Ovarian Cancer Support Group
Ovarian cancer is a malignant ovarian neoplasm (an abnormal growth located on the ovaries). It is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and the exact cause is unknown. Join this community to get support if you or someone you know is affected by ovarian cancer. Share your story and learn from the experiences of others.
i have no idea what i want to ask. i have been sitting home with this diagnosis just crying for 2 weeks .
my appointment with specialist isnt until nov. first, and my primary really has no clue. i know nothing about cancer in general, never mind whats happening to me.
doesnt seem very smart to wait 2 weeks to be seen, especially when my abdomen is the size of a watermelon, and as bad as they seem to think it is. im wondering , did they figure there was nothing to be done with me anyway, so it wouldnt matter having to wait for an appointment?
as concerned as my family and friends are, no one can really help me, and this sitting at home just waiting in limbo is awful!
i called the specialist to try to get an answer about whats going on with my body. they were very nice, but just said as long as i could breathe ok, and wasnt vomiting, i would be fine until my appointment.
any advice/thoughts/ experiences, would be helpful since i am completely lost.
my appointment with specialist isnt until nov. first, and my primary really has no clue. i know nothing about cancer in general, never mind whats happening to me.
doesnt seem very smart to wait 2 weeks to be seen, especially when my abdomen is the size of a watermelon, and as bad as they seem to think it is. im wondering , did they figure there was nothing to be done with me anyway, so it wouldnt matter having to wait for an appointment?
as concerned as my family and friends are, no one can really help me, and this sitting at home just waiting in limbo is awful!
i called the specialist to try to get an answer about whats going on with my body. they were very nice, but just said as long as i could breathe ok, and wasnt vomiting, i would be fine until my appointment.
any advice/thoughts/ experiences, would be helpful since i am completely lost.
I am new to this site as well. I keep praying I don't belong here and maybe I don't. I have a couple of masses that I will have removed in a couple weeks. My CA 125 is 9 so I have lots of hope I do not have CA.
How do you know this is cancer? What is your CA 125? What scans did they do?
It seems to me that an earlier appt would be indicated due to the size and associated discomfort of your abd. What do you have to wait? that's kind of frightening I would think!
Can you be put on the cancellation list and get in sooner? What type of specialist is it?A gyn/onc?
Here's some hugs and a dash of patience!
Nancy
i first went to the doc because of severe pain/numbness in my thighs. i also brought up an annoying pain almost up under ribs. well, since the pain in my thighs was so bad, they focused on that. it was decided after many different doctors, that i had pinched nerves. unusual nerves that are very hard to find.
well, right around this time , the pain in my upper abdomen was getting pretty regular, and my whole stomach seemed to be bloating. within a week and a half, i could no longer wear any of my clothes.
this got them to do an ultrasound where they found a cyst like mass around my navel. then came the CT scan, where they found the big mass is over 9 inches , and also a smaller mass. they also saw spots on my liver and other areas of abdomen. my primary doc says it all seems to be stemming from the ovaries, and the CT scan report also says it looks like ovarian cancer. i do not know all the medical terms. my primary decided to send me for a biopsy. well, the radiologist told me it was an odd request to do a biopsy on this , and was going on the assumtion i had already seen an oncologist. when i told him i had not, he called the one i had an appointment with and asked him about doing this biopsy. i guess he also told the oncologist what he was seeing in the CT scan. the oncol. told the radiologist not to do the biopsy. and so since then i have been sitting home, in pain and discomfort just getting bigger and worrying, and waiting for my appointment with the cancer doctor. and it is a gyno-oncologist.
Between the time I was diagnosed and had my surgery, a couple of weeks went by. I had my surgery almost exactly two years ago. I had it on Oct. 28, 2010. Then, after giving me aout 6 wks to recover from the surgery, my doctors did intraperitoneal chemotherapy. That was chemo that was done via a port directly into the abdomen.
Good luck and please keep us posted. We all have been where you are, and we really do care. Diane
I'm so glad you are going to a gyn-oncologist. The doctor will know you're nervous and will also be very informative. If they schedule surgery, you will get some of your questions answered after they actually know what your diagnosis is. As I think back about my first few appointments, they are reallyi kind of a blur. However, ask your doctor whatever comes to your mind. Don't be shy. Diane
Your CT results also sound similar to mine at diagnosis. I know this is a very scary time for you. It is for all of us. Not knowing and speculating is harder than dealing with facts. Generally, ovarian cancer is treated first with surgery, followed about three weeks later by chemotherapy. Surgery includes a complete hysterectomy and removal of all cancerous sites. This is called debulking surgery. All this happened to me five years ago. Originally I thought this diagnosis was a death sentence but, while I'm still fighting the battle, I'm still here and doing well. Keep us posted and best wishes, Janet
i thought early action was a big part of cancer treatment? i feel like this thing is just growing in me every day i sit at home waiting..
its been like this since my first visit to my primary. it was 1 test a week.. or discussion visit about the test the previous week... always come back next week...been going on since august. in the meantime, i am in pain, cant walk, cant eat, cant WORK... and its getting worse!
I am pretty new too and still waiting not happily! I complained of pelvic and lower back pain months ago and my doctor ordered an u/s which showed 5 complex cyts. A MRI was suggested and I have an appointment in April 2013!! I wasnt comfortable waiting and basically demanded a referal to a gynecologist. She ran the ca125 which is an ovarian cancer marker they can test by blood (you should request this test while your waiting to see the specialist) mine was high and this was found Oct 4th, my gynecologist refered me to a gyne/oncologist. I got in Oct 16th and am schedueled for sugery Nov 6th. I have quite a bit of pain so i am not liking the wait. I hate the limbo too, I just want to know what I am dealing with but a diagnosis can not be definitively made til surgery. Post when your feeling alone and i did find a little journalling helped me. But definately conecting to other women going through this has been my life line!