You Belong To Me (Kaylor)

111.

It's Monday morning and the girls are getting ready to go to meet the oncologist that will be treating Karlie. They had an amazing weekend together, spending Saturday with their friends and practically all day Sunday in bed. Karlie had also called her mom to let her know what was going on. Her reaction was exactly what Karlie expected. Tracy became hysterical. She cried for most of the conversation as she tried to ask as many questions as she could. She wasn't happy with Karlie's decision to hold off on the surgery or the treatment, but she knew there was no sense in arguing with her. She knew Karlie's decision was already made. Tracy wanted to be there for the oncologist visit but Karlie told her no. She explained that Taylor would be going with her and that where Tracy would truly be needed would be after the surgery. Karlie asked if she would come and give Taylor a break, knowing that Taylor would need one. Tracy, would never refuse and offered her services for as long as they both needed her.

The girls got into the SUV and were off to the doctor. When they got inside, they were immediately taken into a private office where they met with Dr. Lucas.

"It's nice to meet you Karlie and Taylor. I'm Dr. Lucas and I'll be taking care of your cancer treatment. I already received your records from Dr. Mabry and have a pretty good idea as to the route I would like to take. There are two routes we can go for the surgery, vaginal and abdominal. Vaginal has less pain and a quicker recovery rate. Abdominal surgery will leave a 6-8 inch scar across your bikini line and takes a longer time to heal. Either way, total heal time is 6-8 weeks. You can begin to slowly incorporate regular activity by week three but you must take it SLOW. By week six, you can regain sexual activity. The route we go for surgery will be determined by how large your cervix is currently. If it's normal size, we will go vaginal if not, it will need to be abdominal. Are you ok, so far?"

Karlie just nodded her head. "I'm a model, so I'm hoping we can take the vaginal route, so I have no scar."

"I completely understand that but your health is more important than your career. Typically, when it's a cancer diagnosis, we don't even have the vaginal surgery as an option."

"Well, then why is it an option now?" Taylor asked.

"Because technology has come a long way and if we can determine that the cancer does not appear to be spreading, having a vaginal hysterectomy is just as safe. Regardless of the surgery type, stopping the cancer from reoccurring is never a guarantee. Now, I also understand that you have started hormone therapy to freeze your eggs. Although I don't like the idea of prolonging any of this, I do understand your reasons. When are you getting married?"

"September 13th." Karlie said as Taylor squeezed her hand.

"Ok, that's a Saturday. We will be scheduling your surgery for Monday the 15th. I'm sorry that it's so close after the wedding, but we really want to prevent any spreading. You look like you eat pretty healthy but I am going to give you a list of foods that have been known as 'cancer fighters.' Begin eating them regularly. It's good for anyone with or without cancer. Now, for you Taylor..."

Taylor looked shocked that the doctor was about to address her.

"I'm assuming that you will be her caregiver?"

"Yes sir."

"Ok. Well, here's a pamphlet for you. It's a support group for caregivers. You may not think you'll need it, nobody ever does; however, caring for someone who is going through a life changing circumstance will eventually take its toll on you. Just keep it in mind."

"Karlie, do you have a living will?"

"No."

"My suggestion would be to contact your attorney and have one made up. This isn't to scare you. Everyone should have a will in place, just in case the unexpected happens. It's less stress on the families, overall. I'm going to have the receptionist provide you with a packet of a lot of information. Some forms will need to be filled out and returned to us.  We need to know if you will be giving anyone the authority to make decisions on your life, should the situation arise. Again, I'm not tying to scare you but these are things we need to know. Do you have any questions for me?"