The 2nd week of November I began having sharp pain on the left side of my pelvis. Like any normal person, I ignored it and hoped it would go away.

The following week, I noticed my period was 5 days late and this was unusual given my like-clockwork cycle. (My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant, so we’ve been tracking these sorts of things.) Upon hearing about the pelvic pain, I was told to go to urgent care if the pain persisted. I powered through another week before my husband forced me to go to urgent care the day before Thanksgiving.

The news was not good.

An ultrasound determined I had a sizable mass surrounding the left ovary (9-13cm long x 5cm wide) and I was immediately referring to gynecological oncology. The appointment with that doctor was on Thursday, December 3. A blood test (CA-125) taken in urgent care showed my numbers were very high. A CT scan was ordered the same day and I received preliminary results the following day.

Initially, I was due to have surgery the week of Xmas (happy holidays to me!) but my doc felt we needed to accelerate the pace. Her initial recommendation included a full hysterectomy regardless of the tumor being borderline. This was, of course, devastating to hear. But, I also knew that I needed to do what was best for me, and being an adopted child myself, also knew there were other ways to have children.

The weekend was spent informing our friends and family. We’re rallying the troops to kick this thing’s ass. Emotionally draining is an understatement.

I’ve got a few days in Austin for work and the remainder of the week will be spend queuing up my projects to be distributed while I’m out on medical leave.

I am thankful for some alone time and such a supportive network of people who love me. I really am lucky to not have to worry about work and to know I’ll be well taken care of.