Meet Tiffany, diagnosed 2019, Kansas
"As 2019 fastly approached, my husband and I decided to get the nexplanon birth control bar removed from my arm We wanted to try to conceive baby number three. Our lives were going great. My husband was in the military stationed in Fort Riley, KS. We already had two most beautiful, perfect children together. On January 28, 2019, the birth control was removed from my arm and I immediately started prenatal vitamins.
I had a feeling that I was pregnant but every home pregnancy test I took kept reading back as negative. I had sore breasts and increased in appetite. I called my primary doctor and told her my symptoms, that I felt like I could be pregnant. She told me to come in right away to do a urine test. It also came back negative. I asked if she could do a blood test, she said, “Yes.” I get my blood work done then go home and wait for the call.
On February 26, 2019 I get the call we had been waiting for. I answered the phone and the nurse says, “I hope this is what you were wanting; you’re pregnant!” I was so excited and so full of joy that I could hardly wait to get off the phone with the nurse so I could call my husband to tell him the exciting news! As soon as I called my husband and told him the amazing news, he was so excited! He called all our family to tell them.
Shortly after the big announcement, we move back to where we’re from, Missouri. I immediately make an appointment for prenatal care but the doctors office couldn’t get me in for another month or so. On March 11th 2019, I started spotting brown blood and was alarmed by that as I’ve never had it happen with my first two pregnancies. We went to the emergency room, but the hospital had no ultrasound machine, and couldn’t really help me. The emergency room doctor wrote me a prescription to go to another local hospital under the same company to get an ultrasound done the next morning.
The next morning, I go in to have an ultrasound done. During the procedure, I just knew something was wrong. I watched the ultrasound technicians facial expressions as she sat in complete silence. When she had finished, she immediately went and showed the radiologist my ultrasound results. They suggested I needed to go see my doctor. I remember being so scared, feeling light headed, and dizzy, about to pass out. I had to sit for a moment. At that point, I knew something was wrong. I immediately went to God and asked him for strength for whatever was about to come my way and that everything would be okay.
I saw my doctor and they thought it was a threatening miscarriage. She told me to go home to take it easy and let nature takes its course and come back in a week to have another ultrasound done to check on things. As soon as I stood up from the exam table to leave, I gushed bright red blood down both my legs. My doctor told me it’s the start of my body trying to miscarry.
I went back to the hospital six days later to have another ultrasound done, and again, the ultrasound technicians facial expressions and silence told me something is still wrong. About an hour later, the ultrasound is complete and the radiologist once again tells me I need to go straight to my doctors office to see her. As I go upstairs to my doctor, I’m shaking, thinking every worse thing possible.
She tells me that baby doesn’t have a heartbeat, and that I was having a molar pregnancy. I had never heard of it so she explained that the placenta doesn’t form it instead forms into grape like cysts that can be cancerous. She said she needed to refer me to a gynecologic oncologist and I should get a call from them within 24-48 hours with an appointment. That following evening, I got a call from the gynecologic oncologist that they wanted me in the next day at noon.
At the gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Elbendary in Creve Coeur, Missouri, he does another ultrasound and blood work on me, however, the ultrasound shows it’s a non-viable pregnancy. I needed a D&C surgery the next morning at Missouri Baptist. It is now March 20, 2019 and as I’m slowly waking up from the anesthesia, nodding in and out of consciousness, the nurse asked a family member what I wanted as far as the fetus goes. At first I didn’t know what to do so the paper was signed as the hospital to take care of it. I had then knodded out again, came back to consciousness, and said, “I want my baby!” The nurse then said, “It’s just a clump of cells.” I spend my whole day tired, crying, in pain and wondering why this was happening to me. I always thought nothing like this could ever happen to me, but was I wrong.
After my D&C, they sent everything that they scraped out of my uterus down to pathology to determine what exactly was going on; I was informed that it could take up to 6 weeks to get results back. During the time frame that I’m awaiting results from pathology, Dr. Elbendary checks my HCG levels which were 5,089. Two days later my levels were 2,501. He then has my primary doctor doing my blood work every two weeks to keep an eye on my HCG levels to make sure they’re going down and staying down. My levels were slowly going down like they should getting down to 481 but two weeks later, my HCG levels started to rise again.
