Angelina Jolie Pitt: Diary of a Surgery

Angelina Jolie Pitt: Diary of a Surgery

By ANGELINA JOLIE PITTMARCH 24, 2015

LOS ANGELES — TWO years ago I wrote about my choice to have a preventive double mastectomy. A simple blood test had revealed that I carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene. It gave me an estimated 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. I lost my mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer.

I wanted other women at risk to know about the options. I promised to follow up with any information that could be useful, including about my next preventive surgery, the removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes.

I had been planning this for some time. It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause. So I was readying myself physically and emotionally, discussing options with doctors, researching alternative medicine, and mapping my hormones for estrogenor progesterone replacement. But I felt I still had months to make the date.

Then two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor with blood-test results. “Your CA-125 is normal,” he said. I breathed a sigh of relief. That test measures the amount of the protein CA-125 in the blood, and is used to monitor ovarian cancer. I have it every year because of my family history.

But that wasn’t all. He went on. “There are a number of inflammatory markers that are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer.” I took a pause. “CA-125 has a 50 to 75 percent chance of missing ovarian cancer at early stages,” he said. He wanted me to see the surgeon immediately to check my ovaries.

I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren.

I called my husband in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful.

That same day I went to see the surgeon, who had treated my mother. I last saw her the day my mother passed away, and she teared up when she saw me: “You look just like her.” I broke down. But we smiled at each other and agreed we were there to deal with any problem, so “let’s get on with it.”

Nothing in the examination or ultrasound was concerning. I was relieved that if it was cancer, it was most likely in the early stages. If it was somewhere else in my body, I would know in five days. I passed those five days in a haze, attending my children’s soccer game, and working to stay calm and focused.

The day of the results came. The PET/CT scan looked clear, and the tumor test was negative. I was full of happiness, although the radioactive tracer meant I couldn’t hug my children. There was still a chance of early stage cancer, but that was minor compared with a full-blown tumor. To my relief, I still had the option of removing my ovaries and fallopian tubes and I chose to do it.

I did not do this solely because I carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and I want other women to hear this. A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery. I have spoken to many doctors, surgeons and naturopaths. There are other options. Some women take birth control pills or rely on alternative medicines combined with frequent checks. There is more than one way to deal with any health issue. The most important thing is to learn about the options and choose what is right for you personally.

In my case, the Eastern and Western doctors I met agreed that surgery to remove my tubes and ovaries was the best option, because on top of the BRCA gene, three women in my family have died from cancer. My doctors indicated I should have preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in my female relatives. My mother’s ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. I’m 39.

Last week, I had the procedure: a laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. There was a small benign tumor on one ovary, but no signs of cancer in any of the tissues.

I have a little clear patch that contains bio-identical estrogen. A progesterone IUD was inserted in my uterus. It will help me maintain a hormonal balance, but more important it will help prevent uterine cancer. I chose to keep my uterus because cancer in that location is not part of my family history.

It is not possible to remove all risk, and the fact is I remain prone to cancer. I will look for natural ways to strengthen my immune system. I feel feminine, and grounded in the choices I am making for myself and my family. I know my children will never have to say, “Mom died of ovarian cancer.”

Regardless of the hormone replacements I’m taking, I am now in menopause. I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes. But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared.

I feel deeply for women for whom this moment comes very early in life, before they have had their children. Their situation is far harder than mine. I inquired and found out that there are options for women to remove their fallopian tubes but keep their ovaries, and so retain the ability to bear children and not go into menopause. I hope they can be aware of that.

It is not easy to make these decisions. But it is possible to take control and tackle head-on any health issue. You can seek advice, learn about the options and make choices that are right for you. Knowledge is power.

Credit: NYTIMES

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I read this article yesterday. S0 I decided to copy and paste it on my blog, I thought it is worth sharing. Actually I heard about it few days back on the radio, but to read it from Angelina's perspective herself, the feeling is totally different. I wanted to comment on this....but as soon as I started to lay my fingers on the keyboard, I paused..

I had this mixed feelings....

1. Sooooo amazed with the 'omputeh' punye technology. With just a test on your blood, you can trace the existence of cancer cell. Sebab tu (eh tetibe cakap bahasa Malaysia, lantakk) peluang untuk sembuh dari cancer kat oversea adalah 80%. Tapi kalau kat Malaysia, untuk mati disebabkan cancer adalah 80%. Sebab tu orang kita takut sangat kalau cakap pasal cancer ni, as if kompem mati! Sebab tu kat Malaysia kurang sangat kes bunuh diri sebab 'mati' tu macam sinonim sangat dengan kita.

2. Tapi Angelina pun guna khidmat banyak doctors. Dia mampu sebab dia kaya. Kat malaysia ni, kalau ade pun semua experts tu, kita belum tentu mampu untuk bayar. Pointnye, lagi banyak duit, lagi banyak control yang kite ada. 

3. Double mastectomy pun dah cukup berat untuk seorang wanita, inikan pula buang ovari dan tiub fallopio. Dalam kes Angeina ni, seolah takde lagi dh ciri 'wanita' dalam diri dia..then how can you live with it? Betul kata Angelina, at least dia bernasib baik sebab sempat melahirkan, macam mana perasaan dengan wnaita ynag terpaksa melaluinya sebelum sempat merasa menjadi ibu?  My high salutes to all women all that who fight for cancer. Al-Fatihah untuk Mak Uteh aku yang menderita kerana kanser....namun sangat tabah melalui hidup membesarkan anak dalam hidup serba kekurangan sambil senyuman tak lekang dari bibir. Syurga tempatmu... (wiping tears).

4. Kita takkan tahu kesan kehidupan kita pada orang lain.. especially pada orang yang terdekat. Macam kes Angelina ni, dia sanggup ambil tindakan drastik ni sebab taknak jadi macam mak dan nenek dia. Walaupun dia takde sel kanser, but just because she has the potential, dia sanggup buang semuanya. Macam tak masuk akal kan? Bukan senang untuk lihat orang tersayang menderita, dan kita akan berazam untuk tidak menjadi seperti mereka. Kadang-kadang kalau kita jumpa orang yang sombong, garang atau terlebih pendiam, kita tak boleh nak salahkan mereka. Siapa tahu kalau mereka ada trauma yang mereka tanggung...

Ntahla..banyak lagi nak cakap tapi tak reti nak sampaikan melalui penulisan. Aku speechless sebenarnya. I can't imagine myself di tempat Angelina. Personally, I admire and adore her. Hopefully all of us will be wiser like her.