Porschea's Cancer Journey

My name is Porschea. I am a 33 year mother of a sweet and sometimes wild 6 year old little boy. I was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer- Mucinous Adenocarcinoma in August 2023. This is my journey and struggles thus far.

As most of you who have been following my story that began in May of 2023 know. I have had a long complicated journey.

For those who do not know. I had an ovarian cyst that started at 11cm. My specialist refused to operate stating it will go away or burst and be absorbed. Fast forward it shrunk to 8cm and I was put on lupron depot to help with symptoms from the endometriosis. After starting lupron the cyst began to grow rapidly and the specialist kept turning surgery down until the cyst was 30 cm and taking up my entire abdomen. He then stated he recommends a full hysterectomy and he did not do those and told the hospital to refer me to an Obgyn. I'll skip quite a few details but I ended up finally having surgery on August 3, 2023. I was cut from sternum to pubic bone and spent 4 days in the hospital at sycamore shoals. On day 8 my surgeon removed my staples and my incision opened up in the car ride home. I was admitted to JCMC on August 11, 2023 for emergency surgery to clean and reopen the entire wound and place a wound vac. Again I'll skip many details here and shorten to JCMC is terrible and so is ETSU Obgyn. I spent a week in the med center and was released against all my concerns and with a fever and high WBC on August 17, 2023 and then readmitted to Franklin Woods not even 24 hours later due to a UTI that I contracted in JCMC that was never caught( my dark urine was never checked, nor did I ever receive fluids the entire time I was there) that turned into sepsis. I was at Franklin Woods for a week and sent home with a midline inplace and 2 weeks of IV antibiotics. I dealt with terrible vac changes every other day for nearly two months and am still healing with wet to dry dressings.

When my pathology came back from my giant cyst I had cancer Mucinous adenocarcinoma. I have for the past month and a half had to travel to and from Knoxville every week for gynicalogical oncology appointments ( there is no longer a gynicalogical oncologist in the Tri-Cities as Dr. Kramer has retired). On top of the physical and emotional toll this has brought my family and I, we now have fell on financial hardships due to the constant traveling that will continue during my cancer journey as I now have surgery on October 16, 2023 to remove my remaining reproductive organs, my omentum, and multiple lymph nodes. After this procedure I will most likely endure chemotherapy and immunotherapies. I have still not recovered fully from my past two surgeries and now I am looking at a minimum of 15-18 weeks where I will be unable to lift, push, pull, bend, squat, or stand for an extended amount of time. I worry about how I will be able to prepare meals for my son, clean my home, and how I will be able to take care of myself medically with the recurring traveling and future treatments that may not be covered by insurance, the continuing stress of how I will I manage to take care of my family and our everyday needs during this battle.

Through this entire journey I have leaned on God and I know he has been right by my side! He has lead me this far. I will continue to praise him through this storm!

If you feel moved to help us during this time just know it will be greatly appreciated.

Please pray continually for peace and comfort, a speedy recovery, cancer free results, and that God will continue to lead us.

Thank you and may God bless you and your families,

Porschea Elswick