My primary doctor messaged my gynecologic oncologist to let him know my HCG levels had risen, and my Gynecologic Oncologist FaceTimed my primary from out of country to let her know that he wanted me back in his office immediately. On April 29, 2019, I go to my office visit with my gynecologic oncologist, he then does more blood work, another ultrasound, orders a ct scan and tells me that the results from pathology. He said “It’s a complete mole; it’s cancer; you have Gestational Trophoblastic Disease and you need to start chemotherapy today. I’m gonna start you on the lowest chemotherapy first which is Methotrexate 85mg and see how the cancer reacts to it.” I remember that phrase like it was yesterday. My world froze for a split second as my eyes filled with tears. All the feelings and emotions that came with it and asking myself, "Why me? This is actually happening to me?" I tried to remain strong all I could think of to say was, “Am I gonna lose my hair?” He chuckled and said, “No, not with this chemotherapy.”
My results from the ct scan came back a few days later and it showed the cancer had not spread any further. My doctor made up a treatment plan for me: I’d do blood work every Monday and Methotrexate injections every Tuesday until my HCG levels went back down to normal levels and stayed down.
Telling my children “mommy has cancer” and trying to explain to them “mommy is really sick” was so hard like a lump in my throat preventing me from speaking. Week by week, injection by injection the worse I felt. The chemotherapy made me so sick; I could barely get out of bed but I somehow still managed being a parent, wife, and cleaning house. I felt weak, shaky, and sick to my stomach all the time and just as I’d start to feel better it was time to get another dose of chemotherapy. While I absolutely hated and dreaded going to the infusion center, I grew a strong relationship with my chemo nurses, we’d laugh and carry on while getting my chemo. They made it more bearable.
June 11, 2019 was my last injection as I’m now cancer free! It was music to my ears, a joyous moment in my life! All my prayers had been answered! Everyone in the infusion clinic was genuinely so happy for me. Everyone single person gave me hugs and congratulated me.
For the next 6 months, blood work would be done to monitor my HCG levels to make sure the GTD didn’t come back. Every month when it was time for blood work, I would pray and ask God to let me remain cancer free. At my six month checkup, January 7, 2020, I was released from my gynecologic oncologist. After a breast exam and pap smear, I was given the ok to get pregnant at any time I’m ready. I kept my faith and knew I have a purpose here on Earth. My husband needs me, my children need me, my underage siblings need me, and my mom needs me. I knew my time wasn’t over yet. I prayed every single day asking God to heal me in every way possible and He did. I’m very much thankful for God and my doctors."
I had a feeling that I was pregnant but every home pregnancy test I took kept reading back as negative. I had sore breasts and increased in appetite. I called my primary doctor and told her my symptoms, that I felt like I could be pregnant. She told me to come in right away to do a urine test. It also came back negative. I asked if she could do a blood test, she said, “Yes.” I get my blood work done then go home and wait for the call.
On February 26, 2019 I get the call we had been waiting for. I answered the phone and the nurse says, “I hope this is what you were wanting; you’re pregnant!” I was so excited and so full of joy that I could hardly wait to get off the phone with the nurse so I could call my husband to tell him the exciting news! As soon as I called my husband and told him the amazing news, he was so excited! He called all our family to tell them.
Shortly after the big announcement, we move back to where we’re from, Missouri. I immediately make an appointment for prenatal care but the doctors office couldn’t get me in for another month or so. On March 11th 2019, I started spotting brown blood and was alarmed by that as I’ve never had it happen with my first two pregnancies. We went to the emergency room, but the hospital had no ultrasound machine, and couldn’t really help me. The emergency room doctor wrote me a prescription to go to another local hospital under the same company to get an ultrasound done the next morning.
The next morning, I go in to have an ultrasound done. During the procedure, I just knew something was wrong. I watched the ultrasound technicians facial expressions as she sat in complete silence. When she had finished, she immediately went and showed the radiologist my ultrasound results. They suggested I needed to go see my doctor. I remember being so scared, feeling light headed, and dizzy, about to pass out. I had to sit for a moment. At that point, I knew something was wrong. I immediately went to God and asked him for strength for whatever was about to come my way and that everything would be okay.
I saw my doctor and they thought it was a threatening miscarriage. She told me to go home to take it easy and let nature takes its course and come back in a week to have another ultrasound done to check on things. As soon as I stood up from the exam table to leave, I gushed bright red blood down both my legs. My doctor told me it’s the start of my body trying to miscarry.
