The Omentum

akm52

nancy591 said:

atypical
Amy, I too was diagnosed as an atypical stage IV. I wonder if really makes a big difference anyhow. After struggling with my recurrence I now believe it is all depends on how well your cancer responds to the chemo. We ovarian women don't usually get radiation though.

I think you are right, about
I think you are right, Nancy, about the staging not making a big difference. I focused on it for a while until a resident in the hospital told me, the survival rates are really for the doctors. 'For you,' he said,'it's either 0 or 100% survival and right now you are at 100.' That made more sense to me. I'm sorry you have had to deal with recurrence. You decided to go with another round of chemo? Has it helped?

nancy591

akm52 said:

I think you are right, about
I think you are right, Nancy, about the staging not making a big difference. I focused on it for a while until a resident in the hospital told me, the survival rates are really for the doctors. 'For you,' he said,'it's either 0 or 100% survival and right now you are at 100.' That made more sense to me. I'm sorry you have had to deal with recurrence. You decided to go with another round of chemo? Has it helped?

yes to chemo
I have been fighting this recurrence since January. I will always fight as I have two young children at home. PET/CT next week to see how effective my latest chemo is. Since I just had a jump in my ca125 I am expecting to get less then terrific results. If you click on a persons name/picture you can read their history...if they choose to write one.

akm52

nancy591 said:

yes to chemo
I have been fighting this recurrence since January. I will always fight as I have two young children at home. PET/CT next week to see how effective my latest chemo is. Since I just had a jump in my ca125 I am expecting to get less then terrific results. If you click on a persons name/picture you can read their history...if they choose to write one.

good luck next week
I pray you get results that are better than you expect. Two small kids. My heart is with you, Nancy. Thank you for the info on reading a person's history. This network thing is new to me. Wishing you the very best.
Amy

LPack

nancy591 said:

yes to chemo
I have been fighting this recurrence since January. I will always fight as I have two young children at home. PET/CT next week to see how effective my latest chemo is. Since I just had a jump in my ca125 I am expecting to get less then terrific results. If you click on a persons name/picture you can read their history...if they choose to write one.

Fight Girl
Nancy,

I am with you on this fight. I have been fighting my recurrence since last July. Even though my youngest of four is 29, I will always fight, too. We have 4 young grandchildren and 1 on the way - more reason to fight. AND our two youngest sons are not married - more reason to fight. And I don't know yet where all of my children are with the Lord - EVEN more reason to fight.

Warriors we are!!

p80007

akm52 said:

omentum removal
I am glad to know I am not alone in this search for omentum info. Let me add this: I had a total hysterectomy,including removal of the omentum, Stage IVB endometrial cancer, followed by radiation and chemo. This is what my oncologist told me: the cancer had spread to omentum but in a way I was lucky. Unlike other 'organs' the cancer in the omentum does not spread from there. It acts like a dam, trapping the cancer in there. So although technically I am stage IVB because it spread outside the pelvis, he considers me IIIC, because it spread to the omentum where it stops. Also in lymph nodes, but that's another story.

Good luck to everyone on this site. Quite a trip this cancer, right?!
Amy

I had my omentum removed
I had my omentum removed in'05 as a result of colon cancer. I don't know anyone else without an omentum. It's nice to see some info about it. I too have gained much weight over the past 5 years. I also had a baby 2 years ago. I had to have surgery after her birth to fix my previous cancer surgery. I was not aloud to pick her up or carry her for 3 months. But with 20 volunteers we got thru it. It seems I was told I could not get pregnant after my chemo, and when I found out I was pregnant they said she wouldnt survive. But she is 2 and beautiful and healthy. I also have a 9 year old. Oh the possibilities after cancer! Have a great day! Take care all,shannon

Sister M

pixelprincess said:

Omentum Cancer
I just found out that my Stage 4 Endometrial cancer (diagnosed originally August 2007), has now spread to the Omentum, and I am glad I stumbled onto this site and saw your threads back and forth.

My new Oncologist tells me that they can give me radiation for the small tumor that is in the pelvic region, but not in the Omentum area because it would cause too much internal damage to the organs around it. I am terrified to have any radiation. Nobody in my chemo group or others that I run into who are semi-OK about talking about their cancer (stage and treatments, and recurrences), but NOBODY will talk about their radiation experience. This has me really worried.

