Need Hope & Strength

cindy333

Friday b4 Xmas I went to General Doctor for what I assumed she was going to tell me was gas, that I had been experiencing for 32 hours.  She did blood work and a CT scan. And came back into the room with my husband that they called from work to come in when they gave me the news that it looks like ovarian cancer.  I was in total shock and heard nothing else.  Monday b4 xmas I was calm enought to call the dr office back, and asked a few more questions.  They said the mass/tumor/cyst is on my right ovary and is 21cmx11cmx11cm and that the radiology report said it was "complex in nature".  They had not gotten my blood results back yet.  On the first day they had immediately made an appointment for me to see an OBGYN/Oconologist.  Due to the holidays I don't see that doctor until the 2nd of the new year.  I have been a nervous wreck.  I feel totally fine, however every ache and pain worries me that cancer has spread.  A friend of mine told me without a biopsy there is no dx of cancer and i try to keep that as my mantra but I am still having trouble dealing with this.  I am 40 years old, with 3 boys still at home in school.  I have no family history of any cancer at all.  I am overweight with most of it in my belly.  I have had terribbly irradic periods all of my life, sometimes bleeding for a full 3 weeks and sometimes not having one at all for 6 months.  Sometimes extremly heavy sometimes very minimal.  Again I do feel good and until i went to the doc i never even thought i had anything wrong.  i do now have minimal pain/pressure on my right side but othere than that I feel great.  Except for the fact that I feel like I have been given a death sentence.  And I all I can think about is that I want to see my boys grow up.  I am reaching out for hope and strength.

debrajo

Hi Cindy, Saw you were up

Hi Cindy, Saw you were up late like me. I am not from this board, but am from the Uterine board.  First slow down and breath!  You are getting the "middle of the night craizies".  Usually an irregular pap or blood work can point to cancer, but a biospy puts a lot more of the puzzle together.  It doesn't mean that you have cancer...it could be a lot of things.  But if is cancer nothing is going to happen soon and you have NOT been given a death sentance..unlss you get hit by a Mac truck on the high way tonight.  Take a deep breath and tell yourself to relax.  Take things one small step at a time.  We ALL have been were you are and have been talked down off the ledge.  You are fine, in the moment, right now.  I.m up if you want to talk.  The other ladies will be here soon.  Don't worry, we all have your back!  Best, Debra

pattysoo

Scared

Waiting for information is the worst. Just remember that Ovarian Cancer is rare and nothing can be determined for sure without a biopsy. I am so glad you've been referred right away to a gynecological oncologist. Your doctor is doing all the right things. I try to focus on the little daily tasks and simple pleasures. That keeps me a bit more relaxed and I worry less. Please keep us posted.

seatown

Don't assume the worst!

Hearing the news you heard is ALMOST like getting hit by a Mack truck -- I know. I had a menstrual history similar to yours, & five years ago I was given the same sort of news you heard. As you know, there can be no definitive answer until they send ovarian tissue to the pathologist. Long story short, I opted for a complete hysterectomy/oophorectomy. Upon waking from anesthesia, the first words I heard from my surgeon five years ago were, "No cancer."

Things were a little different for me last year. Again, long story short, I was diagnosed with primary peritoneal cancer, even rarer than ovarian cancer but treated just the same. There came that Mack truck again. But since my diagnosis, I have responded well to chemotherapy and learned that my diagnosis does not mean an immediate death sentence. I have been encouraged by all the people on these boards who have stories of long-term survival despite recurrences.

So please have faith and don't assume the worst. It's true that not knowing is the hardest part. And know that if you do get bad news, there are plenty of treatment options for you. I'll look forward to hearing how you are doing. Good luck!

cindy333

pattysoo said:

Scared

Waiting for information is the worst. Just remember that Ovarian Cancer is rare and nothing can be determined for sure without a biopsy. I am so glad you've been referred right away to a gynecological oncologist. Your doctor is doing all the right things. I try to focus on the little daily tasks and simple pleasures. That keeps me a bit more relaxed and I worry less. Please keep us posted.

thanks so much for your words

thanks so much for your words of encourgament.  They really do help...a lot!  I am going to try and stay positive.

lovesanimals

seatown said:

Don't assume the worst!

