On 6/25/2009 pblongboarders wrote:
I went in for my annual exam and my doctor had a problem finding my uterus. She told me I needed to get an ultrasound the next day. The tech told me the results would go to the radiologist and my doctor will get the results in two days and she will call me. After I got dressed the concerned tech told me he met with the radiologist and if my doctor does not call by mid morning the next day, I am to call her. I was scheduled to see her immediately and she told me I had ovarian cancer, CA-125 test came back 175, (normal is 30 and under so cancer was detected) and I was to meet with my surgeon the following week. Within a week after that I had a complete hysterectomy and two volleyball-sized masses were removed. (I just thought I was old and fat and that's why I had a huge stomach.) My doctor took out my unneeded uterus while the masses were examined by the UCSD pathologist. When I woke up from surgery the doctor told me the radiologist sent the masses to an outside pathologist and it would take two weeks for results. (I was totally confused.) Within a week after surgery the surgeon called me and said I was cancer free--that the cancer did not reach the outside of the masses and therefore I did not need further treatment. (Good thing I had freaked out before surgery and refused to have a port.) But ladies, If I had not gone for my yearly exam this would have gone undetected. Ovarian cancer does not usually hurt and when it does, it has probably spread. So ladies, DO NOT MISS YOUR YEARLY PELVIC EXAM! Please tell my story to any woman that will listen. And I know encapsulated ovarian cancer is rare, ( I couldn't find info on the internet.) but still........what if I had not gone?
I had an encapsulated ovarian cancer back in 2003, did taxol-carbo, went into remission for 3yrs and it came back. I did taxol-carbo again went into remission for about 3-5mo and am now on Doxil and have been for the past year and am in remission so to speak, below 30 but when I stop the numbers come back up. The first time I had a 80% chance and more of remaining in the safe mode and here I am dealing with it again....go figure...luck of the irish I guess. I try not to dwell on it and have been doing fairly well on doxil but it is thinning my hair which devastates me again...have lost it twice, wigs are sooo hot. I just pray all the time God will put me back into a permanent remission and give me more time on earth. The first time I had no symtoms but I felt the lump and that is what sent me to the Dr. I had an ovarian test done which the dr., a woman, said wasnt necessary but I insisted, and it came back negative but when I went to a gyn/onc surgeon and they came back after surgery and said it was ovarian cancer in the ovaries and had gone to my fallopian tubes but they had felt they had gotten it all and I did 3 rounds of taxol-carbo which gave me a secure 3yrs til 2007 and here I am praying everyday for more time on earth as I mentioned and God has granted me that so far....I am blessed and thankful. I lost my husband to cancer in 2007, so was it the stress that brought it back...I'm thinking that could of been a factor. Oh, I always had my paps done on a yearly basis and my mammograms. Curly66