New to the club

so sorry you have to deal with this at a young age. I am stage three also. Only had two short remissions. After your chemo I suggest you get at least three days of IV fluids...your Dr. Can help you with home health care nurses. I take vit D and Magnesium and vit B12. Don't pay attention to stats on the net...not always accurate. There are clinical trials for some....look into it. Best of luck as you start your journey.   Stay strong...Val

.....to the DISCUSSION BOARD..........not the disease.  Yes, it sucks........a few years ago I finally accepted the fact that I have "chronic cancer".....my notes I wrote to myself at that time of self discovery really showed my surprise!  I was diagnosed stage IV 5 years ago, and the Dr. told me I could be treated, but not cured.  OK, so I took the path of treatment that would give me the best chance of a longer remission..........6 months of nasty chemo, followed by hysterectomy and all that debulking stuff, then 6 more months of chemo.  I didn't have a reoccurance until May of 2014, and it was caught early. After 5 months of chemo I was rescanned and declared NED. BTW, I was 54 when diagnosed, with a history of breast cancer going back to when I was 28.  I look back at it as time spent buying me more time.  It's not easy, you will have some crappy days.......but you have to find your own way to deal with it.....everyone is different...........I choose to make myself #1, and if I didn't feel "sociable", I wasn't. The worst days were spent in a drug induced sleep.  Yeah, easier said than done.  You'll find lots of support here and might even get a few ideas on coping.  I'm sorry you had to join this group, but just know that it is a great place to turn to when no one else is making any sense.  Lots of love out to you

Linda

I agree with everything that has been said so far by the wonderful ladies here. Stats don't really mean anything since we all are unique.I was diagnosed April 2008 3C and it has not come back since and I am sure there are many more ladies like me out there.....dont give up

Dear Windy City Chick,

I was diagnosed 13 yrs ago (Feb 2, 2002) with IIIc.  I was cancer-free for six years before a small recurrence which was quickly dealt with by laporoscopic surgery, without chemo.  I did have another recurrence in 2012, and another end of 2014, but I would describe my quality of life as pretty darn good to excellent in all of this time.  So basically 10 years without having to deal with the whole chemo mess again.  The mental part is hard though somtimes, it is true, but please don't be discouraged.

Focus on where you want to go and not where you are afraid to go is my best advice.  And the best advice I received was "don't borrow worry".  Easier said than done, I know, but worth aiming for (I work at it). 

As for statistics - I have never really looked hard at them, and I have never asked.  Who is to say where you will be in that whole continuum?  No doctor and no study can. 

Concerning supplments, the advice I have read is to make certain your doctor is aware of what you are taking/planning on taking, in case they interfere with your treatment, or magnify any side effects. 

Now I am off to chemo in an hour (Carbo/Taxol).  No denying it is not fun.  But it could be worse that I know...

...I am also recently diagnosed and was *lucky* that I could be surgically cured as mine was detected early and non-aggressive. I am thankful that this support group is here and thankful you found it too.

Blessings!

You will find information and comfort here.  It is frightening but the ladies here have so much knowledge and the biggest hearts.  I feel blessed to have them in my life.  

Karen

Mr_Muffins_MOM said:

Diag 14 days ago. 1st Chemo 3 days ago

Hello,

So grateful to have this forum, in the short time I've been reading the discussion board, I feel somewhat better already for my Mom. So many questions, I will keep it short and look forward to your response. We have our 1st (we being I'm her son) Chemo education class today. Mom received her 1st Chemo treatment 3 days ago. Anticipating the worst, the side effects from the Carbo/Tax has been very minimal thus far. I read that could change at anytime. But she is feeling better than before so far. I know this so EARLY in diagnosis/treatment. I'm hoping today we will learn what to expect over the next months (or hope fully years). Mom is 73. StageIV Ovarian. Surgery at this time is not an option. She has been drained twice for fluid build-up before 1st chemo visit, seems much more comfortable now. Mom is in good health except for the symptoms we thought were everything but Ovarian, so can I look for her to improve over the next week or so and be able to get around on her own in the home? Right now Mom is treating it as "just a matter of time till" but I want to get her out of the bed and moving around more without being too pushy. Thank you and God Bless.

 

I could not walk well for awhile because tbe fluid was built up so badly in my stomach that it filled up my leg too.. I got a PluerX catheter to drain the fluid at home. It was really painful for the first 48-72 hours, but since then it has been wonderful. My husband and I can drain the fluid at home. Now my legs are back to the normal size and I can walk comfortably again because we keep the fluid drained regularly. Ask the doctor if PluerX is an option for your mom.