Too Young for Cancer
Cancer can affect anyone – including young people. Amanda Schwalb knows this too well. In 2015, Amanda, age 35 at the time, began feeling ill and had to be scheduled for an emergency surgery to remove a cyst. She had no idea this emergency surgery will soon reveal ovarian cancer. Six weeks after the surgery, she got the news that she had cancer in one of her ovaries, which was successfully removed. “I was recommended to make an appointment to see Touro Gynecologic Oncologist Joan Cheng, MD following my surgery,” says Schwalb.
A few weeks after her surgery, Amanda met with Dr. Cheng, who ordered a CT scan. Thankfully, all of her margins came back clear. Her cancer was in remission. Amanda began receiving follow up care from Dr. Cheng periodically throughout the year. She began seeing Dr. Cheng every three months. Eventually, her visits became more sporadic, with a visit every six months.
Dealing with Recurrence
In August 2017, Amanda had a feeling that her ovarian cancer had returned. She was right! Her inhibin levels had spike, and Dr. Cheng scheduled a CT scan and surgery to determine if her cancer had returned. The cyst from her cancerous ovary in 2015 had ruptured, which caused the cancer to spread to another ovary. Amanda was diagnosed with adult granulosa cell tumor, stage two ovarian cancer. Dr. Cheng scheduled a full hysterectomy, and she spent 7 hours in surgery.
“I was told the surgery was only supposed to last a few hours. But Dr. Cheng was diligent in wanting to find every piece of cancer and remove it. She didn’t want to give up,” says Schwalb. Amanda spent 8 days in the hospital recovering, and Dr. Cheng scheduled six chemotherapy sessions following surgery.
After finding out that Amanda had to undergo chemotherapy, she began searching ways to not lose her hair. “I am a planner. I did not want to lose my hair, and it was hard to wrap my head around it. In my research, I found out about the Paxman Cooling Cap, and I decided to ask Dr. Cheng about it at my follow up appointment,” says Schwalb. Surprisingly, Touro Infirmary was already in the process of acquiring the Paxman Cooling Cap System.
“I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. A week before Thanksgiving, I got a call from Dr. Cheng’s office that the Paxman Cooling Cap arrived to Touro right before my first chemo session. Paxman overnighted my cap, and I started chemotherapy on November 29,” says Schwalb.
The Paxman Scalp Cooling System allows more control, precision, and coverage than traditional scalp cooling treatments like ice packs and cold caps. Touro is proud to be the first hospital in Louisiana to offer the Paxman Scalp Cooling System, which aids in reducing hair loss for women undergoing chemotherapy. It works by reducing the temperature of the scalp by a few degrees immediately before, during and after administration of chemotherapy. This in turn reduces the blood flow to hair follicles, which may prevent or minimize hair loss. “The cap is working for me. A nurse told me that we never had a patient on your medication come in with hair on day 21. To others, my hair looks normal, and they would have never guessed that I had 5 chemo treatments,” says Schwalb.
Hopeful Outlook
Amanda is close to completing her last chemotherapy session, and she is grateful for the care that she has received from Dr. Cheng. “She is great! She is very direct in discussing your cancer at a good comfort level. She has my best interest at heart. She’s the absolute best at what she does,” says Schwalb.
This experience has changed her perspective on the medical field and their professionals. “I met nurses who started working in the medical field after having cancer. I completely understand why. This experience makes me want to go in the medical field. I am grateful for the nurses, doctors, and surgeons that cared for me. All I want to do is spend my time thanking them. I want to tell other people these experiences do not have to be what you fear,” says Schwalb.
