In which I catch everyone up, and give some context to my  tweets.

 

Then: On November  12th, I went to the ER with massive pains I thought was appendicitis.  Four hours later, after an x-ray and  CT scan, I was told that it was a  tumor  and I should go home and  think about what I’ve done.  Called my healthcare provider the next morning, and started a journey that ended with surgery to remove the tumor, and the discovery that it was not in fact ovarian cancer (as had been feared) but appendiceal (of the appendix).  Which is apparently bugfuck rare* and really hard to diagnose until something dire happens  (in my case, the tumor burst, causing the pains that sent me to the ER and possibly saving my life.  Thanks, Slimer.**)

Now: The past few weeks have been spent waiting for lab results, and healing up from having a very large surgical zipper installed in my abdomen (0/10 do not recommend), being mostly sofa-ridden and having to rely on friends and family for pretty much everything.  I tried to accept this with good grace, but…. I’ve been  trained to do for myself, so that was difficult.

And the cats were very upset that I was banned from picking them up/couldn’t let them sleep on my stomach/let them walk on me.

But healing progresses, and while  medical issues continue, as of today I’ve been cleared for most of Normal Life, although I’m still too-easily exhausted, and exhausted from being exhausted.  Gonna be a wild  holiday season, yep.

So, going into 2020….

Right now, they believe that they got all of the tumor, and my prognosis is good.  But there’s still a high risk of recurrence, and I’m looking at more surgery/chemo to make sure this fucker stays down.  The initial fight’s over, but the long haul battle continues.  For that reason, I’m being very conservative about travel plans – local conventions are a go, but everything  else is wait-and-see.

I want to say thank you to everyone who has emailed, DM’d, posted, or  tweeted your best wishes and support.  I don’t have the energy or spoons to respond individually, but I see and I appreciate.  And huge thanks to all my Patreon and Gumroad supporters who have been patient with me; I’m writing as fast as I can (stay awake)!

And yes, I will continue writing – in addition to my Patreon, there’s a book due to Saga! –  and bringing out the backlist via BookView Cafe.  As I said in an earlier update, I’ve got too much to do to stop now…

Which brings me to this:  If you even think something  is wrong with your body?  Get it checked out.  You know what ‘normal’ feels like better than anyone else; don’t second-guess yourself.  Early detection can make a huge difference, and ignoring it only makes you go away.

– Laura Anne

 

* approximately 1-2 cases per 1 million individuals, as per the National Organization for Rare Diseases

** I did NOT vote to name the tumor that, but was outvoted.