Looking for stage 3c+ 5 year+ Survivors

Fran6 said:

Tiana--I was diagnosed at age 52 with stage 3C ovarian cancer in April, 1998. It seems so long ago! I had surgery, carbotaxol...10 months remission. Carbotaxol again...10 months remission again. another surgery and then topotecan which gave me a year and a half remission. That puts me at fall, 2002 when I went out of remission. I have been in treatment ever since...topotecan, which worked for a few months, then doxil, which worked for a few months, now I am on gemzar and am close to remission again. Is your mother seeing a gyn/oncologist? That is really important. The fact that you said you "need some good ideas fast" makes me wonder why your mom's doctor has not already given her some ideas about what to think about as the next step. Other than some side effects from chemo, I have always worked and felt good. I think keeping some kind of a routine is important and helps one to feel "normal." Go back to the doctor and ask for options, if your mom is not seeing a gyn/oncologist, find one. He/she will provide you with many alternatives. God bless.

leonorafriend said:

Hello! Tiana, my name is Leonora, I'm 51 years old. On May 1st I'll be celebrating my 6 year anniversary surviving Ovarian Cancer!!! At age 40 my periods stopped, and went on HRT for 5 years. (I was having terrible hot flashes, very moody, couldn't sleep) My cancer was NOT related to my HRT. My GYN doctor and I talked about it, my Mother's sister had ovarian cancer at age 56, had treatment, but died with in that year. After six chemo treatments my CA125 levels showed no signs of cancer. Email me at ACS CSN "LEO7" if I can help you with your Mom. I believe in God. Saying my prayers helped me get through each day, and still does! I like to find prayers or poems to help me cope, this is one I found on a box of tea.

Look to this Day!
Yesterday is but a Dream
And Tomorrow is only a Vision;
But Today well-lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.

May the Lord be with you and your family, LOVE and Hugs, Leonora

suzetter said:

My mother was diagnosed with stage 3C Ovarian cancer in January 2004. It had already spread upward to her stomach. We immediately flew her to Houston, where she had three chemo treatments using carboplatin and taxol. Her tumour markers after her 2nd treatment was 17. She had surgery on April 21st and was released May 1st. The surgery went very well and they only found residue in two areas, which they cut out totally (along with everything else she didn't need). Anyway, she has 3 more chemo treatments scheduled and then her return home. I know stage 3 cancer victims are likely to have re-occurences for the rest of their shortened life. But, I prayer and hope everyday that God is performing a miracle with my mother. It's hard to judge the prognosis, becasue the doctors always try to be positive. Could anyone tell me if the results I described about my mother is typical or better than usual? And I appreciate the information about the Topotecan, Gemzar/cisplatin, doxil etc. Are these new drugs that are better than the carboplatin and taxol? Is there some proven order to take these various drugs in when your system becomes immune to them? Anyway, thank you for letting me share my experience and learning from yours.

AlyssasMom said:

Leonora
My name is Darthi. I hope this e-mail finds you well. I was diangosed in April of 2008 with stage III/IV Ovarian cancer. The doctor removed my spleen, part of my diaphragm, 6 inches of colon, and I had a total hysterectomy. He told me that he even took my liver out to look behind it to be sure he got everything. He believes he did. I have completed 6 rounds of chemo (taxol and carboplatin) with good results. My CA125 went from over 2700 before surgery to 5 now. I have a toddler (I am 45 years old) and have opted, after discussions with my surgeon, that I would do the 12 mini weekly chemo treatments of a lesser dose of taxol to help me stay in remission. The doctor said perhaps it will kill a persnickity cancer cell that could be hiding somewhere. :-) I have completed 3 sessions out of the 12. I hope to hear from you, and anyone else who would like to talk to me.

darthi

BJ_Derton said:

8 year survivor and going strong..
Hi, I was diagnosed on Christmas Day, 1999, underwent 22 months of 4 different types of chemo starting with Taxol/Carboplatin, Doxil, Gemzar/Carbo but because I had high grade, agressive Stage 3C, it took out my right kidney before I was actually diagnosed. However, after all the chemo, two major operations, a catheter [what a god-send to me], a 15 inch blood clot through the center of my chest.. and several transfusions.. oh, and 7 weeks of radiation, I was pronounced NED on 9/12/01. Happy Day/Sad Day. Have just taken one day at a time, find a doctor onc/gyn definitely, talk to them, make lists with questions, research all you can. Everyone is different. I am the only one with my type they can find so I felt totally alone. They kept saying "5 years", I kept saying, "But I feel fine" and so it went. But in the end, I am still standing, run a company, mow the yard, and the only problem still lingering is the neuropathy in my hands and my feet. Listen to your body, trust in your faith, and admit it's okay to ask for or take help from people. You are in my prayers as I know it's not easy, it's just not a done deal. Medicine has come so far, and Oh, I also used IP6 with insoital[sp] and that really seemed to boast my immunity. You can email me privately about that.. but it was my choice and even my doctor was surprised. Don't know if it helped or just kept me on the straight and narrow knowing I can beat this. God Bless and hang in there, you're not alone. BJ Derton

saundra said:

IP6 for newhopechurchli
I googled it and there are lots of listings, the most recent from M.D. Anderson in Houston a leading Cancer Treatment Center. Stands or inositol hexophosphate or phytic acid. I didn't read further. Usually you can find most everything with a search engine like Google. Most of these post are pretty old. Saundra