What Will It Be?

It's return to the doctor day. A big day when your dealing with cancer, because you are waiting to hear whether the cancer has been contained or not. Did this surgery take care of it, or will more be necessary?

Vulvar cancer is pretty rare at my age, but RSD screws with the immune system. I have HPV and while I would love to blame The Dick for that, I had it long before I met him. I was sexually molested as a young child, and somewhere along the way I was left with that as a lasting reminder, along with a few mental scars.

The difference between me and some others? I refuse to be a victim — of anything. I bought a new t-shirt to wear to this appointment. A nice butter-cream yellow shirt that says "Cancer..you're messing with the wrong bitch." That's my attitude. Same goes for the RSD. I have it, but it doesn't have me.

Awareness about something like HPV and vulvar cancer is huge — its a deadly cancer. Roughly 3,500 women are diagnosed with vulvar cancer each year, and about a quarter of those women will die. This is not my year! After two surgeries, and having both my left inner and outer labias removed, the pathologist reported complete containment of the cancer!

My mom and brother went with me to the oncologist's office, and when we got the report, we did the who-who dance. It's party time around here today, and everyone we know has been called — even The Dick, who was very happy to hear the news. Probably because he doesn't have to feel so guilty about the way he left.

My who and me, we've been through a lot, and I'm sure when the time comes I will have come up with some great story about why my left who doesn't look anything like my right who. For now, I'm just glad I'll be around to have the chance to tell the story!