symptoms before diagnosis

umaof6

This is my first time here. I was diagnosed Sept.14,2007. I had my first treatment of taxol/carboplaten on October 1st,2007. My last and sixth treatment was Jan. 21,2008.
My ca125 is down to eight and I feel better than I have in years. I had my last check up Sept.8,2008. My next check up is Jan. 2009. That will be a four month time span instead of three. I could write pages about my illness but I'm sure that it would parallel many other stories I have already read. My goal is to get the word out to others about this disease.
I would like to get some info on symptoms others experienced before their diagnosis. My symptoms were akin to colon problems. There is a lady in my support group and she was having "chronic bladder infections". I hope to start speaking to groups soon about this dreadful disease. I know that ovarian cancer mimics other illnesses and can fool even the best doctors. Hoping to hear from you out there. God Bless each and everyone.

Carol

Lauracec

I feel a strong desire to
I feel a strong desire to get the news out also. I wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper in september and he got it in the next week. I think there should be some posters made for all dr.s office about the quite symtoms of this deseise. just to remind the ladies and keep it fresh in the doctors heads so maybe it wouldn,t get passed up and other things blamed for the symtoms Laura

umaof6

Lauracec said:

I feel a strong desire to
I feel a strong desire to get the news out also. I wrote a letter to the editor of our local paper in september and he got it in the next week. I think there should be some posters made for all dr.s office about the quite symtoms of this deseise. just to remind the ladies and keep it fresh in the doctors heads so maybe it wouldn,t get passed up and other things blamed for the symtoms Laura

get the word out
thanks for the input. Were you diagnosed with ovarian cancer? If so, what were your symptoms? I read a letter from a woman that had sent it to one of my male friends. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer a week before I was told that I had ovarian cancer. She thinks that a ca125 blood test should be a routine test at a woman's annual check up. I agree although I know that the ca125 doesn't always read positive in early stages of the cancer. I pray that a more accurate test will be discovered soon so my daughter and granddaughters do not have to go through the same thing I did. Carol

Lauracec

umaof6 said:

get the word out
thanks for the input. Were you diagnosed with ovarian cancer? If so, what were your symptoms? I read a letter from a woman that had sent it to one of my male friends. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer a week before I was told that I had ovarian cancer. She thinks that a ca125 blood test should be a routine test at a woman's annual check up. I agree although I know that the ca125 doesn't always read positive in early stages of the cancer. I pray that a more accurate test will be discovered soon so my daughter and granddaughters do not have to go through the same thing I did. Carol

symtoms
stomach growing and bloated alot just thought i was getting fatter but pants were fitting real weird this time. was getting hot flashes and night sweats. just thought I was going through early menopause at 42. was takeing tums just about everynight before bed. my energy level has been way down probably for monthes b-4 surgery. afew monthes b-4 diagnosis i felt like Icould feel things on the lower side of my belly but just chalked it up to being paranoid. about a month b-4 diagnosis I went to urgent care because my back hurt alot and everyone keep telling me I had a kidney infection. they checked and said nope and sent me home. a few weeks later it realy sunk in when I could push on the top of my stomach and something would move on the bottom of my stomach and my stomach looked like I was pregnant. went in and they sent me to cat scan and I had two cantelope size cyst on each ovarie.my ca 125 was only about 47. they did the surgery with a gyn onc even though they thought there was a good chance it wasn't cancer. it was stage 3c and they got most out except a 5 cm peice wrapped around main arterie of liver so hopefully the chemo has kicked it. I just finished my 6th carbo/taxol tuesday and I am on the avastin trial for another 16 cycles or it could be a placebo. it's a blind study. i get my ct scan on the 24th and get the results on the 28th if it is still the same and stable we will continue with the trial. if it shrunk to notheing we will continue the trial if it only shrunk to where it,s almost gone we might get off the study and do two more car/taxol. I'm hopeing it's gone. thanks for letting me vent.
I feel that all female yearly exams should come with avaginal , rectal ,transvaginal ultrasound and ca125 untill they come up with something better.Laura

Susan523

My symptoms
Hello, Uma, and congratulations on your remission!!
And what a wonderful thing you want to do; "spreading
the word" on Ovarian Cancer symptoms truly needs to
be done!

Before my diagnosis, I had pain during sex, LOTS of
bloating, and diarrhea. I also had "urgency" when I
needed to urinate. (I was diagnosed Stage IIIc on
May 17, 2006). I also had cramps at times, but no
period. I guess that's why I thought it was just
menopause. (I was 48yrs old at the time).

