I just had my last (hopefully) appointment with my gyno-oncologist. I’m happy that I won’t need her services in the foreseeable future, but I’m sad because Shelly Seward MD is one of the best doctors I’ve ever had.

She’s so knowledgeable, intelligent, kind, understanding, and she’s also a teacher to up and coming gyno-oncologists, such as herself. Oh, and she has a wicked sense of humor.

My journey with her began in 2021. That was the year my body’s check engine light lit up and over a six weeks period my doctor inventory mushroomed from 4 to 8.

In February of that year I began having abdominal pain. It got so bad during a shift at my new job that I had to leave to go to the ER.

My immediate concern was that I was having colon issues. In March of 2020 I’d had my first colonoscopy which revealed four large polyps. The gastrointerologist removed them, and they were sent off to the pathologist to check for cancer. I was lucky, they were benign. However, they were large, so I had repeat colonoscopy four months later. I was lucky again, but I learned I had diverticulosis, which is the condition that can flare up into diverticulitis.

So, in March of 2021 as I wait it’s to get results of the CT scan I had in the ER at AdventHealth in Altamonte Springs, I was thinking I had some scary colon issue.

The doctor returned to my ER room and told me that my colon looked fine. No issues there, so my next move was to get checked out by a gynecologist. Female anatomy being what it is, abdominal pain can be related to a few possible organs.

I found a gynecologist in my insurance network and got an appointment via a referral from my primary care physician.

Cynthia Bernal MD, was still a new doctor, but she was very thorough, and kind. I went to her for my exam where she gave me a Pap smear, and discussed my having a trans-vaginal ultrasound, which didn’t sound fun.

Editor’s note: I started writing this on Friday. It’s now Tuesday 1/13/26. I’m at our nearby laundromat finishing this. Our dryer is broken at home and we have no Wifi there. So, I’m on a stool drying a bunch of sheets.

Yeah, that ultra sound was not fun. It was my first one, ever. I had to drink 32 ounces of water. I drank most of it before setting off to the facility in Sanford.

Ugh, holding in that water when I just wanted to per whole the technician stuck what looked like a large plastic tampon into my girlie parts. I was so glad to have that done.

Turned out I had a uterine polyp. Since I’d never had a human growing in there (my choice), I named my polyp—I have a twisted sense of humor. I called him Throckmorton, which is the name my very first psych professor used to bd me pretend subjects/clients when illustrating psychological treatments, or studies. Dr. Mauny was an old cracker Floridian, he was University of Florida educated, and had a very wicked sense of humor that cracked us all up in class. He was absolutely hilarious, and kind, intelligent. We all loved his class.

On May 5th of 2021 Dr. Bernal surgically removed little Throcky at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women in downtown Orlando.

Throcky was gone, but I had to deal with the thing that Dr. Bernal saw on my vulva. “I’m sending you to an oncologist.” I hated hearing that word. I lucked out; Throcky turned out to be benign.

A week later I had my last knee replacement follow up with Dr. Hudanich, who even goofier fun than usual.

I lucked out with doctors in Orlando. I have had the best doctors I’ve ever had in my life. Well, I had a great dermatologist when I was attending USF, Tampa, but most of the doctors there were just ok. Maybe it’s my twisted personality that brings me to twisted, fun people—I guess.

When I got my info on the cancer institute, two doctors stood out, but I chose Dr. Brudi at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute. She was a DO. I have a soft spot for DO’s. Most of my childhood doctors were DO’s.

I made the right choice; I loved her; she was so awesome. It turned out that she was a patient of my then-orthopedic, Ron Hudanich DO. We agreed that he was goofy fun and a damn good doctor and surgeon. I currently get treated by one of his partners now (long story, but not for anything bad), Brian Vickaryous MD. He replaced my right knee. Hudanich replaced my left knee, five years prior.

Dr. Brudie had decided to move to Ft. Lauderdale to start her own practice. That’s how I ended up with Dr, Shelly Seward. She was the surgeon who removed my pre-cancerous cells from my vulva.

I’ve been very happy with Dr. Seward. She’s been caring for me since about August of 2021. I’ve been very lucky, again. She got all the pre-cancer and has been monitoring my vulva since. I had to endure about four other trans-vaginal ultrasounds. I was thrilled when the protocol reduced the amount of water I had to drink for the last exam.

For this last visit with her I requested a Pap smear, because I was due. She agreed. Thus, there’s a slight chance I’m not done with her. I think I’m going to be lucky with that, too.

Administrative decisions are the reason she has to return my care back to a regular gynecologist. We talked about how pencil pursuers shouldn’t be making medical decisions.

I also understand that it’s probably best to let the oncologists deal with the cancer problems, and right now, I seem to be licking out.

I hope that that trend continues.

I’m grateful for all the luck and great medical care I’ve had.