My mom even said Dr. Oz (whom I am SOOOOO glad is now doing his own shows), talks about the Omentum a lot. But, he does not get too in depth with a lot of topics, so I am not surprised he is not going into major details for people like us who have cancer there and what the ramifications are for not having it.

Have any of you that had it removed, were you able to have it done laparascopically or did you need major abdominal incisions? My doc did not get into detail on this yet. I am afraid of getting more infections if I needed to be opened up like I did with my vertical 12-inch hysterectomy incision (got MRSA two times - once while under chemo and it took 3 months of IV antibiotic treatment - it was a nightmare).

Anything I can learn now before I reach the end of my 6-cycles of chemo will be very helpful.

Surgery
My 80+ year old mother had hers removed during her surgery for uterine cancer. From everything we have read, this is part of the most aggressive treatment, which is what she asked for. A couple of years after her chemo and radiation treatments finished, she is doing great. No recurrence to date. Her OB-Onco watches her like a hawk. If there is a recurrence, she is ready to go through chemo and radiation again.

motherhenaz

akm52 said:

I think you are right, about
I think you are right, Nancy, about the staging not making a big difference. I focused on it for a while until a resident in the hospital told me, the survival rates are really for the doctors. 'For you,' he said,'it's either 0 or 100% survival and right now you are at 100.' That made more sense to me. I'm sorry you have had to deal with recurrence. You decided to go with another round of chemo? Has it helped?

ovarian cancer
hi amy, this internet thing is new to me also. i was just told i have a large mass coming off my right ovary and goes all the way over my omentum with some possible stranding in the omentum. all my other organs look normal and my blood was normal. i was glad to read that yours stayed in the omentum. what type of treatment did you need

newhopechurchli

p80007 said:

I had my omentum removed
I had my omentum removed in'05 as a result of colon cancer. I don't know anyone else without an omentum. It's nice to see some info about it. I too have gained much weight over the past 5 years. I also had a baby 2 years ago. I had to have surgery after her birth to fix my previous cancer surgery. I was not aloud to pick her up or carry her for 3 months. But with 20 volunteers we got thru it. It seems I was told I could not get pregnant after my chemo, and when I found out I was pregnant they said she wouldnt survive. But she is 2 and beautiful and healthy. I also have a 9 year old. Oh the possibilities after cancer! Have a great day! Take care all,shannon

I had mine removed...
I had some spots of microscopic cancer on my omentum - so the doctor removed it along with a few other things LOL!!! But we don't really need it so it is definitely better to remove it then to leave it there for potential problems later on.

groundeffect

Dr. Oz
I saw a Dr. Oz show in which he actually showed a real omentum and talked about it-unfortunately, I didn't retain much of the information! I wonder if his website would contain what was discussed. If I had something faster than dial-up, I'd investigate!

aykt36

groundeffect said:

Dr. Oz
I saw a Dr. Oz show in which he actually showed a real omentum and talked about it-unfortunately, I didn't retain much of the information! I wonder if his website would contain what was discussed. If I had something faster than dial-up, I'd investigate!

thank
thanks

naomilansing

wow
what an amazing thing to think about! i had my omentum removed during surgery (for ovca) about 18 months ago and have hardly even thought about it. i have had some weight gain, too, and while it's probably because of my fondness for chocolate, it sure would be interesting to know if weight gain is normal after an omentectomy. i never would have thought to make the connection though. so you're brilliant.
one thing i was worried about was maybe getting my innards hurt! like in a fall or a crash or ... say... kickboxing? the way my surgeon described it was like it was a bit of a cushion. does anyone know anything about maybe being more at risk for injury or damage to organs because of the loss of omentum?
i'd really like to take karate someday! haha

Mawty

naomilansing said:

wow
what an amazing thing to think about! i had my omentum removed during surgery (for ovca) about 18 months ago and have hardly even thought about it. i have had some weight gain, too, and while it's probably because of my fondness for chocolate, it sure would be interesting to know if weight gain is normal after an omentectomy. i never would have thought to make the connection though. so you're brilliant.
one thing i was worried about was maybe getting my innards hurt! like in a fall or a crash or ... say... kickboxing? the way my surgeon described it was like it was a bit of a cushion. does anyone know anything about maybe being more at risk for injury or damage to organs because of the loss of omentum?
i'd really like to take karate someday! haha

omentum
I have found it very hard to lose weight. I gained about 11 pounds and then went up to 20 pounds. I now have lost all but the 11 again. But I have mesentery thickening in my upper abdomen, so that's something I can't get rid of. It mainly happens as metastic cancer, but my oncologist said for me not to worry about it. I still do worry about it.