I went back to the hospital six days later to have another ultrasound done, and again, the ultrasound technicians facial expressions and silence told me something is still wrong. About an hour later, the ultrasound is complete and the radiologist once again tells me I need to go straight to my doctors office to see her. As I go upstairs to my doctor, I’m shaking, thinking every worse thing possible.
She tells me that baby doesn’t have a heartbeat, and that I was having a molar pregnancy. I had never heard of it so she explained that the placenta doesn’t form it instead forms into grape like cysts that can be cancerous. She said she needed to refer me to a gynecologic oncologist and I should get a call from them within 24-48 hours with an appointment. That following evening, I got a call from the gynecologic oncologist that they wanted me in the next day at noon.
At the gynecologic oncologist, Dr. Elbendary in Creve Coeur, Missouri, he does another ultrasound and blood work on me, however, the ultrasound shows it’s a non-viable pregnancy. I needed a D&C surgery the next morning at Missouri Baptist. It is now March 20, 2019 and as I’m slowly waking up from the anesthesia, nodding in and out of consciousness, the nurse asked a family member what I wanted as far as the fetus goes. At first I didn’t know what to do so the paper was signed as the hospital to take care of it. I had then knodded out again, came back to consciousness, and said, “I want my baby!” The nurse then said, “It’s just a clump of cells.” I spend my whole day tired, crying, in pain and wondering why this was happening to me. I always thought nothing like this could ever happen to me, but was I wrong.
After my D&C, they sent everything that they scraped out of my uterus down to pathology to determine what exactly was going on; I was informed that it could take up to 6 weeks to get results back. During the time frame that I’m awaiting results from pathology, Dr. Elbendary checks my HCG levels which were 5,089. Two days later my levels were 2,501. He then has my primary doctor doing my blood work every two weeks to keep an eye on my HCG levels to make sure they’re going down and staying down. My levels were slowly going down like they should getting down to 481 but two weeks later, my HCG levels started to rise again.
My primary doctor messaged my gynecologic oncologist to let him know my HCG levels had risen, and my Gynecologic Oncologist FaceTimed my primary from out of country to let her know that he wanted me back in his office immediately. On April 29, 2019, I go to my office visit with my gynecologic oncologist, he then does more blood work, another ultrasound, orders a ct scan and tells me that the results from pathology. He said “It’s a complete mole; it’s cancer; you have Gestational Trophoblastic Disease and you need to start chemotherapy today. I’m gonna start you on the lowest chemotherapy first which is Methotrexate 85mg and see how the cancer reacts to it.” I remember that phrase like it was yesterday. My world froze for a split second as my eyes filled with tears. All the feelings and emotions that came with it and asking myself, "Why me? This is actually happening to me?" I tried to remain strong all I could think of to say was, “Am I gonna lose my hair?” He chuckled and said, “No, not with this chemotherapy.”
My results from the ct scan came back a few days later and it showed the cancer had not spread any further. My doctor made up a treatment plan for me: I’d do blood work every Monday and Methotrexate injections every Tuesday until my HCG levels went back down to normal levels and stayed down.
Telling my children “mommy has cancer” and trying to explain to them “mommy is really sick” was so hard like a lump in my throat preventing me from speaking. Week by week, injection by injection the worse I felt. The chemotherapy made me so sick; I could barely get out of bed but I somehow still managed being a parent, wife, and cleaning house. I felt weak, shaky, and sick to my stomach all the time and just as I’d start to feel better it was time to get another dose of chemotherapy. While I absolutely hated and dreaded going to the infusion center, I grew a strong relationship with my chemo nurses, we’d laugh and carry on while getting my chemo. They made it more bearable.
June 11, 2019 was my last injection as I’m now cancer free! It was music to my ears, a joyous moment in my life! All my prayers had been answered! Everyone in the infusion clinic was genuinely so happy for me. Everyone single person gave me hugs and congratulated me.
For the next 6 months, blood work would be done to monitor my HCG levels to make sure the GTD didn’t come back. Every month when it was time for blood work, I would pray and ask God to let me remain cancer free. At my six month checkup, January 7, 2020, I was released from my gynecologic oncologist. After a breast exam and pap smear, I was given the ok to get pregnant at any time I’m ready. I kept my faith and knew I have a purpose here on Earth. My husband needs me, my children need me, my underage siblings need me, and my mom needs me. I knew my time wasn’t over yet. I prayed every single day asking God to heal me in every way possible and He did. I’m very much thankful for God and my doctors."
