I don't know what GERD is.. but have not heard of this or a prolapsed cervix in relation to OC. The doctor is doing the right things by your mother. CA125 followed by ultra sound.. possibly a scan.. then surgery is the safest way to go. OC can not be established untill after the op and biopsy samples being tested from this.

It is good the doctor is considering the possibility of OC, when a lot of doctors treat women for all sorts of things before going down this road.. The sooner OC is diagnosed the better the chances for survival.

I had a tumour the size of a football in my ovary.. The fact that it was contained in the ovary meant it was early stages.. size didn't come into it. The doctors thought it would be benign, due to it's size and lack of spread to other areas.. Unfortunately, I am one of the very rare cases where it turned out to be OC... and I am here ten years later to tell the tale..

There is nothing for you to do till you get the results after the surgery. Hopefully this is not OC.. and the odds are in favour of a benign mass.. Focus on better things than worrying.. do lots of things with your mom that you both enjoy.. this will help to keep you both strong and positive... for whatever might or might not happen next..

Wishing you both all the best.. Inka xxx

Thank you so much for your reply Halli. I've cried for several days and absolutely on pins and needles until my mom's surgery. I'm praying that the tumor is limited to her ovary. She is so active and seems so healthy but admitted to me last night that she's also had some problems with her bladder lately. After reading a success story, it gives me a little bit of hope and my heart is a little less heavy today. I guess I need to build strength for whatever lies ahead. Thank you for your well wishes and advice. Hugs and well wishes for you too!!

So my mother had surgery and it was ovarian cancer. The tumor was only on one ovary and was primarily encapsulated but also affected her cervix minimally and the layer of fatty tissue that lies beside the ovaries. There was also a suspicious mass on her colon. Fluid in her lungs came back negative for cancer, but we are still waiting for the results of abdominal fluid and the staging (likely stage 2 or 3) and the type of cancer. She will begin chemo in a week and a half. The GERD (gastric reflux) was not related to the OC evidently, according to the surgeon.

I've read so many other posts about how people's lives have changed overnight. And this is not a journey that any of us wanted to take. So I'm trying to give love and support to my mom, telling her that her health comes first. She has not been taking care of herself - not taking vitamins, ignoring symptoms like a painful bladder and weakness and weight loss. I spent almost 2 weeks with my mother before, during and after her surgery and I'm so glad to have done that. I will try to go to be with her during some of her chemo - how bad is the chemo???

She works too much and only weighs about 110 lbs. Am I wrong to give advice to her to slow down and try to take care of herself? I want so much for my mother to live. I am really trying to be positive with her and don't want to overstep my bounds. I love her so much.

It is great that you have been able to spend time with your mom during her surgery and also during chemo. I think telling her that you love her is one of the greatest things you can do. She should try to put on a little weight before chemo. There are days you don't want to eat so a little extra weight is good. If you can, ask the chemo nurses about how to help her keep her weight up. I never had that problem but I did hear the nurses talking to other women in chemo who did.

Linda

I'm sorry it turned out to be cancer. I too had a mass and a high CA-125 score. My mass was huge, over 3lbs, but it turned out to be an endometrioma. I was hoping thats all your mom's was. I have to go in for regular check ups now, since they couldn't get all the endo, and I've heard it can cause cancer if left. I hope all turns out well for you and your mom. My mom has GERD and it sucks.

As for the chemo, my friend Cheryl had OC, and she takes meds for the nausea/loss of appetite. She's put on weight very nicely (maybe too much imo!), so ask about maybe getting a med that helps you gain weight after chemo. They are out there.

Hi CameliasforLisa,
You are right, this is a journey that none of us had planned on, and speaking for myself, didn't know much about. I've learned that beating myself up about ignoring symptoms is just useless. The symptoms for OVCA sneak up on you and can also be symptoms of many non-life-threatening disorders. Being there to listen to your mom and give encouragement is a wonderful thing.

If she's like me, she may feel better if she can have control over at least some small things in her life. It's helped me when people have asked me, rather than told me, what I need to be doing and offered to help me do what I needed to.

I think it's important that your mom try to achieve a healthy weight when she is able to eat if she is underweight. Now is no time for trying to lose weight! It depends on how tall she is and what type of frame she has. If she is short (5-or 5'1") then 110 would be ok. I agree that even if she is short she may want to add a few pounds to prepare for what's ahead.

One thing I learned was that "chemo" isn't just one drug. There are many different types/combinations of drugs and also different delivery methods. Each affects a person differently, and can affect the same person at least a little differently during each treatement.
My doctor likes to use the combination of carboplatin/Taxol given through IV or port (I strongly recommend a port to preserve your mom's veins with this particular combination) and with three weeks in between treatments. When you find out what drugs are prescribed, you can research more on what to expect.

I was surprised when I went to my first treatment to find out how long it was going to take (between the blood draw, seeing the doctor, and getting the premeds and chemo, I'm there 6-7 hours. If your facility doesn't have a coffee shop or something, you'll want to pack a lunch for both of you! Another thing I wasn't prepared for was the premeds they give you to help your body tolerate the chemo. In my case, I'm given Benadryl, an anti-nausea med, a stomach med (Zantac) and a steroid, all by IV. The steroid keeps me up until 4 or 5 in the morning the day of the treatment, so don't panic if your mom can't sleep.

But, other drugs take much less time per session, but may be given more frequently.

Best of luch to both you and your mom. Prayers are with you, and please know that there are also some bright spots in this journey. That may sound crazy, but everyone I talk to with cancer says the sam% thing.

Oh thank you thank you to all you guys for your advice. I will seriously use it. I had no idea that chemo could take such a long time. And I will ask her what she wants to do rather than tell her what I think she should do. After all she is my mother, right? I'm bracing myself for what I hear tomorrow and how her chemo will be delivered. I just wish there was something I could do.

Thanks again and luck and best wishesto each of you.

Chemo isn't always painful/nauseating. My grandmother had lung cancer and she didn't even KNOW she was having chemo when they were giving it to her. She even asked "well, when are you starting?" and they said "you're done". So some people don't even notice it! Cheryl has to take nausea pills to deal with it, but thats the only issue she's had with it.

I just wanted to add an update. My mom's pathology came in a bit better than we'd hoped at a stage 1C on the pathology report, but the the oncologist said she would have staged it a stage 2. Only the ovary and tube were involved - nothing else. That was good news, but she is still going for 6 rounds of chemo spaced 3 weeks apart. I'm so nervous for her and she is so worried about the chemo. I hope she does okay with it. I can fly up to see her periodically but can't be there for the whole time. I guess we will just have to wait and see how bad it is, and she will have to work with her doctor to make it tolerable.