I think it's the first time in my later adult life that a doctor has said not to lose weight just like someone else said on here. But I remember when I was first diagnosed, I thought, and I know this is just crazy, that I will finally lose weight. Doesn't it seem like that's at least one of the bonuses we could have? :-) It seems to be a slap in the face that we gain instead of lose. I think it's the steroids I take weekly and I don't get around as much. I walked 4 miles this week, maybe more. I've tried to stay out of bed even though I want to just lie down and sleep, sleep, sleep.

Marty

Hissy_Fitz

Mawty said:

omentum
I have found it very hard to lose weight. I gained about 11 pounds and then went up to 20 pounds. I now have lost all but the 11 again. But I have mesentery thickening in my upper abdomen, so that's something I can't get rid of. It mainly happens as metastic cancer, but my oncologist said for me not to worry about it. I still do worry about it.

I think it's the first time in my later adult life that a doctor has said not to lose weight just like someone else said on here. But I remember when I was first diagnosed, I thought, and I know this is just crazy, that I will finally lose weight. Doesn't it seem like that's at least one of the bonuses we could have? :-) It seems to be a slap in the face that we gain instead of lose. I think it's the steroids I take weekly and I don't get around as much. I walked 4 miles this week, maybe more. I've tried to stay out of bed even though I want to just lie down and sleep, sleep, sleep.

Marty

I know what you mean, Marty.
I know what you mean, Marty. I lost a ton of weight right after surgery. I had an Ileus and then started vomiting uncontrollably, plus my appetite just disappeared for weeks. They finally resorted to feeding me something thru my port that looked suspiciously like liquid Crisco. I was into some really tiny jeans around Christmas and I thought...wow, that's the up-side to Cancer, right? It didn't last though.

I'm on steroids for something that might be chemo related Gout, plus the ones I get pre-treatment every month. They are wicked. I'm like a hyperactive pre-schooler on them, can't sleep, and eat everything in sight.

How are you doing otherwise?

Carlene

newhopechurchli

Hissy_Fitz said:

I know what you mean, Marty.
I know what you mean, Marty. I lost a ton of weight right after surgery. I had an Ileus and then started vomiting uncontrollably, plus my appetite just disappeared for weeks. They finally resorted to feeding me something thru my port that looked suspiciously like liquid Crisco. I was into some really tiny jeans around Christmas and I thought...wow, that's the up-side to Cancer, right? It didn't last though.

I'm on steroids for something that might be chemo related Gout, plus the ones I get pre-treatment every month. They are wicked. I'm like a hyperactive pre-schooler on them, can't sleep, and eat everything in sight.

How are you doing otherwise?

Carlene

Mawty
I can't believe I just read what you wrote.... I was coming on here to ask a question about the puffiness I have in my upper stomach... right under the breast. It is sticking out so far - I was worried. Apparently you have the same thing??? Is this a result of a missing omentum?

Tina Brown

Mawty said:

omentum
I have found it very hard to lose weight. I gained about 11 pounds and then went up to 20 pounds. I now have lost all but the 11 again. But I have mesentery thickening in my upper abdomen, so that's something I can't get rid of. It mainly happens as metastic cancer, but my oncologist said for me not to worry about it. I still do worry about it.

I think it's the first time in my later adult life that a doctor has said not to lose weight just like someone else said on here. But I remember when I was first diagnosed, I thought, and I know this is just crazy, that I will finally lose weight. Doesn't it seem like that's at least one of the bonuses we could have? :-) It seems to be a slap in the face that we gain instead of lose. I think it's the steroids I take weekly and I don't get around as much. I walked 4 miles this week, maybe more. I've tried to stay out of bed even though I want to just lie down and sleep, sleep, sleep.

Marty

Weight gain
I can really identify with what you are saying Marty about weight gain. I have battled all my adult life with my weight and finally the year before I was diagnosed I got down to my ideal weight & was so happy. I too thought I would lose weight during my treatment but instead I gained about 28 pounds (all I had lost and more!!) I am/was a runner so this weight gain has spoiled my hobby. It is the combination of steroids and inactivity + eating what you fancy when you are feeling ill that did it.

