Symptoms Of Reocurring Ovarian Cancer

On 8/14/2008 Paradise on Earth wrote:

I went for a 3 mo. Fu with my oncoc dr....i expressed my concerns about symptoms i have been having since july of 2008...which are nausea, bm problem, gas, lack of appetitie. Lack of taste...back pain...pain in center of stomach and right lwr. Pain....but the symptoms for now have disappeared...the dr. Sd it was probably gastritis..something i ate...i know how i feel when something i ate feels like....which i tried convey..but w/o sucess...i told her that the other dr. Who sd i was in remission as of 1/08...advised what would be the symptoms if it were coming back...this dr. Said...no, that it was coming back i would feel pain and it would be in my pelvic area not stomach...( hmm i think cancer going to go where it darn feels like it)  she, the dr. Said she was concerned about my level of my liver which i'm scheduled for an ultra sd of abdomen and pelvic...again... I need advise....if you have had a reocurrence..what were your symptoms and where did the cancer come back and what was the treatment course you took...Martha 

Martha,

Hi. I have peritoneal cancer,it is treated the same as ovarian, same symptoms. Presently on chemo for the 3rd time in 5 years.  It is so hard to describe the symptoms to the m.d. When may cancer came back in Jan. 08 it was extremely hard to convince my oncologist it was back. I was eating like a pig and losing wt. pain, bowel issues, back pain, vauge pain ect. same old thing, blah blah.  my ca-125 was normal so they ordered an ultrasound-normal, checked my thyroid and said "just because you have canceer and losing weight it could be your thyroid is off, finally cat scan-normal. Now this has been going on for months. All my cancer markers have been "normal" in the past 5 years. Finally I told them "I am not crazy or drug seeking I now when something is wrong with me, I am in pain and it is getting worse every day" I just had to lay it on the line. Finally they wanted to do a laproscospic exan because "it could be adhesions or something we can fix"  Well low and behold I ended up with a bowel resection 3 areas of cancer there, wedge resection of my liver caner there, small tumors through out my pelvis and yes adhesions. Finally that battle is over they finally believed I was having a great deal of pain and other syptoms.

   All i can suggest is stay on top of those m.d.'s, be pro-active, bug the crap out of them, be a pest. They know me by thier caller i.d. and answer the phone "hi Debbie" (all the while thinking, it is that nutty lady again) SO WHAT!!  yeah they might not like that but until your satisfied with the answers and treatment you need to keep up with it.

It is a struggle fighting cancer everyday but then having to deal with the stress of m.d's, office workers, ins. finacial obligations, never mind the day to day stresses of life, seems like I am batteling something every single day. It is a challange but bring it on, it is my life I am fighting for.

God Bless and good luck   Debbie

On 8/20/2008 Debbieinva wrote:

 

On 8/14/2008 Paradise on Earth wrote:

I went for a 3 mo. Fu with my oncoc dr....i expressed my concerns about symptoms i have been having since july of 2008...which are nausea, bm problem, gas, lack of appetitie. Lack of taste...back pain...pain in center of stomach and right lwr. Pain....but the symptoms for now have disappeared...the dr. Sd it was probably gastritis..something i ate...i know how i feel when something i ate feels like....which i tried convey..but w/o sucess...i told her that the other dr. Who sd i was in remission as of 1/08...advised what would be the symptoms if it were coming back...this dr. Said...no, that it was coming back i would feel pain and it would be in my pelvic area not stomach...( hmm i think cancer going to go where it darn feels like it)  she, the dr. Said she was concerned about my level of my liver which i'm scheduled for an ultra sd of abdomen and pelvic...again... I need advise....if you have had a reocurrence..what were your symptoms and where did the cancer come back and what was the treatment course you took...Martha 

Martha,

Hi. I have peritoneal cancer,it is treated the same as ovarian, same symptoms. Presently on chemo for the 3rd time in 5 years.  It is so hard to describe the symptoms to the m.d. When may cancer came back in Jan. 08 it was extremely hard to convince my oncologist it was back. I was eating like a pig and losing wt. pain, bowel issues, back pain, vauge pain ect. same old thing, blah blah.  my ca-125 was normal so they ordered an ultrasound-normal, checked my thyroid and said "just because you have canceer and losing weight it could be your thyroid is off, finally cat scan-normal. Now this has been going on for months. All my cancer markers have been "normal" in the past 5 years. Finally I told them "I am not crazy or drug seeking I now when something is wrong with me, I am in pain and it is getting worse every day" I just had to lay it on the line. Finally they wanted to do a laproscospic exan because "it could be adhesions or something we can fix"  Well low and behold I ended up with a bowel resection 3 areas of cancer there, wedge resection of my liver caner there, small tumors through out my pelvis and yes adhesions. Finally that battle is over they finally believed I was having a great deal of pain and other syptoms.

   All i can suggest is stay on top of those m.d.'s, be pro-active, bug the crap out of them, be a pest. They know me by thier caller i.d. and answer the phone "hi Debbie" (all the while thinking, it is that nutty lady again) SO WHAT!!  yeah they might not like that but until your satisfied with the answers and treatment you need to keep up with it.

It is a struggle fighting cancer everyday but then having to deal with the stress of m.d's, office workers, ins. finacial obligations, never mind the day to day stresses of life, seems like I am batteling something every single day. It is a challange but bring it on, it is my life I am fighting for.

God Bless and good luck   Debbie

 

Dear Debbie

Thank you for your response and for sharing your experience....it's good to know...that there are others like you who are pro active...and you are absolutely right we know our own bodies...keep up the fight....I hope I will be like you...if and when it comes back.....

God bless.....Martha

Hi Martha,

Read your message and understand what you are going thru right now. I too started having problems in July. BM problems, pain all over stomach. Symptoms come and go. Trying to watch what I eat to relieve pain. My CA-125 has been creeping up. I was told it's now 70. Saw Gyn. Onc. on the 19th. He said all blood work looked good except the CA-125. There was nothing on last CT scan I had in July except a cyst in liver. Nothing to worry about there. On physical exam he felt nothing. So I go back in 2 weeks for CT scan on pelvis and more blood work. I just want to know what it is. I have been on clinical trial Avastin and wonder if that could be causing problems. I was told by Dr. and have read on internet that infections could cause the numbers to go up and the pain and bowel problem or scar tissue or even hernia. I had a hernia develop at top of incision about 4-5 months after surgery. I had surgery 11/1/07 and was diagnosed stage 3c. I had 6 rounds of Taxotere/Carboplatin along with the Avastin trial. Not feeling fearful, just don't like the not knowing. I won't know any more until Sept. 9th. Hang in there... Stay positive...lean on God...That's all we can do. And yes, keep bugging Doc until you get answers. Dot