Just got this in my mailbox.
Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer Not Much Help in Detecting Disease (Medscape )
The symptom criteria includes bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, urinary urgency or frequency, and difficulty eating or feeling full quickly. I had everything but bloating. But to complicate things I was studying Pelvic Inflammatory Disease and so was convinced that I had that...
March 5, 2010
January 17, 2010
Evolution of Hair
I thought this was interesting looking back through my pics this past year: I'm guessing on dates to save reading back through all the posts
Before diagnosis:
When I shaved it off (Feb?)
Fun with wigs: *ignore the silly demeanor and hand on the beverage
Hats, scarves, and bandannas:
No eyebrows or lashes (Aug) *tan!
Regrowth (Aug) *I was fuzzier than the bird
(Sept-Oct)
(October)
(Dec) *a little implusive blue dye
Before diagnosis: When it all started falling out (FEB '09):
When I shaved it off (Feb?)
Regrowth (Aug) *I was fuzzier than the bird
(Sept-Oct)
(October)
(Dec) *a little implusive blue dye
(Dec) *featuring a little bleach with an overexcited sister and her curling iron
IUD
A couple of weeks ago I got my Mirena placed. I thought it would be a painful procedure, but it wasn't bad at all. I asked my gyn onc for a referral to someone who has done a million of them, and she referred me to a gynecologist who has put over 1000 in. She prepared me the night before by prescribing me a drug to dilate my cervix so that the sound (the stick that measures the depth of the uterus) would go in smoothly. Then she injected lidocaine during the procedure to numb the pain. All in all it was pretty easy- much different from the experiences of the many women that I have seen undergo the procedure. After that I had some cramping and then I was fine.
Until... When the device is placed in the uterus, the string is cut so that it sticks out a little from the cervix. This is useful to check for correct placement. Well a week after getting the IUD placed, I could no longer feel my string, and so made another appointment to see my doctor. When I went in again, the doc tried to visualize the string with a colposcope (magnifying glass to view the cervix) but couldn't locate it. So I had to go get an ultrasound to verify the placement. The technician eventually found the string and ensured that everything was in place. It was also a good learning opportunity, as he explained what he was looking for on the ultrasound-- basically the IUD looks like a bunch of lines that I never would have been able to identify on my own (the picture above is not MY uterus and IUD- but this shows how hard it is to actually see the device via US). What was most beneficial, is that we both got to look at the image of my uterus and pelvic cavity, which showed no signs of change (or tumors) other than a few uterine fibroids. Soooooo after this whole ordeal, I got an inadvert checkup on how things look on the inside.Otherwise life is booooooooooring- no job still- just working a little on my thesis and studying a bit. I am still sleeping as late as possible- mainly because there is nothing else to do. I did start working out though!
December 8, 2009
1st Checkup & Vitamin D
hello blog...
Friday I had my first post-treatment checkup which went well. My doc said the plan is blood work every 3 months and CT scan every year, and to report if I develop any symptoms. I asked her what kind and she said mainly bloating, weight gain, and loss of appetite from the cancer seeding to the abdominal cavity. If I had any problems then I would get a CT scan. Mainly the best monitor is my CA-125 tumor count. She said it will take several tests to find my average level, which could take a year to establish. She also reassured me that because my initial count was so high (412; norm 35), it would be easier to detect cancer growth than with other tumors.
I got my blood drawn on a Friday, so I had to wait until today (tues) to get the results. They drew my vitamin D level as well- I didn't know why but then I researched:
Back to the more important result: CA-125 = 13 !!! That's my normal when I was on chemo so it's very good. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. It was a hard 3 days. Honestly I don't know what I would do if it comes back. To have to go through that entire process all over again- with new chemo drugs and having to lose my hair AGAIN. A whole year of that crap. Most of the time I don't think about the cancer at all- I have so many other things to worry about (job search, waiting to return to school, growing hair). It's like I erased the whole bad part of last year. I seriously can't believe how I put up with all that shit. It's nice to say that I have moved on and will continue to move forward until every three months when I have that checkup. When I am forced to think about it again, I naturally get all worried. This time I really was debating waiting to call about the results. Of course they don't call me- I have to call them. I was thinking that again I would put off knowing so that I could enjoy the holidays. Actually last year that didn't really work because I was trying hard not to tell my parents and that was agony. If the cancer was back this time it would totally change everything. A definite damper on my X-mas trip back home.
In sum, everything's normal and I'm cancer-free. Thursday is my birthday and also is when the SU nurse practitioner first felt my mass. So it's been almost exactly a year since the signs and over a year since the symptoms began. I'm looking forward to a better birthday and the start of a new year.
Friday I had my first post-treatment checkup which went well. My doc said the plan is blood work every 3 months and CT scan every year, and to report if I develop any symptoms. I asked her what kind and she said mainly bloating, weight gain, and loss of appetite from the cancer seeding to the abdominal cavity. If I had any problems then I would get a CT scan. Mainly the best monitor is my CA-125 tumor count. She said it will take several tests to find my average level, which could take a year to establish. She also reassured me that because my initial count was so high (412; norm 35), it would be easier to detect cancer growth than with other tumors.
I got my blood drawn on a Friday, so I had to wait until today (tues) to get the results. They drew my vitamin D level as well- I didn't know why but then I researched:
- Using newly available data on worldwide cancer incidence, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at UCSD have shown a clear association between deficiency in exposure to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B (UVB), and ovarian cancer
- In general, ovarian cancer incidence was highest at the highest latitudes in both hemispheres
- Taking 1,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D 3 daily appears to lower an individual’s risk of developing certain cancers – including colon, breast, and ovarian cancer – by up to 50 percent,
Back to the more important result: CA-125 = 13 !!! That's my normal when I was on chemo so it's very good. Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. It was a hard 3 days. Honestly I don't know what I would do if it comes back. To have to go through that entire process all over again- with new chemo drugs and having to lose my hair AGAIN. A whole year of that crap. Most of the time I don't think about the cancer at all- I have so many other things to worry about (job search, waiting to return to school, growing hair). It's like I erased the whole bad part of last year. I seriously can't believe how I put up with all that shit. It's nice to say that I have moved on and will continue to move forward until every three months when I have that checkup. When I am forced to think about it again, I naturally get all worried. This time I really was debating waiting to call about the results. Of course they don't call me- I have to call them. I was thinking that again I would put off knowing so that I could enjoy the holidays. Actually last year that didn't really work because I was trying hard not to tell my parents and that was agony. If the cancer was back this time it would totally change everything. A definite damper on my X-mas trip back home.
In sum, everything's normal and I'm cancer-free. Thursday is my birthday and also is when the SU nurse practitioner first felt my mass. So it's been almost exactly a year since the signs and over a year since the symptoms began. I'm looking forward to a better birthday and the start of a new year.
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