I was told not to worry about it but I do, I don't like it and coupled with my hair loss gives me a low self image of myself. But hey - I'm alive I am trying to exercise, a bit of running, a bit of swimming but like you all I really want to do is lie down and sleep.

Tina x

nancy591

naomilansing said:

wow
what an amazing thing to think about! i had my omentum removed during surgery (for ovca) about 18 months ago and have hardly even thought about it. i have had some weight gain, too, and while it's probably because of my fondness for chocolate, it sure would be interesting to know if weight gain is normal after an omentectomy. i never would have thought to make the connection though. so you're brilliant.
one thing i was worried about was maybe getting my innards hurt! like in a fall or a crash or ... say... kickboxing? the way my surgeon described it was like it was a bit of a cushion. does anyone know anything about maybe being more at risk for injury or damage to organs because of the loss of omentum?
i'd really like to take karate someday! haha

weight
Yes to the weight gain! I do eat more and exercise less. I never really had to worry about weight as I was always relatively thin. My pants definately DO NOT fit me anymore. I lived in dresses all summer as they were so comfortable. Most of the time I say the heck with it but I really do HATE not fitting into my jeans. I am abouit 15LBS over my presickness weight.

Mawty

nancy591 said:

weight
Yes to the weight gain! I do eat more and exercise less. I never really had to worry about weight as I was always relatively thin. My pants definately DO NOT fit me anymore. I lived in dresses all summer as they were so comfortable. Most of the time I say the heck with it but I really do HATE not fitting into my jeans. I am abouit 15LBS over my presickness weight.

weight
At least we're not alone in this weight business. I still say we deserve one good thing, and that would be to lose weight. I say that facitiously, kinda.

New Hope, my doctor said the mesentery thickening is actually usually metastisis of the disease, but I've already had the thickening and it's just growing. She said the growth wasn't to be worried about at this point. Mine is across my whole upper abdomen. I don't know if it has anything to do with the loss of the omentum. I'll have to ask her when I see her next.

Thanks for your comments back to me. I'm feeling fine and doing quite well right now.

Blessings,

Marty

kayandok

Mawty said:

weight
At least we're not alone in this weight business. I still say we deserve one good thing, and that would be to lose weight. I say that facitiously, kinda.

New Hope, my doctor said the mesentery thickening is actually usually metastisis of the disease, but I've already had the thickening and it's just growing. She said the growth wasn't to be worried about at this point. Mine is across my whole upper abdomen. I don't know if it has anything to do with the loss of the omentum. I'll have to ask her when I see her next.

Thanks for your comments back to me. I'm feeling fine and doing quite well right now.

Blessings,

Marty

Yes!!!
I have the weight gain and puffiness. I thought it was from being opened up so many times, but not having the omentum for the fat to cling to makes more sense. I am lop sided, and the fat on the belly is not evenly distributed. Since my doxil blisters have healed, and it has finally cooled down in Japan, I am out walking again. So, I hope to loose some of this extra weight.

I did loose 30 pounds while on the cisplatin/gemzar, but i was so weak, and although it was nice to be downa couple sizes, I didn't like all the weakness that went along with that.

k♡

PS Marty so glad to see you post and hear you doing well!!!!

msfanciful

Hello,
Newhopechurchli,
About
Hello,

Newhopechurchli,

About the thickening across the abdomen; I've developed a surgically related hernia
that is more fatty tissue.

It has the ugliest looking bulge slightly on my left side of the upper abdomen.

Just another possibility is all I'm saying. Does it hurt? My hernia doesn't hurt and I'm not quite sure if I even want to go to any type of surgery to repair it after what I've been through. :-)

Sharon

newhopechurchli

msfanciful said:

Hello,
Newhopechurchli,
About
Hello,

Newhopechurchli,

About the thickening across the abdomen; I've developed a surgically related hernia
that is more fatty tissue.

It has the ugliest looking bulge slightly on my left side of the upper abdomen.

Just another possibility is all I'm saying. Does it hurt? My hernia doesn't hurt and I'm not quite sure if I even want to go to any type of surgery to repair it after what I've been through. :-)

Sharon

Sharon
Hi. No it doesn't hurt.... It just sticks out so far and I look like I'm pregnant when I'm dressed. I was told last year that I had a small umbilical hernia that really I didn't really need to have surgery because It was very small. I wonder.... maybe it got larger and is showing there in my upper stomach!?!?!? I will definitely ask my doctor to look at it.... Thank you