ALOHA FROM HAWAII

jcignacio
jcignacio Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
Aloha everyone,

My name is Catherine. My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a few months ago and was removed and caught on the first stage. However, she was been feeling some bad back aches and other joint issues. Well, she is now in Hawaii for a medical referral and just got labs back from her doctor and was told that her ovarian cancer came back and is now on the 4th stage. She was told that she has 6 months - 12months to live. I just wanted to get some feed back and guidance on what you all have experienced.

I love my mom so much, as we all do, and just want to get the best possible care and guidance and advice as we can. I'm skeptic on what the doctors had mentioned because when this first occured we were told and the doctor reassured my dad that there is nothing to worry about and it shouldn't return. She has done gynocology examinations and even told she didn't have any thing going on.

Any advice or guidance will help.

Thank you and Mahalo!

Catherine

Comments

  • Barbara53
    Barbara53 Member Posts: 652
    #2
    more than labs to make that diagnosis
    Hi Catherine,
    I'm so sorry to hear of your mother's recurrance, which so many people say is harder to take than the initial diagnosis. My mother has advanced ovarian cancer, too, probably with less than 6 months ahead. She's 80 and has enjoyed a wonderful life, and is back to having good days with the help of a pain management doctor and the right balance of drugs. I cannot say enough good things about getting on top of the pain ASAP.

    For the doctors to be saying your mother's cancer is at stage 4, they will use blood work and probably a CT/PT scan, often called a Pet scan. A solution introduced into the body makes any sizeable cancer lesions "light up," which tells the doctors how far the cancer has spread. Stage 4 means it has gone beyond the abdominal cavity, possibly to organs and bones.

    Stick by your mom and follow her lead. For me, this is proving to be the journey of a lifetime.
  • srwruns
    srwruns Member Posts: 343
    #3
    Oh my...did she have chemo
    Oh my...did she have chemo after her first surgery? I am also early stage and they feel the surgery probably got it all but I will have 6 sessions of chemo anyway which is the standard protocol where I am being treated.
    Best of luck and I would encourage getting another opinion. Although I am new to all this the blogs I have read and the research I have done her situation seems unusual given her first great prognosis.
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #4
    I think this is actually a
    I think this is actually a very unusual scenario. Staging is done at the time of surgery and is mostly determined by what the surgeon can see. Stage I would be Cancer that is confined to the ovary, with negative test results for abdominal washings, no swollen or suspicious lymph nodes, etc. Chemotherapy is very often advised as a follow up to surgery, "just in case". Ovarian Cancer is notorious for coming back, sometimes even years after a successful surgery.

    A recurrence just a "few months" after optimal de-bulking is not common with Stage I OC. Usually, the lower the stage at diagnosis, the longer it takes before recurrence. I'm wondering if your mom's surgeon missed something and her cancer was actually much more advanced at the time of her surgery?

    Do you know if your mom's CA 125 has been tested on a regular basis since her surgery? Did she have CT or PET scans? Any chemo? Was her surgery done by a Gyn/Oncologist?

    Is she undergoing any treatment now? I think it very pessimistic to say that she has a year, at most, to live. There are ladies on here with Stage IV who have been in treatment for years.

    You will find a lot of support here, though I'm very sorry you had to get to know us under such awful circumstances.

    Carlene
  • mopar
    mopar Member Posts: 1,972 Member
    #5
    SECOND OPINION?
    I'm so sorry to hear that you've received such horrible news. Carlene pretty much said what I would have told you. Something just doesn't seem right. I'd try to locate a gynecologic oncologist to review her case - too many loose ends it seems. Please keep us informed. I will pray for her and you and your family.

    (((HUGS)))
    Monika
  • vj1
    vj1 Member Posts: 150
    #6
    mopar said:

    SECOND OPINION?
    I'm so sorry to hear that you've received such horrible news. Carlene pretty much said what I would have told you. Something just doesn't seem right. I'd try to locate a gynecologic oncologist to review her case - too many loose ends it seems. Please keep us informed. I will pray for her and you and your family.

    (((HUGS)))
    Monika

    Aloha
    I agree completely with Carlene and Monika. A second opinion does seen necessary. I don't think you have received all the information available. Stay connected with this sight, you will receive qualified information and tons of support. Keep in touch.
    V
  • NancyC
    NancyC Member Posts: 10
    #7
    vj1 said:

    Aloha
    I agree completely with Carlene and Monika. A second opinion does seen necessary. I don't think you have received all the information available. Stay connected with this sight, you will receive qualified information and tons of support. Keep in touch.
    V

    Aloha
    Catherine,

    I agree with Carlene. You should get a second opinion. I was diagnosed Stage IV in August 2006. You and your mom will be in my prayers.

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