-
Honoring my mother.. via my skin
Yesterday, I went to honor my mother via tattoo. I've always wanted a tattoo but I did not know what I wanted to get. Now, I know. It is an ovarian cancer ribbon with the Japanese character for mother (haha). My mother was half Japanese and one thing that we would do together was go to Chinatown in Seattle, to this huge…
-
Is doxil a better drug?
Dear ladies: I am a newbie. Recently, my oncologists thought I am having a recurrence of ovarian cancer. Their advice is to start chemo again with doxil. I had taxol/carboplatin previously. My wbc and rbc counts were dangerously low during my previous treatment. Do you ladies have experience with doxil? In terms of side…
-
Chemo is complete!
I finished my last treatment of chemo today! 6 rounds of carboplatin via IP, and 18 weekly Taxol treatments. CA-125 started at 377 and now is 4. The lord is full of grace 'cause I asked him to please get me through and he did! This week I saw a few posts of people who are having tough go of it: you can do it, have faith in…
-
New CA125
It's 12.5!!! Can you picture me doing the happy dance?
-
A little miffed..should i be?
OK, wednesday is a big day. After 6 months of what you are all familiar with: chemo, major debulking, cisplatin, kidney damage etc., my mother goes in for her CT scan results and her HUGE meeting. Onc, says CT scan shows two "somethings" where both her re-sections were, and since her previous CA-125 was high Onc's nervous,…
-
Official Diagosis
I met my GynOnc today. He greeted me with a hug! It's officially ovarian cancer that has spread to the peritoneal wall. He assured me that he and I would be having a long term relationship. I'm scheduled for surgery either 2/3 or 2/10 and will know more about staging then. I'm a little freaked about my CA125 markers. Has…
-
Post chemo blues
I have just had my 3rd treatment of Carboplatin/Taxol and up to now have coped pretty well with it. I have also had some fantastic results with my CA125 as it has come down in stages from 1119 - 887 and the very lastest count was 291. However this is day 2 post chemo and I feel so ill. I am weak, disorientated, lethargic…
-
Doctor's Report
I saw a gyn/onc from Dallas that was in town this month, alternates with my usual one to check my colon pain/diverticulitis. I have now had three pelvics in the last three months and no one can feel any tumor. He ordered a CT yesterday and my oncology nurse called with the report this morning. I have a lymph node next to…
-
Doing well
I just think everybody would like some good news! My chemo was switched back to taxol/carboplatin (from topotecan/avastin) in early Dec. The CA-125 was 408, It was drawn again (after 1 2/3 cycles - I'm on weekly treatment) and it was 62!!! I'm hoping it will continue to fall into the normal range again. Other good news -…
-
Needle Recall
I plan on asking the nurses if they use theses needles! WASHINGTON — Federal health officials announced the recall of 2 million medical needles Tuesday because of a risk they can push bits of silicone into patients' bodies. The Food and Drug Administration said Japanese manufacturer Nipro Medical Corp. has voluntarily…
-
I want to hear some good news
Hello Everyone, The board has been very active lately. I am sitting here reading it and my heart is breaking. I am scared to death. People are having re-occurances. The chemo's are not working and some people are not doing well at all. The only good post I saw this week was Hissy-Fitts. Then I saw the picture of LisaQ's…
-
LisaQ?
I haven't seen any of your posts around here in a while. How are you and your mother doing? In my thoughts, Brittany
-
Facebook Alert
There is apparently a Facebook app that sends notifications to friends without notifying that they are doing it. Here is what happened to me tonight and I am so upset that I am in tears about it! I received a notification from a relative that she had commented on my "funny grave." So I wanted to see what she had commented…
-
PLease Pray tonight...tomorrow is a BIG day
Tomorrow is a big day. Mom meets with the surgeon, and oncologist to see what progress has been made over the past 8 months of chemo, surgery, and chemo...respectively. She is terrified. I have no idea what to expect...I stayed in MN and will be on conference call, My sister will be with her...I feel a little guilty for…
-
More questions
Hi ladies! You all are so helpful and I love reading all of your advice. I have another question about my mom. She has had her colostomy for about 2 weeks now and she is so depressed and overwhelmed by it. I know it is a big adjustment, but she is just totally upset and depressed and I dont know how to help her. She is…
-
Newbie, question about low blood count
Hi, my name is Patty, and I am writing on behalf of my best friend of 50 yrs. She was dx this past March, with Stage 4, a very aggresive form. I have been reading these boards to educate myself, so I can understand what she is going through. She had debulking surgery followed by chemo, she is in a trial using carbo and…
-
Did you shave your head?