If I had only known the symptoms, I would have been
to the Dr. SO Much sooner!! My annual pap/exam was
Nov 29, 2005, but nothing was discovered then. It
was when I went in for "something for hot-flashes and
menopause" that my Gynecologist did an ultrasound and
discovered that my abdomen was filled with fluid. He
then ordered a CA125 test and referred me to a Gynecology
Oncologist.

Good luck with your endeavor to do this. I admire you
for it!!

Take care,
~Susan xoxo

kayandok

OVCA symptoms
Hi Carol and welcome to the club no one wanted to belong to! This is an active board and lot's of very kind, supportive and informed women. I like to read other people's stories and experiences. It gives me information and a feeling of support.

I was dx 6-06 with OVCA 3C. I have had three surgeries and 101/2 doses of chemo but not in that order. I am currently NED. My story is very much the same but unique in that I have combined the US and Japanese medical systems. I have insurance here in Japan but not in the US.

My symptoms were that I had a funny itchy feeling right below my breast bone and a funny pain in my upper back. I scheduled to get my gall bladder checked out (my mom had hers out at 60 or so and I thought it might be that), but first went in for my yearly pap. They automatically did a vaginal US and found two 4cm cysts. My doc ordered a CA125 done and sent me in for an MRI the next day. I had surgery two weeks later. I think every GYN in the world should have a vaginal US in their office like they do here. It could save many lives.

Barbara Goff (Seattle ONCO/GYN) has done a whole study on how to discover OVCA earlier. I read most of it and also heard her speech on YouTube. (You may find it interesting, and can easilly access it.) I found it to be facsinating but very disappointing. It boils down to money, as usual. But, they aways quote the "STATS" which says that it is not worth the money to order a CA125/US for every PAP because the amount of women who are detected early, are the same either way etc etc blah blah. I just can't believe that. But that is the way the "STATS" go.... Now, this is on of my buttons and I could go on for a long time, so I better stop.

Wishing you the very best in getting the word out there.

Kathleen:)

umaof6

symptoms before diagnosis
I should have stated my age earlier but it never crossed my mind. I was three months shy of being 57 when I was diagnosed. I read some stats somewhere that the average age of a woman who gets OVCA is 55. I was really shocked when I was diagnosed because I had a total hysterectomy in December of 1982. If you don't have ovaries you can't get OVCA. Right? Wrong!! We must all work diligently to spread the word!! If everyone would inform just one friend,and that friend told one friend, etc,etc, just think how many people we could reach. Therefore, maybe one day doctors would make the ca125 a part of our annual exams. Thanks to all who sent info. God bless!! In Christ, Carol

Dreamdove

My symptoms
1. urinary problems (thought I had urinary infection)
2. spotting
3. bloating
4. indigestion
5. constipation
6. pain when touching 3 locations on stomach
7. weight up but looked thinner in my jeans

I was 51. Nearly thru menopause.

Unknown

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

umaof6

my symptoms
thanks for your imput. I hope to get as much info as I can to see how our symptoms paralleled. It seems that we all attribute our symptoms to something else. God Bless.

Carol

umaof6

unknown said:

This comment has been removed by the Moderator

symptoms
I hope that you are doing okay now. I would go from being constipated to vomiting and diarrhea. I told my family that I could not recall having so many stomach viruses in all my life. Of course I blamed that on my grandchildren who seemed to share everything with me. Also I never thought about having ovarian cancer since I had a toltal hysterectomy in 1982. Little did I know I had cancer. My GP treated me for an infection in my colon because that is where I had most of my pain and symptoms. If he hadn't started the ball rolling, I probably wouldn't have been here today. We just walked in the house a little while ago from my four year old grandson's soccer game. A year ago I wouldn't have been able to go. God bless you and may we all get the word out about this horrible disease.

Dreamdove

umaof6 said:

my symptoms
thanks for your imput. I hope to get as much info as I can to see how our symptoms paralleled. It seems that we all attribute our symptoms to something else. God Bless.

Carol

My symptoms were not for very long
Carol, I should mention that I really didn't have these symptoms for very long. 4 days before I drove myself to the ER to get my stage 3 diagnosis, I woke up bloated and had the pain in 3 areas of my stomach. 2 days later the trouble eating. The only symptoms I had before all this was alittle bit of indigestion at times, urinary problems, and abit of spotting, as well as occasional constipation. I don't believe I had all these more than a month or so. I went into doctor's office to get my urinary tract infection treated and he mentioned I should get a gynelogical checkup since I hadn't had one in a long time. I wish I had. Maybe I would have been a stage 1 or 2, who knows? But I'm ok now. I am 17+ months cancer-free now!