Ovarian Cancer Support Group

Not knowing is very difficult as is waiting for surgery. Do you know why you have such a long wait? I had to wait almost that long for my surgery because I had protein malnutrition because the tumors were taking the nutrition from anything I was eating - but that's not very common. Also, have you had a CA 125 blood test? You most likely have had one. If so, do you know the result? Ovarian cancer is not common and many other things can cause a mass like yours.

I dealt with the waiting by doing things to get ready to be laid up after surgery - ordinary things such as clean the house, prepare to be off work, etc. I had a pic line for IV feeding so needed to avoid infection and didn't go out hardly at all. I did watch movies to keep my mind off of the worry. I don't think you can completely eliminate the worry right now (it just means you're normal) but you really don't know what you are dealing with at this stage of the game and the doctors won't know until they biopsy the mass and look around inside. I had multiple masses and that's usually an indication of more advanced disease than just one big mass.

Do you have family other than your mother who could support you? This is a great site and there are wonderful women here but hopefully you have other support people. I don't know how old your mother is but perhaps other family members could help you deal with her.

Finally, feel free to call your doctor's office and discuss your anxiety. They are used to dealing with the emotional side of these things. They offered me anti-anxiety medication during my waiting period but I refused. Finally, while you don't know now that this is cancer or something else, ovarian cancer is not a death sentence at all. Many of us are living very normal lives with this disease. Treatments are improving daily. Best wishes, Janet

Janet,
Thank you for your kind words of support. Even at two weeks this date was the first available opening for surgery. The CA 125 test has been ordered but not until 4 days prior to my surgery. So, it is a long wait.
My sister is the only family member I have told about this other than my husband. She agrees with me that I should wait to tell our mother until closer to the surgery.
I'm an artist by profession and am trying to keep painting to keep from going to the dark places in my mind. I will keep busy as you suggested, thanks.
Pamela

Hi PamelA. So sorry you are having to go through this and I will be hoping loads that this is a benign condition. The odds are hugely in favor that it is. OC is extremely rare. I was also diagnosed with a huge mass over nine years ago now. It was contained in the ovary and the doctors were pretty much convinced it wasn't cancer.. but after the op and the tests it was. I was stage1.. which carries a a very good prognosis and after the surgery and chemo I was in remission for over seven years and pronounced cured.. Unfortunately in my case it reoccurred.

I also didn't want to tell anyone until the biopsy results were in.. I figured why worry people about the possibility of cancer when it probably isn't.. and there is something to be said for that. It's also hard enough to deal with your own emotions and feelings at this time and difficult to take on other peoples.. so long as you have someone who you can confide in it's ok.. and you need to do what you feel most comfortable with..

This site is a great place to vent your feelings and to get lots of support, info and encouragement, from women who know what this is like. I will be wishing for the best results for you from this..

Please stay in touch and let us know how you get on.. Big hug to you.. Inka xxx

a million hugs to you-so you can use some up every day.everything for me was very sudden. a test reult,hospitalization, CT and a PET Scan Then surgery qand now I am home with icredible pain.What a blessing to have found this web site!