As I have mentioned before, I still have about 20-25 per cent of my hair. I had it cut very short before I started chemo and even though it is super thin and I have some spots that are totally "naked", I have not shaved it. Is that something I should re-think? Would it be better for it to all grow back in at the same time?…
-
5 out of 6 treatments down and a heart-to-heart with my doctor
Today was #5 of my initial Carbo/Taxol treatments (totaling 6 sessions). My last CA125 was 19 (from a pre-surgery high of 4,000). I have had minimal side effects. My doctor is pleased. I am ecstatic. Dr M seemed in an especially good mood today (I was reading on my e-Reader when he walked in and we talked about the…
-
picture update
Hi Ladies Well I thought I would update my picture that would include the love of my life, Meghan. Here we are, and now you can see how beautiful my little baby girl is. I am feeling a bit better today and got out for lunch with a dear old friend and we are then going to see Avatar tonight, which I am looking forward to, I…
-
leesag
Good Morning, I have been trying to talk to you for a couple of days, but I am so busy studying for nursing prep review classes, I can't find the time to get on the computer to say much. Are you going to Mercy Hospital? I am pretty sure that Dr. Dwight Um is the doctor that checked on me during rounds every morning,…
-
Alimpta
Has anyone ever been on Alimpta? Do any of you know anything about this drug? I think it has been used for lung cancer. I haven't been able to find out very much information about it, but my doctor says that there has been some success with it's use on ovarian cancer. Thanks............with love and hugs, MM
-
LeesaG
Hi Leesa, In a previous post you mentioned your kids and how to tell them. How old are your kids? I have 3 kids. My younger two are 6 and 4. The social worker at my cancer center gave me a book about talking to kids about cancer. It is called "In Mommys Garden" The author is Neyal J. Ammary. The concept is easy to…
-
changing chemo
I did have my app't this afternoon. I will stay on Gemzar and since I was allergic to Cisplatin, I will have Carboplatin again. Treatment 6A will be Monday if counts are up (Gem/Carbo) and then 2 weeks later just Gemzar and then repeat but don't know for how long since I am slightly behind! Was suppose to be done this…
-
All these chemos
I have been reading our recent posts. It really amazes me how so many of you can have chemo all the time on time and it has not really affected the counts too much. You ladies must have strong insides!! ☺ I just got back my blood work today and see that my CA125 has gone from 12.2 (November 30) to 28. Will see my doctor…
-
tumor marker up and reaction to Carbo
Thought all going well again, spoke too soon. Had my 4th gemzar/carbo on Mon. After carbo got going my through started to feel like a big clog in in, port felt a little odd, then palms started to itch. Finally decided wasn't just me and to mention to nurse. They all came to check, checked my vitals, all fine. Onc dr came…
-
Confused: PPC or Ovarian?
Hi all, You may remember me from the recent posting about the CT scan. I saw my GYN today and now I'm even more confused. He tells me that, yes, I have cancer, but he doesn't think the ovaries are the primary site. He seems to think it's Peritoneal Cancer. He presented that as though it were a positive, but the little bit…
-
My experts
I'm calling all of my experts......what a great resource of you I have! My marker has been going up for six weeks (three tests), and today I hear that it has dropped just ONE point. Based on the drop, I will get my treatment of Cisplatin/Gemzar tomorrow. Is anyone as surprised as I am????? What do all of you experts think?…
-
How do you deal with weird looks? Self esteem help please!
Hi Everyone. My name is danielle. I am 25 years old. I have stage four ovarian cancer, and am undergoing aggressive chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Have been dealing with cancer for about 5 years now. It spread to my stomach, lungs and brain. So its been pretty rough. I am having a big problem. Right now I am having a…
-
Recurrence confirmed
Well, I definitely have a recurrence and will go back on chemo -- doxil and carbo. I have to have a new port put in because the last one got infected. I also have to have my heart checked before I go on the doxil. I guess that's routine. I took a day off work to get my head back on straight. I know so many of you ladies…
-
A Quotation for the day
Quotation: "May today there be peace within you. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with…