What Happened?

When a uterus is sick, she starts to bleed. This is why the survival rates are so high.

I cannot begin to tell you about the amazing notes and phone calls that I have received over the last two days, not to mention the time before that that.

This part of my journey started some time around Feb. 1, when I started bleeding – a good ten years after menopause. My doctor sent me to Dr. Howard Salvay, a long time Santa Cruz ob/gyn. After a trans-vaginal ultrasound (we all know what those are these days) he determined that there was a mass in my uterus, but it did not appear that there were any fibroids. He said he wanted to do a D+C sometime the next week, and that wound up being March 14, five weeks later. Dr. Salvay said that things looked good and that I stood a good chance of dying with my uterus intact. I was happy about that. I realized that something was up because the biopsy results did not come back as scheduled. The tissues had been sent to Stanford for grading and staging of the tissue that had already been determined to be endometrial carcinoma. The call came Friday morning. It was the bad news/good news talk. I had cancer, but it was caught so early that having a hysterectomy should take care of it.

While I was expecting something like that, I am pretty overwhelmed. There were so many people who knew I was waiting for the results of the D+C, I let as many people as possible know what was happening. I made calls to family, sent notes to the east coast people, and then to all of the locals. Wow, did you guys show up in amazing ways.

My friend Chris Miroyan often jokes that my friends fight each other for the right to help me out. Today, I totally get it that this is true. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Quickly, Ann Ostermann took me off the docket for doing Open Studios Application Assistance workshops. Anita called from Hawaii. Kim sent an amazing note telling me of her own experience with Dr. Salvay and suggested that I set up a web site that will help to organize helpers and rides and keep people updated. Susanna, my dear friend and studio neighbor, who had been listening to me complain about the slowness of the process, remained steadfast. My friend Janice, a brave survivor of both breast and uterine cancer, turned me on to the Hyster Sisters. Roberta, who is not a hugger, gave me a hug. Ronna, my longest Santa Cruz friend, came back to my studio every day to check on me. Mrs. Beebe wrote, "Old Movies, Sleep and Work." (she was right, except for the sleep part.) You all sent lovely notes and called. I found I was able to work, but I was walking in fog, just like Kim said. Sleep, not so much. Old movies.... there is nothing like Netflix and Morning Joe at 3 in the morning. To quote my friend Jane Harlow, "I have the best friends."

Some of you know that I have been moving toward having weight loss surgery. That process, which is, perhaps, what led to the early detection of this cancer, will be on basic hold until the cancer is resolved.

Sarah says, “all you need is love.” More and more I believe this to be true. Please believe me when I say that I know that the healing has begun.

Next: It is sinking in.