Number of posts

Helen321 said:

I noticed that when I
I noticed that when I joined! I looked at all the numbers and I thought it effects how you eat and poop, basic life functions! We all like to eat and we all like to poop. Unless you still want kids (that would be devestating if I was in my 20s or 30s), removing your ovaries is like whew so done with those mood swings. My doctor just said he saw something on my ovary which is probably nothing and he might have to take it during surgery and I thought, can you take both? Can you take it even if there is nothing, heck you're in there anyway! That's horrible but I literally thought oh man I'd be free! My baby days are long OVER and no more mood shifts! Now breast as you'll notice has 20,000+. That has got to be the hardest cancer for women. I'd be all over that board with concerns and daily visits for information.

Can't compare that one cancer is easier than another
That really isn't fair to anyone suffering with any kind of cancer. If a woman has advanced cervical cancer (IE: it has metastasized to anywhere), then taking out her reproductive organs is not going to help. They may take them out because that is where the primary tumor is, but cancer spreading is cancer spreading no matter what kind of cancer it is. It means cancer cells, so small that one can't even see them on a CT or PET scan (and certainly can't see them with the naked eye) have gone systemic and are traveling through our blood streams... where they land and whether they will grow into a tumor is anyone's guess. So whether you have colon, breast, rectal, ovarian, kidney, liver, lung or any other kind of cancer...catching it early is the only way you can be fairly certain (and I use the word "fairly" with caution) that it may not come back. Once it has spread... then the plan is to keep it stable and under control for as long (hopefully YEARS) as possible... and it means all of us who are at that stage know that we are LIVING WITH CANCER, just like some may be LIVING with Diabetes, or LIVING with MS or LIVING with a multitude of other diseases that modern medicine is fighting to keep under control.

Ok... so having said that, Helen... yikes! When you said that "unless you still want kids, removing your ovaries is like whew, so done with those mood swings." OMG!! I think my face must have blanched when I read that You do realize that a woman's ovaries role in the body is not just for reproduction purposes, right? The ovaries are the hormone making machine that provides our bodies with estrogen, protostrogen, testosterone, and a few other hormones that I can't spell either Yes, there are the mood swings that come with swings in the hormone levels ... most notable after giving birth and/or approaching menopause (oh, and as one is hitting puberty... but I think we all are past that stage ). So even when one has gone through menopause, although the ovaries do not produce hormones at the same levels they did when we were pre-menopausal,, they do still produce the amount we need... and balance them in our bodies. You yank out the ovaries and all of a sudden you do not have these hormones being produced, which can create havoc in your body (more than just mood swings). You will find most women do go on synthetic hormone replacement therapy after having their ovaries removed... not only because they go into immediate menopause (no matter what age they are), but their bodies are not getting the hormones they need, so they have to be supplemented. When you hear that women have the "choice" of taking HRT, that is more so when they are going through menopause naturally, but still have their ovaries intact. A lot of women who have complete hysterectomies (with ovary removal), don't have much of a choice... and find that they need the supplemental hormones. Most doctors, if recommending a hysterectomy, they will also recommend keeping at least one ovary... but when it's cancer-related, then sometimes there's no choice... everything has to come out for safety's sake. HRT is just the price you might have to pay, and other problems might not arise for a few years, depending on your age/health. But don't take ovary/uterus removal lightly... even though I think every female can relate to you when you just want the cycles to be over and done with!!

What does this have to do with the number of posts?? (See, I can get back on topic) . I think a big part of this is twofold... 1) Colorectal cancer actually involves a variety of cancers that fall under the colorectal umbrella, so therefore we have more people with different cancers as well as their caregivers and 2) it only takes a handful of really nice people to get together. Nice attracts nice, so the "club" grows very quickly. Long before I ever found the board, many years before as a matter of fact, a small group would have started here... and from their attitude and willingness to help others, the board grew.

I'm not sure how many members are on this board. We know the ones that post are usually just a small percentage of who comes through and reads posts (aka the term "lurkers") without actually posting themselves. I have no idea what that percentage is, but it's a common phenomenon on most every online bulletin board.

Cheryl in Vancouver
(who is going to indulge herself in watching all kinds of Monarchy shows this weekend to celebrate the Royal Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth)