Ladies who are currently fighting a recurrence...

LPack

symptoms
Nancy,

I had really no symptoms with recurrence. My story is somewhere on the board regarding recurrence.

I was warming up at a batting cage for softball last year and then played ONE game that Saturday. Following week had severe pain in side, went to ER b/c thought I had broken a rib seeing that I was not in superb shape at that time (LOL). Long story short - thymus gland bigger then it should have been. CA125 had gone up (happened so fast), onc/gyn ordered additional scans, had PET for first time. Growth in sigmoidjunction area. And that continues to be the spot for me. The thymus gland??? Well who knows?

As far as gas, etc goes..............I can't tell the difference if it is NOT suppose to feel that way or sound that way. From the very beginning I did not know. We have gas in this family!!

I wasn't even thinking recurrence last year..................

Prayfully you are NOT in recurrence.

Living for Eternity,
Libby ☺

Hissy_Fitz

nancy591 said:

thank you
Connor 6yrs, Colin 4yrs. Thank you for asking. One of my fears is that they won't remember me. I did make videos, wrote letters and put together memory books for them. Just in case....I'm such a planner. I rememer when I was initally diagnosed and waiting for my first chemo. I was in the waiting area and picked up a newsletter that is put out by the facility. The newsletter featured a story of a women who's husband was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer. The woman in the story encouraged her husband to write letters to their young sons. He wouldn't do it, for him it meant defeat. She encouraged him to talk about their finances, make a will, talk about the future. He wouldnt' do it, for him it meant defeat. Well, he died and she was most upset that he never wrote those letters. I sat in that waiting room crying but I promised myself I would do that for my kids.

Actually, it's been an ongoing process for me....and therapeutic. I did videos for their birthdays: 10, 13, 16, 18 and 21. I still have to do wedding and baby. I did a video of just motherly advice. My favorite video, is the one I did talking about my cancer diagnosis and how it affected us. I want to save that one for when they are older. But it was nice to talk frankly about how devasting the diagnosis was for me and all involved and what my fears are/were. It was also nice to talk openingly to them as adults. I did journals about me and another journal just about any old thing that comes to mind. I did videos for each of my siblings and parents, and letters for them as well.

Hopefully all this hard work will be appreciated!!!
thanks for listening,
Nancy

Wow, Nancy...you have really
Wow, Nancy...you have really thought this out well and covered all the bases. Being a planner is a good thing, to my mind. It gives us something else to do while we are stressing over our numbers.

My kids are grown, but the first thing I did, the very day I was diagnosed. Was call each one up and make a time for him/her to come over and have a sit-down with mom. I wanted to tell them the news myself, and I wanted each one to know how much he/she means to me, don't interrupt your lives for this, what my options/odds of recovery are, answer their questions, etc. I knew they would all Google "ovarian cancer" as soon as they heard....little techies that they are. And I knew exactly what they would find, how scared it would make them, etc.

They lost their dad to liver cancer about 12 years ago, so this is doubly awful for them. They all feel like the cancer gods have it in for them.

Even very young children remember their parents....and they remember the funniest, smallest things.

nancy591

Hissy_Fitz said:

Marty....you joined the site
Marty....you joined the site the same month I was DXed. Was that around the time of your diagnosis, too?

Just for the edification of anyone else who might be wondering about SS Disability...

A malignant primary or recurrent tumor of the ovaries qualifies for Social Security disability benefits if it meets one of the following criteria:

Ascites with demonstrated malignant cells, or

Unresectable infiltration, or

Unresectable metastases to omentum or elsewhere in the peritoneal cavity, or

Distant metastases

time of diagnosis
I don't think Marty will mind my answering .... she was diagnosed around the same time I was. I was dx'd Sept. '08 I think she was dx'd Nov. 08. We both had recurrences around the same time too. About 7-8 months out of chemo.

Tina Brown

nancy591 said:

thank you
Connor 6yrs, Colin 4yrs. Thank you for asking. One of my fears is that they won't remember me. I did make videos, wrote letters and put together memory books for them. Just in case....I'm such a planner. I rememer when I was initally diagnosed and waiting for my first chemo. I was in the waiting area and picked up a newsletter that is put out by the facility. The newsletter featured a story of a women who's husband was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer. The woman in the story encouraged her husband to write letters to their young sons. He wouldn't do it, for him it meant defeat. She encouraged him to talk about their finances, make a will, talk about the future. He wouldnt' do it, for him it meant defeat. Well, he died and she was most upset that he never wrote those letters. I sat in that waiting room crying but I promised myself I would do that for my kids.

Actually, it's been an ongoing process for me....and therapeutic. I did videos for their birthdays: 10, 13, 16, 18 and 21. I still have to do wedding and baby. I did a video of just motherly advice. My favorite video, is the one I did talking about my cancer diagnosis and how it affected us. I want to save that one for when they are older. But it was nice to talk frankly about how devasting the diagnosis was for me and all involved and what my fears are/were. It was also nice to talk openingly to them as adults. I did journals about me and another journal just about any old thing that comes to mind. I did videos for each of my siblings and parents, and letters for them as well.

Hopefully all this hard work will be appreciated!!!
thanks for listening,
Nancy

Hi Nancy
Just been reading your post about your journals you are preparing for your children. I was really moved and excited at the same time. I think it is such a positive move. I too keep a journal but that is really private for me - full of my feelings and fears. I find it very theraputic and helps me come to terms with what is happening to me. However, after resding your post I may start a new one for my children to read. I may lives for years and years but it is still a great idea because you can capture the moment in text that you otherwise may not be able to put into words.

My children can read the journals & it will hopefully give them some comfort & dispel any fears they may have.

Thanks to you all I have read some amazing stories on these boards and have taken on board so many good ideas & advice.

Much love Tina xxxxxxxxxx

YOU ARE ALL AMAZING