Hearing the news you heard is ALMOST like getting hit by a Mack truck -- I know. I had a menstrual history similar to yours, & five years ago I was given the same sort of news you heard. As you know, there can be no definitive answer until they send ovarian tissue to the pathologist. Long story short, I opted for a complete hysterectomy/oophorectomy. Upon waking from anesthesia, the first words I heard from my surgeon five years ago were, "No cancer."

Things were a little different for me last year. Again, long story short, I was diagnosed with primary peritoneal cancer, even rarer than ovarian cancer but treated just the same. There came that Mack truck again. But since my diagnosis, I have responded well to chemotherapy and learned that my diagnosis does not mean an immediate death sentence. I have been encouraged by all the people on these boards who have stories of long-term survival despite recurrences.

So please have faith and don't assume the worst. It's true that not knowing is the hardest part. And know that if you do get bad news, there are plenty of treatment options for you. I'll look forward to hearing how you are doing. Good luck!

Hi Cindy

I know how scary it is to be told that it appears that you may have cancer.  Based on what you've shared, it's very possible that you don't have cancer.  I can understand why you would think "death sentence" when you hear the C word.  However, please know that many, many people live long and fruitful lives after a cancer diagnosis.  With the numerous treatments available today, many people go into remission or live with NED (no evidence of disease).  I'm one of those people.  I've been NED for over two and a half years.  Many people have been NED for much longer than that.  In the meantime, please keep us posted!

Best to you,

Kelly

NoTimeForCancer

sending you good thoughts

Cindy, like Debrajo, I am visiting from the Uterine board.  The women on the Ovarian site are FANTASTIC, so if you have questions they will help explain things and answer all your questions.  They are a very active and supportive group, so it is good that you found them early.  Your doctor turning you over to a gyn/ocn was the first great step in this journey, but try to take a breath.  This journey is best to take one step at a time.  Try to stay with the day and not get ahead of yourself. 

 

Glad to be done

NoTimeForCancer said:

sending you good thoughts

Cindy, like Debrajo, I am visiting from the Uterine board.  The women on the Ovarian site are FANTASTIC, so if you have questions they will help explain things and answer all your questions.  They are a very active and supportive group, so it is good that you found them early.  Your doctor turning you over to a gyn/ocn was the first great step in this journey, but try to take a breath.  This journey is best to take one step at a time.  Try to stay with the day and not get ahead of yourself. 

 

I did not find this site

I did not find this site until after the tail end of Chemo but sure wish I found it sooner. My cyst was found in august but my gyno said we will watch it.  It is not sreiou.  Well we watched with ultrasound  every six was as it grew.  I was referred to an gyno once because it was too big for him to remove.  She said I could wait till after holidays. This was before she saw pics.  I went for pre op on thurs after holidays and the following Mon was in surgery.  My cyst  grew to the size of a football.  She was very happy after surgery and thought we dodged a bullet. Biopsies came back and I was diagnosed stage 3 c..  I did six rounds of chemo and have been Ned for 19 months. 

There is life and lots of it after your diagnosis so DO NOT think it is a death sentence..

Do not spend this time worrying.  Do not read statistics.  

You will take this road one step at a time an we will take every step with you..we got your back.

 

Mwee

Dear Cindy

I'm so glad that you found your way here to this board. We truely can understand your anxiety because we've all been there. Ovarian cancer is a very silent condition that has almost no symptoms. I'm so sorry that you have to wait for your appt. and results. I am a 7 1/2 years survivor of stage 3C. We will be right here for you. We'll be waiting and hoping you have great news for us.

                                                                       ((((HUGS)))))   Maria

cindy333

Mwee said:

Dear Cindy

I'm so glad that you found your way here to this board. We truely can understand your anxiety because we've all been there. Ovarian cancer is a very silent condition that has almost no symptoms. I'm so sorry that you have to wait for your appt. and results. I am a 7 1/2 years survivor of stage 3C. We will be right here for you. We'll be waiting and hoping you have great news for us.

                                                                       ((((HUGS)))))   Maria

Thanks

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories.  Again I am hoping beyond hope that it isn't cancer, but hearing your survival stories does help me out a lot especially if it does turn out that I do have cancer.  What Strong Beautiful Women you all are!  I am so glad I found this place.  Take care & I will keep you updated.