primary serous peritoneal carcinoma

Hello Fellow Warriors!

I had surgery February 9th - removal of 9.5 x 7 x 3 cm tumor on the omentum.  When I saw the color photo of my doctor, Dr. Chen-Chi Hou and Dr. Yen-Yin Chiang I was floored - it was a huge thing - the omentum and the bulbulous, nutriton sucking, hemorraghing alien!  The photo brought to mind my photos with students!  They also removed the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, 19 lymph nodes (all found cancer free).  On October 20 my CA 125 was 388 ...on Jan 8 it was 13.2.  After surgery it was 26.  I had my first chemo with lipodox and carboplatin on Feb 16 (14 hours b/c I have to have a slow drip).  My first five chemos were taxol/paxol.  Then the little tumor appeared lower left abdomen.  It is a devastating diagnosis - I was on a mountain on Sunday, went to my village hospital ER Monday night - they did a CT and saw only air in my lungs and poo in my colon.  The Thursday before I picked up an A+ health report for school.  In September I donated blood.  On October 13 my friend urged me to get to a hospital out of my village so I went into Taipei to the ER at National Taiwan University Hospital.  The next morning I was meeting bone and soft tissue oncologist Dr. Ruey-Long Hong.  I was in such a fog:  "can I donate my organs?"  Him:  "They usually don't want organs from people with cancer."  Me:  "Oh yeah."  I just could not believe it.  The docs have been EXCELLENT.  Got right on it.  By the time of my second chemo in December I was xenophobic, paranoid, terrified.  I made it over that hurdle.  I worked for the first 2 chemos - 12 hours a day.  Then when my contract was over Dec 31 I decided to really take care of me.  I had been on the endothelium food plan (basically the same foods as healthy cancer eating).  The surgery took a lot more out of me than I expected.  My path friend just confirmed the primary serous peritoneal carcinoma diagnosis b/c somehow I got the idea that it was still ovarian.  But it really is not.  I wanted HIPEC but was not told until 24 hours b4 surgery that it was six thousand bucks....no time to gather the cash.  I would have been a suitable candidate I now know b/c Dr. Chen took out all six feet of poop shoot (colon) examining the organ for tumor, tissue, mass, 'sticky.'   And he put them back in (just thinking about this gives me the creeps - lol).  Anyway Dr Chen told me a very uplifting story of a woman who lived ten years with this diagnosis.  That's the kind of thing I want to hang with not the doom and gloom.  The bottom line is we could all kick the boat tonight - I use public transporation (saving the planet before I kick the bucket) and the bus could crash on the way to chemo and I could die - so I need to do my part and be positive and grateful for every day I have regardless of what happens.  Self pity is more damaging to our 72 trillion cells than any cancer cell - so fellow cancer'ettes and cancers - here we are to love, and moan, and educate each other.  I write a gratitude list every day.  What are some of your strategies to cope?  My besties just took me for 24 hours of pure love - homemade waffles for breakfast, dinner at a New Zealand burger joint with killer milkshakes (being true to my cancer foods I had a TASTE of salted carmel - yummmm)...See's Candies....walks with dogs...snuggles with dogs while sleeping on a memory foam mattress....doesn't get much better than this (I live in a fishing village about 2 hours from 'civilization' called Taipei)....going for my THIRD shower since surgery February 9th.  Anxious to hear from you guys b/c it does help to talk to others on this journey.  x Sandra99