. I mean, Karly didn't go to school for a full year; and when she started back up, she was only going for a couple hours at a time, a few days a week -- that's how low her stamina was.
Oh, and another odd thing -- Karly doesn't have reflexes anymore. You know how the doctor hits your knee with a little mallet to get a response? None. It's a side effect from chemo. But considering the multitude of side effects that can come along with chemo, this one is definitely not an issue!
3 comments:
That's really an incredible update....and so interesting. I had no idea that ovarian cancer could push a girl into menopause. What an amazing girl you have!
I really enjoyed the update on Karly and the fact that everything is alright is super. Karly, you do look terrific and I am wishing you nothing but the best. You are one amazing person.
Glad to hear that Karly is doing so well! Funny that she lost her reflexes. I had no idea that could happen.
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