Prevention Magazine on OVCA

dreamer007
dreamer007 Member Posts: 61
in Ovarian Cancer #1
I just read the article in Sept. 2011 issue of Prevention Magazine, which can be
downloaded as a pdf.
It seemed to go a little further than the usual symptoms being misdiagnosed, which
seems good to me.

No matter what, we still have to rely on doctors giving a diagnosis, or at least checking
things out more carefully. I had all the symptoms, and my older sister died from ovca,
but until theER doctor pulled his chair up close and personal, I was "in denial".
My primary care doc seemed not to think my complaint about my left groin area
hurting MORE THAN USUAL, was anything to look into.
It is frustrating, to say the least.

One thing that drew my attention, in the Prevention Mag article was calling a TVU
"painless" procedure. SAY WHAT!
That was the most unpleasant thing I have ever gone through, before the surgery,
and chemo.
My left groin got "hot" while still in ER, so I was given a shot of morphine. Even having
that did not stop the TVU from making a total wimp outta me!
The ultrasound tech was someone I would give some lottery winnings to. What a
wonderful person she is, to get me thru that ordeal.

Just wondering if others found it painless, or not.

dreamer
""

Comments

  • Tethys41
    Tethys41 Member Posts: 1,382 Member
    #2
    TVU
    Wow, I had to look that one up. Dreamer, my guess is that it was painful due to the cancer. I've had many of these done over the years and never found it painful. As far as doctors recognizing the symptoms, I imagine there are a handful of docs that would spot the symptoms as a problem. I look back on my symptoms pre-diagnosis and how disappointed I was about being blown off by three doctors, two of which were specialists in the gyneclogical field. The third was a doctor from the clinic where my primary care physician practices, who was out of town at the time. If only I had seen my regular primary care doctor, I feel he would have figured out what was going on. He is they type who investigates symptoms until an answer is found.
  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #3
    Tethys41 said:

    TVU
    Wow, I had to look that one up. Dreamer, my guess is that it was painful due to the cancer. I've had many of these done over the years and never found it painful. As far as doctors recognizing the symptoms, I imagine there are a handful of docs that would spot the symptoms as a problem. I look back on my symptoms pre-diagnosis and how disappointed I was about being blown off by three doctors, two of which were specialists in the gyneclogical field. The third was a doctor from the clinic where my primary care physician practices, who was out of town at the time. If only I had seen my regular primary care doctor, I feel he would have figured out what was going on. He is they type who investigates symptoms until an answer is found.

    Transvaginal ultrasound (TVU)
    I thought the pelvic ultrasound that I had pre-op was AWFUL and the TVU was not difficult or painful at all. I am pretty sure (as Tethys said) that your misery was from the cancer not the test.

    Carolen
  • Susan777
    Susan777 Member Posts: 97 Member
    #4
    TVU
    I have had many TVU's and they are not uncomfortable at all. The pelvic is harder when you have to hold your pee. They let you empty your bladder and then insert the wand. No pain for me at all.

    Susan
  • dreamer007
    dreamer007 Member Posts: 61
    #5
    Susan777 said:

    TVU
    I have had many TVU's and they are not uncomfortable at all. The pelvic is harder when you have to hold your pee. They let you empty your bladder and then insert the wand. No pain for me at all.

    Susan

    TVU
    maybe the fact that at least one of the tumors was the "size of a tennis ball"
    had something to do with it, but if someone told me right now that i need
    pelvic area ultrasound, i would run and hide...lol
  • AnneBehymer
    AnneBehymer Member Posts: 738 Member
    #6
    dreamer007 said:

    TVU
    maybe the fact that at least one of the tumors was the "size of a tennis ball"
    had something to do with it, but if someone told me right now that i need
    pelvic area ultrasound, i would run and hide...lol

    what is a TVU?????
    Anne

    what is a TVU?????

    Anne
  • cfont11
    cfont11 Member Posts: 115
    #7
    TVU
    I had one before my cancer surgery, when I still had a large tumor. It was AWFUL and painful and I would never have one again.
  • Cafewoman53
    Cafewoman53 Member Posts: 735 Member
    #8
    Tvu
    I had one shortly before my surgery and it was not painful even though I was full of cancer. And it did not detect the cancer either
    Colleen
  • taiga
    taiga Member Posts: 75 Member
    #9
    TVU
    I had a transvaginal ultrasound, CT and abdominal ultrasound at the hospital urgent care when I presented with horrible abdominal pain. All three results read normal, other than the fluid in the abdomen. Good thing someone else took a 2nd look. I had a grapefruit size tumor on my ovary. I told my gyn/onc after my surgery that that radiologist would NEVER read any of my future scans. The transvaginal ultrasound was really uncomfortable - I think they catherized me prior to that which was really unpleasant - it seemed to take forever. All that looking around for a "normal" reading.
  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #10
    taiga said:

    TVU
    I had a transvaginal ultrasound, CT and abdominal ultrasound at the hospital urgent care when I presented with horrible abdominal pain. All three results read normal, other than the fluid in the abdomen. Good thing someone else took a 2nd look. I had a grapefruit size tumor on my ovary. I told my gyn/onc after my surgery that that radiologist would NEVER read any of my future scans. The transvaginal ultrasound was really uncomfortable - I think they catherized me prior to that which was really unpleasant - it seemed to take forever. All that looking around for a "normal" reading.

    All radiologists are not the same
    Dear Taiga

    How could anyone miss such a large tumor?!!!

    I think the radiologist that read my first ultrasound was in a hurry or needed glasses--there was no hint of possible malignancy at all...just "cysts."

    I have since learned that some radiologists are real nit-picky and others are very brief. I love the nit-picky radiologists the most. I've even called one up and thanked him for the "excellent read of the CT scan."

    Carolen
  • childofthestars
    childofthestars Member Posts: 251 Member
    #11
    TVU
    My ovca was found during my yearly TVU!!!!! I was having these checks because my mum died of ovca and as i'd already had breast ca and I felt that it was prudent for me to have yearly TVU's with my gyny - thank g-d I did. I never found the TVU painful in any way.
    Michelle x

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