After arriving back from Thailand, I only managed a tram ride, a doctor’s office, two nights at home in my hometown of Plzeň… and then I ended up in the hospital.

We landed in the Czech Republic on November 5th, and the very next day I already had an appointment with my gynecologist. By that point, I was only managing the pressure in my lower abdomen and the back pain thanks to painkillers. I told my doctor the whole story and handed over all the test results from Thailand. Most of it was in Thai, but thankfully the blood report was in English. By the way, blood tests and an ultrasound in Thailand together cost me around 1080 CZK. Even she frowned at my numbers.

“Hop on the table, let’s take a closer look at the little monster.”

Years ago, my mom brought me to this doctor, and I’m incredibly grateful for that. She never brushed anything off, never left things to chance, and when I struggled with complications after my premature delivery years ago, she was patient with me through all of it. As I’m slowly learning, that kind of care is not a given. I was lucky.  She showed me everything on the screen and explained it carefully.

“There’s definitely a tumor there, but what worries me even more is the enlarged ovary. I’m sorry, but this really looks like cancer. I’m calling the university hospital right away so they can do more tests. They may keep you there immediately, this is urgent. And if you need anything, call me.”

I nodded through all of it, thanked her, and walked out. I still hadn’t activated my Czech SIM card or mobile data, so I couldn’t even call home. It was the longest tram ride of my life. Her face looked so serious… what if she was right? But there are benign tumors too. I live healthy. I exercise. There’s no way I can have cancer. The plan is still the same. They’ll cut this thing out of me and by February I’ll be back on a beach with a coconut in my hand.

I arrived at the gynecological emergency department at the University Hospital in Lochotín, handed over my paperwork, and waited. At first they told me it was too late and I’d have to come back the next day, but once they saw how badly I was walking — I hadn’t taken any painkillers that morning — they admitted me for initial testing almost immediately.

I was supposed to wait about an hour for the first results. Thanks to the hospital wifi, I finally managed to call my mom. Then I went for a short walk outside to make time pass faster. At least I got to catch one more autumn. The leaves were beautifully colored. My favorite season. In Thailand every day is basically the same — just heat. But every step already took a huge amount of effort, so eventually I went back to the waiting room, which was empty by then. My CA 125 marker came back even higher than in Thailand.

They sent me home and told me to report back first thing the next morning. From that moment on, I switched into autopilot mode. Handle what needs to be handled. Organize everything. Don’t think too much about the rest. On the morning of November 7th, I arrived with just a small backpack. It didn’t even occur to me that I wouldn’t come home that day. Then the carousel of tests began. More blood work, urine samples, examinations, ultrasounds from every possible angle…

“We need to schedule surgery as soon as possible. Go speak to the nurse, she’ll admit you next door,” the doctor told me.

I knew surgery was coming, but hearing it out loud was something entirely different.  Slowly, I walked over to the next building, took the elevator up to the gynecology ward, GIIB. A nurse greeted me at the door, registered me, and showed me into room 207.

“You can choose whichever bed you want, there’s nobody else here yet.”

Better farther from the window, just in case some cold-loving woman like my mother showed up and wanted fresh air all day. In the end, I had the room entirely to myself during the whole stay. Honestly, it almost felt like a hotel. Mostly because of the silence and peace. They hooked me up to IVs — more antibiotics, and finally proper pain medication — so for the first time in a long while, I actually slept well. That afternoon my mom came by with a bag of things for me. We kept telling ourselves it would probably only be for a week.

Soon enough, I’d be back home.