Will this come back????

Kathy T
Kathy T Member Posts: 22
edited March 2014 in Ovarian Cancer #1
I have been reading alot about ovarian cancer and it seems alot of info on the topic of the return of this nasty cancer. I finished my chemo in december of 09--6 rounds. I was told after my surgery in July of 09 that I was stage 1a/b and the cancer was all inside the tumor that was removed. They told me to do chemo as a preventive measure. I am just wondering what is the liklyhood of this coming back. I know I should be happy that I am done with chemo and go on with life--but the question is always in my head as to if this will come back in a couple of months, a year, etc. Now that chemo is over I am have a much more difficult time dealing with the cancer--I feel like my life will never be the same from the way I look to the way I feel. Thanks to all for listening. Looking forward to hearing from everyone.

Kathy

Comments

  • ctaffel
    ctaffel Member Posts: 1
    Will it come back?
    Hi Kathy,

    When I was reading your message I was thinking to myself how comforting is feels to know that others feel the same way that I have. I am an Ovarian Cancer survivor also. In some ways treatment is the easy part. You know exactly what you have to do. One treatment at a time and you do it. After all that the real challenge starts. Doctors don't typically give you a whole lot of guidance from that point on. They tell you when they want to see you again, etc. I can tell you that you will always be thinking about your experience and wondering if it will come back. However, I can tell you from my experience that the more time that passes, the less you will think about it. It will never go away just like you will never forget what you went through. You are a survivor and will likely never have to deal with Ovarian Cancer again. The statistics are very very good for stage 1a/b. Give yourself plenty of time to feel better.
    Cindy T.
  • lindaprocopio
    lindaprocopio Member Posts: 1,980
    Don't torture yourself with 'what ifs'! ENJOY remission!
    None of us a statistic. Please don't even go there! I'd rather live every day with JOY, believing my cancer will never come back, than to waste the precious time I have waiting for the other shoe to drop. I see no advantage in being prepared psychologically, and I speak from experience. I'd rather break my heart over and over with disappointment, than let 'preparedness' take away my hope and my joy.
  • Don't torture yourself with 'what ifs'! ENJOY remission!
    None of us a statistic. Please don't even go there! I'd rather live every day with JOY, believing my cancer will never come back, than to waste the precious time I have waiting for the other shoe to drop. I see no advantage in being prepared psychologically, and I speak from experience. I'd rather break my heart over and over with disappointment, than let 'preparedness' take away my hope and my joy.

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    You have an excellent chance
    You have an excellent chance of achieving complete remission. Your cancer was diagnosed very early and you were smart to do the chemo. Only time will tell, of course, and only God knows for sure, but don't let the thought of cancer beat you down. The human spirit is a wonderous thing.
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    ctaffel said:

    Will it come back?
    Hi Kathy,

    When I was reading your message I was thinking to myself how comforting is feels to know that others feel the same way that I have. I am an Ovarian Cancer survivor also. In some ways treatment is the easy part. You know exactly what you have to do. One treatment at a time and you do it. After all that the real challenge starts. Doctors don't typically give you a whole lot of guidance from that point on. They tell you when they want to see you again, etc. I can tell you that you will always be thinking about your experience and wondering if it will come back. However, I can tell you from my experience that the more time that passes, the less you will think about it. It will never go away just like you will never forget what you went through. You are a survivor and will likely never have to deal with Ovarian Cancer again. The statistics are very very good for stage 1a/b. Give yourself plenty of time to feel better.
    Cindy T.

    Cindy....
    I read your

    Cindy....

    I read your profile and your story is very inspiring. What stage were you diagnosed at, and what treatment have you had?

    Carlene
  • Kathy T
    Kathy T Member Posts: 22

    You have an excellent chance
    You have an excellent chance of achieving complete remission. Your cancer was diagnosed very early and you were smart to do the chemo. Only time will tell, of course, and only God knows for sure, but don't let the thought of cancer beat you down. The human spirit is a wonderous thing.

    Thanks for all the support.
    Thanks for all the support. It's good to know that someone else feels that same way (Cindy). I guess this is just part of this journey that we all have to deal with. Hopefully there will be better days head of all of us. Thanks again to all for listening and understanding.

    Kathy
  • jamilou
    jamilou Member Posts: 200
    Kathy T said:

    Thanks for all the support.
    Thanks for all the support. It's good to know that someone else feels that same way (Cindy). I guess this is just part of this journey that we all have to deal with. Hopefully there will be better days head of all of us. Thanks again to all for listening and understanding.

    Kathy

    It Does Get Better!
    Kathy
    I am 10 years out and I think it took me 7 of those 10 to finally realize that I may have made a complete recovery! You never know what will become of your life and as difficult as it is you really have to live as a survivor, not as someone who had cancer. Congratulations on your recovery and survivor status!
    Jami
  • msfanciful
    msfanciful Member Posts: 559
    Kathy T said:

    Thanks for all the support.
    Thanks for all the support. It's good to know that someone else feels that same way (Cindy). I guess this is just part of this journey that we all have to deal with. Hopefully there will be better days head of all of us. Thanks again to all for listening and understanding.

    Kathy

    Kathy,
    Although one can

    Kathy,

    Although one can never say for sure, I think you are in great shape. My understanding is stage 1 is the stage you WANT to discover you have ovarian cancer; because it is at this stage that you will recover fully . Now as for stage 4 (which I have), you can pretty much expect to stay on top of keeping the cancer at bay.

    I would love to be in your place right now.

    Enjoy your remission my friend.

    Sharon
  • groundeffect
    groundeffect Member Posts: 639 Member
    Normal
    Hi Kathy,

    When I was first diagnosed and treated for ovarian cancer staged 1C (close to eight years ago), I remember feeling a little abandoned by my gyn/oncologist (doesn't he want to see me anymore?), and didn't feel secure about my future. I saw my chemo doctor as is the usual process, and was being monitored when my CA-125 started rising more than two years ago. I did end up having surgery again in Sept. 09 to remove a small tumor, and IV/IP taxol and cisplatin to "clean up" any cells that may have been left behind (my chemo just ended about two weeks ago).

    My insecurity rose when I was done with chemo, and that's when I joined our local support group. I've grown to appreciate my situation and how fortunate I've been, and seeing women who were staged higher than me live substantial lengths of time has given me positive feelings about living a long life. It may not be perfect, but that's what I'm shooting for.