{"id":533,"date":"2021-10-08T16:10:27","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T16:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/?p=533"},"modified":"2022-12-26T15:11:37","modified_gmt":"2022-12-26T15:11:37","slug":"the-doctors-thought-it-was-pregnancy-symptoms-it-was-something-much-worse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/08\/the-doctors-thought-it-was-pregnancy-symptoms-it-was-something-much-worse\/","title":{"rendered":"The doctors thought it was pregnancy symptoms. It was something much worse."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Venelina<\/a><\/p>\n

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When Venelina Vateva found out she was pregnant with twins, she did what all new moms do. She imagined all the milestones she would celebrate with her kids: birthdays, graduations, first dates. She wanted to be there for every second of it. But then something terrible fell into her lap, the way terrible things do.<\/p>\n

At just 28 years old, while pregnant, she was diagnosed with incurable cancer.<\/p>\n

It started with nausea and tiredness\u2014nothing unusual during pregnancy. She assumed it was typical first trimester stuff. Even when she developed a cough and persistent back pain, the doctors said it was probably pregnancy related.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018Maybe this is just how it is when you\u2019re pregnant with twins,\u2019\u201d she said. But despite carrying two babies, she was losing weight, and her back pain was becoming excruciating.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got up in the middle of the night one night, and I remember I was standing in the kitchen just crying because I was in so much pain. When I came back to bed, I couldn\u2019t get into the bed. That\u2019s when we decided to go to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Venelina and her wife, Lindsay, were rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. An x-ray showed one of her lungs clouded in pneumonia. She was admitted to UNC Hospital, where she stayed for a few weeks, receiving a steady stream of IV antibiotics.<\/p>\n

When the pneumonia finally cleared, she was released from the hospital. But almost immediately, she ended up back in the emergency room. She was having difficulty breathing, and the shortness of breath was so severe that she physically couldn\u2019t speak.<\/p>\n

Lindsay jumped in to communicate with the doctors on Venelina\u2019s behalf. And there were a lot of doctors\u2014a pulmonologist, an infectious disease expert, a hematologist. No one knew what was wrong. They just knew she wasn\u2019t getting better.<\/p>\n

Dr. Tracy Manuck, an OBGYN, thought Venelina should be seen by oncology. She pushed for a biopsy, which Venelina had done just days before her 28th<\/sup> birthday.<\/p>\n

The results showed Venelina had stage IV lung cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember the exact moment when the doctors told me it was positive,\u201d she said. \u201cLindsay found out before I did. I was still recovering from the surgery from the biopsy. Apparently the doctor came in and just looked at her, and she knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until that point, Venelina had been perfectly healthy. She was young, she\u2019d never smoked, and she had no family history of cancer. It didn\u2019t make sense. Cancer never does.<\/p>\n

While Venelina and Lindsay were still adjusting to the news of her cancer, the doctors gave her a devastating prognosis. She had anywhere from a few months to two years to live.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remember thinking, \u2018But I\u2019m pregnant. What do we do?’\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her pregnancy was at the center of every decision. Every scan, surgery, and treatment posed a risk to the babies. The doctors came up with a plan: They would start her on chemotherapy treatments right away. In one month, she would deliver the twins by C-section at 28 weeks. They would stay in the NICU for a while.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Venelina<\/div>
On Venelina's 28th birthday, she dons a t-shirt given to her as a gag gift by the nurses at UNC Women\u2019s Hospital Antepartum unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Venelina\u2019s first chemo session was debilitating. The chemo was so toxic that anyone involved in her care had to wear a blue protective suit. A \u201cbiohazard\u201d sign hung on her hospital room door. If the medicine ever leaked outside her IV, she was told, it would burn her skin.<\/p>\n

She had two more treatments before being released from the hospital with instructions to return for more sessions. Most of that time feels like a blur to her. She remembers being very quiet, dissociated, in her own world. A world that was broken. A world where she would not live long enough to teach her kids to read or ride a bike.<\/p>\n

