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.

173 Members

942 Posts

0 Online

megsmom8816 04/05/2014

Okay, so I have had a lot of pain and pressure in my upper abdomen with some swelling and I felt a knot right below my rib cage on the upper left side. I also have shortness of breath. My doctor sent me for a kidney and bladder ultrasound. He felt the spot also. It came back that there is a cyst, less then 1 cm, between my spleen and liver. I will see a surgeon in two weeks for a second opinion or to see what he thinks it might be. In the mean time the pain and the anxiety gets worse.

Here is why I am concerned about ovarian cancer. A friend of mine at work was diagnosed a few weeks ago with Stage 3 ovarian cancer and had very similar symptoms except her pain was a little lower. She had shortness of breath, weight gain, etc. She started chemo yesterday.

I hate to freak out, but I am 50, have been through menopause already, and the symptoms are similar. It hurts to walk because of the shortness of breath and the pressure in my stomach. My back has been killing me for about six months and I just finished 6 weeks of physical therapy for it with little relief.

Any thoughts? Thank you!!

deleted_user 04/05/2014

All I can share is what happened to me. I went to the ER because I was having such a hard time breathing.I showed the ER doc my belly because it was as swollen and as big as when I was pregnant.It had swollen w/in a 1 month.He did an x-ray of my lungs and a cat scan and ultra sound of my belly. That's when they found the ovarian cancer. The only symptoms I had that I guess are signs was diarrhea and constipation worse than usual. Sometimes I couldn't even make it back to the bathroom the urges were so bad other times I'd have to take meds to help have a BM. I wouldn't have associated those symptoms with ovarian cancer. Come to find out that cancer was growing on colon. I was immediatedly referred to a gyn/oncologist. They had to drain the fluid off my belly several times because it was pushing on my diaphragm and I couldn't breathe. I had a port installed and was in chemo w/in a week.
As soon as they started getting the cancer to back off alot of the ascities(belly swelling) disappeared.
Hope this helped cause that's all I can tell you is what happedned to me.

deleted_user 04/05/2014

when my sig. other took me to ER with abdominal pain and swelling cancer was the last thing on my mind. I thought it was a digestive problem. pain was in lower abdomen.
cysts are rarely cancerous but can be painful.
please don't be a person who hears another's diagnosis and takes her own symptoms and makes comparisons. it is extremely rare that 2 friends would be diagnosed with the same cancer at the same time. it isn't contagiouss.
please come back and let us know what the surgeon says.

megsmom8816 04/05/2014

Thanks. I know that my doctor assures me that cysts are rarely cancerous, but I do know something has to be done about the pain...maybe they can drain the cyst they did find?? Thanks for the reassurance. I know we always think the worst. However, from past history I can tell you the worst is what I got. I kept having vertigo and migraines and it turns out I had Chiari Malformation which was blocking the flow of my spinal fluid and I had to have brain surgery. I am better now, but that was also not what I expected to happen.

I will let you know. I hope you are all doing well now.

deleted_user 04/06/2014

hey, suggest if by the next 4-5 days you are no better, go to ER and get a scan / blood test. Your doctor should not assure you this is nothing serious (which hopefully it will turn out to be), but you need more than just being looked at to know. I went to the doctor in November 2012 with a very sore knee, and left with ovarian cancer - unfortunately nothing is impossible, so please do not hang around and wait. Conny.

Join the Conversation