Teratoma

The last week has been pretty worrying for Jessica and I. Jessica had been sent to the emergency room last week with severe stomach pains. They did a whole series of test and found an unidentified mass over her ovaries and below her pancreas during an ultrasound. She had a cat scan done yesterday and an endoscope exam today with the results given.

The good news is that it is not cancerous. The weird news is that the mass is a completely benign tumor which is 12cm in diameter (yes, I am not kidding) and putting pressure against all her organs in that area (which is causing the pain in her pancreas and stomach). She needs to get it removed. The good news about that is that it is not attached to any of her organs (just kind of floating around). But the sheer size of it will mean that she needs at least a week to recuperate.

If you get grossed out easily don't read the following. There is a name for this and Jessica couldn't remember the name but the tumor is a mass of fat, water, blood (and sometimes has hair and teeth).

Anyway, we are breathing a sign of relief. She will be okay with no permanent damage to her organs. She has been referred to a specialist in Ottawa and will undoubtedly have an operation in the next 6-8 weeks (welcome to Canada).

This was Jessica's message:

"As you probably know, I have been having bad stomach pains and other problems since the third day of my trip to North Africa. Despite taking medication for stomach acid, which I had been treated for before, it just didn't seem to go away. When I got back I was treated for e-coli, which it turns out I didn't actually have (I thought it was strange that I had NONE of the symptoms).

Last week I went to the emergency room in a great deal of pain, and that's when an ultrasound revealed a large solid mass in my pelvic area (not the tummy). Some of you know this because I had to cancel my birthday party :( (Don’t worry, take two is to come soon). I think I mentioned at the time that I wanted this little "squatter" kicked out for good. Well.....I was just joking but it turns out that I do have a rather large monster living in my pelvic area.

I had a cat scan and an endoscope exam (not fun) done this week in Kitchener and I learned yesterday that I have what is called a Teratoma tumour, which literally translates in "monster" tumour. They are very big tumours that are all lumpy and bumpy, frequently come out hairy and sometimes have teeth and bones in them (think of the Aunt in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" who had a "biopsy" and found out she had her twin living in a tumour in her neck....except mine probably wasn't a twin). Hence the term "monster". My friend Paul was pretty close when he said that I had probably had an alien living in me.

While these tumours are usually very big, leave it to me to outdo everyone: at 12 cm, mine is larger than average....huge in fact....and taking up most of the room in my pelvic area. Hence the pain. And probably hence the acid reflux (apparently if you've ever been pregnant you know what I'm talking about).

But not to worry, it is all fatty tissue and completely benign and not connected to any of my reproductive organs, so that's good. I just have to find a gynecologist in Ottawa to schedule a surgery. I don't know how long that will take, but I AM starting my new contract at Foreign Affairs next week....I can take a little pain and discomfort and my office will be much more comfortable than North Africa was, and I am assuming that there will be a working washroom near by.

Seriously, however, I have been feeling better this past week – the little monster must have shifted to a more comfortable position.