But finally, some good news came. After genetic testing, Venelina found out she has a gene called ALK\u2014essentially \u201ca typo in the instruction manual\u201d<\/a> of the DNA, which causes cancer cells to grow. Medication can \u201cturn off\u201d the gene responsible for the cancer, slowing and even reversing the spread of the disease.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not a silver bullet. But it will give Venelina more time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the greatest news to receive,\u201d she said. \u201cMy cancer is not reparable at this point, but with this medicine, it\u2019s manageable. There are people who live 10 years or more with that targeted therapy, and there are other people who aren\u2019t that lucky. But I\u2019ll get more time.\u201d<\/p>\n

With this new medicine in play, Venelina would not have to return for more chemotherapy. And she could continue her pregnancy until her body decided it was time to deliver the babies.<\/p>\n

She ended up carrying the twins almost to full term. She was in labor when she walked into the hospital at 36 weeks and announced, to many of the same nurses who had cared for her during her last hospital stay, \u201cHey, I think I\u2019m giving birth right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her son and daughter were born via C-section in July of this year. Violeta came first, then Ivailo.<\/p>\n

It was a beautiful and terrifying moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe medical trauma that I experienced happened at the same place, the same hospital. It was bringing it all back, all those memories,\u201d she said. \u201cSo their birth, it was very, very happy, but at the same time it was very scary because of my diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite the pneumonia, the chemotherapy, the scans and surgeries and cancer meds, the twins were both born healthy and strong. Like all parents, Venelina and Lindsay looked at their new son and daughter with awe.<\/p>\n

\u201cI call 2021 the happiest, crappiest year of my life,\u201d Venelina joked. \u201cYou have to have a little bit of humor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair are now home with their two-month-old twins, who are growing and developing well. So far, the medication has been a success. Scans show no new cancer growth, and the largest tumor in Venelina\u2019s lung has shrunk.<\/p>\n

She is thankful for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, her employer and health insurer, which pays for all but $5 of her $1,500-a-month lifesaving medication. Although her body will eventually build up a tolerance to the drug, the medicine is reducing her symptoms and allowing her to enjoy this time with her family.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see me, no one could really tell, \u2018She has cancer. She\u2019s gone through all this,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Venelina<\/div>
Venelina and Lindsay at home with their newborn twins.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Venelina,<\/div>
They are joined by their two dogs, Pearl and Liffey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Of course, she does have cancer, and it\u2019s a reality she does not have the luxury to forget.<\/p>\n

Looking back on it all, she remembers thinking cancer only happened to older people, that lung cancer only happened if you smoked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought of myself as being invulnerable, really,\u201d she said. \u201cI was so active and so healthy that I just felt like nothing could touch me. I became pregnant on the first try of IUI. I was like, \u2018I\u2019m fertile! I\u2019m healthy. I\u2019m strong.\u2019 But this happened to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

She encourages other people, especially pregnant women, to be aware of their symptoms and to advocate for their care. She is grateful for Lindsay\u2019s steadfast support and the care she received from UNC Hospital doctors and nurses. She even counts some of those nurses as friends now.<\/p>\n

After a \u201chappy, crappy year,\u201d Venelina is enjoying every minute with her beautiful new family of four (seven, if you count the two dogs and the cat). As far as the future is concerned, Venelina looks forward to many big milestones ahead. She will continue to have scans every few months. She will continue to enjoy her new babies as they learn and grow every day. She will continue to experience the best and worst of life, all at once.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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No one should have to face a cancer diagnosis alone.<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n

Learn more about how to cope with the emotional toll of a cancer diagnosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you are the loved one of someone recently diagnosed with cancer, here are tips from a survivor on how to support your loved one<\/a> in the wake of a diagnosis.<\/p>\n

If you need support from a counselor or psychologist, please reach out for help. Here are some resources for finding a therapist<\/a> who can support you through this difficult time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The post The doctors thought it was pregnancy symptoms. It was something much worse.<\/a> appeared first on Point of Blue<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Venelina Vateva found out she was pregnant with twins, she did what all new moms do. She imagined all the milestones she would celebrate with her kids: birthdays, graduations, first dates. She wanted to be there for every second of it. But then something terrible fell into her lap, the way terrible things do. At just 28 years old, while pregnant, she was diagnosed with incurable cancer. It started with nausea and tiredness\u2014nothing unusual during pregnancy. She assumed it … Continue reading “The doctors thought it was pregnancy symptoms. It was something much worse.”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":544,"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533\/revisions\/544"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jaguarviber.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}