Patient Story

Ovarian Cancer: Tara's Story

一个有才华的艺术家受益于自我照顾，同情和卵巢癌的先进治疗.

Patient Story Highlights

塔拉·穆德在49岁时被诊断出患有卵巢癌, and was referred to Johns Hopkins for treatment.
她接受了广泛的手术和腹腔化疗.
在耐心和自我照顾下，塔拉恢复了健康，重新开始了她的生活.

塔拉·穆德的艺术作品充满了质感和能量. 这位49岁的画家和前美术教师用丙烯酸和油画创作, and makes mosaics out of dried paint strips. 这些抽象的作品充满了色彩，反映了塔拉所说的启发他们的灵性.

2018年4月，塔拉突然出现腹痛和感染迹象. Thinking she might have appendicitis, 她的初级保健医生用救护车把她送到当地急诊室. 影像显示左侧卵巢有一个8厘米× 10厘米的肿块, and a cyst on the right one.

塔拉被转介到约翰霍普金斯的妇科肿瘤学家那里 Rebecca Stone, M.D., M.S. for surgery.

“I met Tara on May first,” Stone says, “考虑到她的年龄和(检查结果)，我并不太怀疑她是癌变了。. 尽管如此，我们还是认真对待了她的病情，并在见到她后的10天内将她送入了手术室.”

斯通和她的团队从微创(腹腔镜)方法开始，从肿块表面采集样本. 当塔拉还在手术室的时候，他们就把样本送到了病理实验室. The lab determined that Tara had cancer. With this new information, 手术小组改变了思路，进行了一个更复杂的手术来切除所有的癌细胞.

Stone says, 塔拉患的是卵巢表面的卵巢癌，这是最常见的类型. 高级别癌症意味着肿瘤可能会快速生长和扩散. 但她的肿瘤是一种对化疗非常敏感的类型和一种特殊的维持治疗来减少复发的机会.”

That chemotherapy would involve 18 rounds. Tara didn’t panic. “Dr. 斯通很自信，所以我也很自信，”她说.

‘Washing Machine’ Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer

塔拉接受了一种叫做腹腔化疗的治疗, 这是约翰霍普金斯大学首创的，对卵巢癌有用吗.

斯通说，因为卵巢并不是固定在腹部，而是可以移动的, 影响卵巢外表皮的癌症——比如塔拉的癌症——会使癌细胞在整个腹部脱落.

“I pictured it like glitter,” Tara says. “It’s hard to catch every flake.”

IP化疗的目的是到达腹部癌细胞可能隐藏的所有区域. Tara refers to the treatment as “the washing machine.”

Over the course of several hours, the chemotherapy drug, mixed with fluids, 通过导管直接注入了塔拉的腹部. 最后一步是把塔拉翻身，每隔15分钟翻转一次，这样药物就能冲洗每个器官, nook and cranny.

“That was the spin cycle,” Tara jokes.

Compassionate Care, Encouraging Response

塔拉的治疗是在约翰霍普金斯医院校园的斯基普·维拉癌症门诊大楼进行的.

“I had an incredible experience there,” she says. “Randy and Tony, who worked in the garage, welcomed me every time I came in, smiling and showing me to my parking place. 登记处的人热情、快乐、真诚地关怀着我们. Jazmen, one of the technologists, was amazing.”

Tara says one nurse, Sharon Gerber, R.N.她说:“她很善良，很有耐心，很能给人带来快乐. 我无法想象如果没有她，我的癌症经历会是什么样子.”

塔拉在十月份完成了她的“洗衣机”化疗. “由于一些副作用，我不得不推迟最后一个周期,” she says, 但他们修改了最后一个，让它不那么激烈.”

On Nov. 塔拉接到一个电话:检查显示没有患病的迹象.

塔拉说:“当我接到那个电话时，我联系了我最好的朋友，他正在这个地区工作。. “I texted her while she was at her meeting in D.C. and picked her up at the train station. 她给我准备了花，我们在一家最喜欢的餐馆庆祝.”

Spirituality, Community, Art and Self-Care

“Tara’s an incredibly resilient person,” Stone says. “She enjoys life and lives in the now. She’s not obsessing about the past or the future. 她对自我照顾的关注非常重要:吃好、睡好、照顾好自己.

“She was scared at first — who wouldn’t be? But she never let it overwhelm her.”

塔拉说，她的宗教信仰支撑着她度过了艰难的时期:“家人和朋友用祈祷和支持祝福我.” As part of a close-knit church, 她说，邻居和教区居民提供接送和餐饮, and even mowed her lawn.

Tara also took her self-care seriously. “I reduced my work hours during chemo,” she says, “and took time to take care of myself, rest and create. I poured into myself with good food, long walks.”

She is grateful to Rebecca Stone and Johns Hopkins. “我无法想象在其他地方接受治疗，”她说.

她对那些新确诊患者的建议是:“有这么多的进步. 信心十足地准备战斗吧——不要觉得自己无能为力.”