symptoms

On 1/10/2009 Shelly11 wrote:

What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer, are their any? Thank you.

Shelly,

   Symptoms can vary, The ones I know are, pain in lower abdomen,  feeling bloated, constanst needing to go, many urinary tract infections, cycles are not normal. There could be others.

I had many urinary tract infections, with fevers and messed up cycles. Constant going. It took two vaginal utlra sounds and a pelvic utra sound and then a Ct scan to confirm. A blood test called a CA 125 can also give a good sign cancer can be present. Noraml is 35 or below. I was 6600 when doc did first test.  Fibor tumors NEED TO BE WATCHED. Don't let any doctor not keep checking them. My first Ultra sound showed one then three weeks later one showed up on other side. Ct scan showed it was a mass. The two were connected but Ultra sound did not show that. I had stage 3c cancer. DX early JULY 07, Had full hysterdectomy and a debulking. Started chemo six to eight weeks after surgery. I was in remission for about two months then my CA 125 went back up again and I am now on chemo again. Not the same as last time.

Get a Good GYN and if cancer is possible get a Oncologist and have both do surgery. Don't fool around if your having ANY problems you never know, and the sooner its found the better off you will be.

Hope this helps, and Good luck to you. Any questions please write me back. I will try to help you as best as I can.

Nancy

Shelly,

I had fallopian tube cancer which is treated the same as ovarian cancer.  I had mild urinary tract infections frequently, bloating, gas and loose stools.  I didn't suspect anything from the bowel irregularities and gas since I have been lactose intolerant for years.  Then I had mild abdomenal swelling and then crampy feelings (I had been post menopausal for 15 years).  My doctor did my physical which I passed...including the pap......but with my symptoms, he ordered an ultrasound and a CA-125.  The CA-125 came back slightly elevated and the ultrasound showed an ugly mass.  A gynecologic oncologist did my surgery and I had stage 2b cancer.  The CA-125 is a wonderful test and I encourage any woman having unexplained pelvic pain or irregularities to have it done.

 Dianne

On 1/10/2009 Shelly11 wrote:

What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer, are their any? Thank you.

Shelly11,

  There are symptoms associated with OC.  I had bloating, weight gain, abdominal pain and discomfort, a change in my bowel habits. At first I thought I was just constipated, oh, how I wish it were that simple !  I tired easily, and had a hard time breathing.  The breathing diffuculty came from fluid in my abdomen called ascites, I had gone to my ob/gyn in Oct 06, he gave me a clean bill of health, I requested the CA125 test, and he declined to give it to me.  The fluid accumulated in a matter of months, and by Jan 15 2007 I ended up in the ER unable to breath due to the fluid in my abdomen.  It was at that time I was diagnosed with OC stage 4, they had to "tap" my abdomen and removed 6 litres of flluid. (ascites).  I tried to ignore the symptoms, cause I did not know what they were, never imagined ovarian cancer. After they removed the fluid I had 3 rounds of chemo, then a total hysterectomy, and more chemo... I am still fighting this disease, a 2 year survivor so far.  Have only been off of chemo for about 4 months altogether since Jan 07, and am scheduled to start carboplatin and cytoxan tomorrow.

  Please if you have any of the symptoms I've listed, don't ignore them, and get to your ob/gyn.  Request a CA125 and don't take no for an answer, it is a simple blood test. I took no for an answer, and found out 3 months later I had OC, if I had the test when I asked for it we might have caught this at an earlier stage, and I would've had a better survival rate.

  I wish you luck, this is a nasty disease that won't go away.. and the sooner you get help the better.

   vicki

I actually had really bad heartburn - enough to go to my doctor's. He gave me a prescription for it and also sent me for an upper GI test - nothing showed and the heartburn went away with the meds. But after reading lots of info, I now know that heartburn IS one of the things that will happen. But who would even think that!!

But what sent me to the ER was 'bloating' - big and HARD! I made a pit stop at the local clinic and the doc there thought I might have an obstructed bowel so away I went to the hospital. The bloating had gone on for awhile but seemed worst at the end of the day and better in the morning - and as many would think, I thought I was having a bit of a constipation problem. As my daughter said when the doctors asked if I had had bloating was "We're women, we bloat!!" Duh!!

Then I had the CA125 marker blood test - yep, I was the winner - it was elevated way up there. If in doubt or if you're worried, insist your doctor do this test. Its not a sure thing but if you do have ovarian cancer, it elevates, As women, we MUST be proactive we must look after ourselves and insist when we need to!! We are women - hear us roar!!

Another thing - please please when you go for your yearly PAP, have them do a pelvic exam and a 'bi-manual' check. This is when they insert one finger into your va-ga-ga and the other into your rectum at the same time. This way they can 'feel' both top and bottom. I know it sounds gross but when they did so at the hospital they found a 'nodule'. So it sounds gross and uncomfortable - but cancer is way worse!! And you want to find it as soon as possible. Mine was found at stage 3 - and I hate to say, so  are most ovarian cancers found then. So do what you can to try to stay on top of it.

 I've finished my chemo and surgery and am doing good - so stay strong and look after yourself!!