ovarian cancer family history, surgery?

Hello ladies: I'm new here and am enjoying all the info on this site! I have just entered memopause and for the first time in my life was enjoying not having a period! My doctor has wanted me to have a hysterectomy for years for the fibroids and bleeding, but I resisted mostly because of fear. However, I lost my mother a few years ago to ovarian cancer, then two years later her sister died from it also. Last month I lost a cousin at age 49 from ovarian cancer also. My gyn doc has had me on a 6mo vaginal ultrasound check for 2 years and last week the radiologist marked one of my ovaries with a "suspicious" reading and a 6 week followup. The right ovary shows a cyst that he marked "benign." My uterus has multiple fibroids. My doctor thinks it is too risky to wait any longer with my family history. So, what is my problem? I am scared of surgery. That simple.
I have an abnormal dread that I can't seem to get beyond. I feel that even with this report, surgery is something that I am doing more as a preventative measure and I guess that bothers me the most. In my mind, surgery is reserved for extreme measures. I need some reassurances that this is necessary for me to feel better. I tried to get this reassurance from my doctor and he did the best he could. But, without knowing excatly what is going on with my ovaries, and what the future holds, to me, it is still a preventative measure, but I don't want to wait until it is too late either.. Anyone know how I feel?

hi, QuiltLady!

I'm not experienced with prophylactic Hysterectomy, but I know a lot of women are opting for this route if there is a strong hystery...errr, History, of gyn cancers in their family.

I understand your fear of surgery, and I agree that surgery is nothing to be taken lightly. However, if you chose to have a prophylactic hyster, with your background, I can't believe that ANYONE would think you were being frivolous.

I know someone with experience in this area will be along to help you shortly, but in the meantime, I just wanted to give you a

Best of luck to you, whatever you decide.
xoxo
K9

Thank you so much for your kindness. I'm looking at August 17. I have to call the doctor tomorrow. I hope I have the courage to do it. My doctor told me about a lady that actually jumped off the table and went home on the way to surgery! Of course she had to come back eventually, because she needed the surgery, but I think I can relate to her! I have two daughters and I worry about them too. Hopefully, soon, there will be a better test for them. Thank you again. Quiltlady in Tennessee

Hi Quiltlady,

My mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a year ago in January. She's been through extensive chemo (IV and IP) and was in remission in Dec, but now it looks like the cancer is back.

I've been struggling with horrible heavy periods (near hemorrhaging), and my dr recommended the hysterectomy. I delayed for a year, but had the LAVH on June 1st and also had both ovaries removed at that time for prophylactic reasons (nothing wrong with them, but I was too scared to leave them in!)

My decision was made after a period that nearly landed me in the ER (too heavy bleeding) and when my mother revealed that both of her grandmothers died of ovarian cancer. I am 45 yrs old and a friend at work watched his sister die at age 46 of this type of cancer. Too scary for me!

I was also scared of surgery (have had surgeries in the past w/o problems), but I got all teary-eyed and was crying in the pre-op waiting area. My dr showed up and told me I could leave right then if I wanted to - but I said no, I was just scared of the surgery (they gave me something wonderful in my IV and I don't recall anything else until I was in the post-op recovery room.

I'm so glad that I had this done. I feel a great sense of relief having the ovaries out (and no more heavy periods).

I'm only 4 weeks post-op with minimal surgical menopause issues.
Happy to be healthy!

I wish you the very best with your decision!

Shoozie

s quiltlady

I'm really sorry you are having to go thru all of this. I don't think most of us like any form of surgery, but sometimes it is not an option.

I somewhat envy your position. I know that sounds weird. I wish I had been given the chance to have my ovaries removed before they developed a tumor. I had a hyst in 2001, but kept my ovaries. I was diagnosed with an advanced stage of ovarian ca in July of 2004.

The "suspicous" finding on your ultrasound is probably nothing, but why go thru the dread and worry of developing this terrible cancer, when you can take measures to avoid it. IMHO, with your family history, they couldn't schedule surgery quick enough for me. That's just my

You have seen your relatives deal with this disease. I would do everything I could do to reduce my chances of it happening. If you decide to schedule the surgery, tell your doctor of your fears. He can possibly order something to be given to you as soon as you get to the hospital to make that time easier on you.

Please keep us posted and let us know what you decide. I will be thinking and praying for you as you make this difficult decision.

Well, frankly, with that history and with problems to boot, I too say go for it!

I resisted surgery like mad. I insisted that there were too many done and we could wait and see what happened with the "visitor" in my ovary. My wonderful doc just kept saying that he had a feeling we really had to get the ovaries out and do the pathology. Sure enough, he was right. My suspicious mass was a rare kind of cancer. I'm so glad I yielded! Though there was a moment when they were already pumping the sedative in when I almost leapt off the gurney--so I know what you mean! But I realized I would have been happy even if there had been no cancer because I'd realized that wait and see was so dangerous when it comes to ovarian.

Thank you all so much for your replies! That really helps. I think you all are right. I scheduled the surgery today. It's August 17. I'm just beginning to get "baptized" with all the red tape. Doctor visits, insurance problems, etc. I hope it all goes smoothly. I have a wonderful doctor, who is highly respected, so I feel good about that. I just dread it and I can't help it. But knowing what you all have been through and that you understand is such a blessing! I am so thankful I stumbled upon this website. It is a wonderful ministry to women.

To Shoozie: I am so sorry to hear about your mother. My mother had a hysterectomy in her 40's but they left her ovaries. She always regretted that, expecially with the ovarian cancer diagnosis. I wish there were more diagnostic tests for women for ovarian cancer. It would be great to have another option for screening that was more reliable. I hope that happens soon, for the sake of my 2 daughters.

I'll keep you posted as time goes by. Thanks, again. quiltlady.

I think I want them to meet me in the parking lot with the drugs! They actually did that for a cousin of mine who had her hysterectomy! She said it was the only way to get her in there.

Hi Quiltlady

My original plan was to hold off on this surgery until I was 50 yrs old (I'm 45 right now), so I'd hopefully be closer to going through menopause naturally and have no need for HRT. Age 50 was my deadline to get those ovaries out (in light of my mother's situation). But the news that both her grandmothers died of it, and hearing of someone's sister at work (age 46) dying of it - scared me too much! So I feel a sense of relief now, even though I'm in a quandry now about whether to HRT or not HRT. (I'm aware that the gene with the defect for ovarian cancer also has the defect for breast cancer - so I'm a little HRT-phobic and my surgical menopause symptoms are virtually non-existant!)

Thank you for your kindness regarding my mom. I believe the drs say she has a 25% (or less) chance of survival, due to her age and the stage of the cancer. She's always been estxraordinarily healthy and active (you'd never guess her age at 73). But after her debulking surgery, the surgeon told us that there was a tumor on her hepatic vein that he could not remove. Maybe they hoped to shrink it with chemo.

I am a medical technologist and know much about medical and lab testing. I know there's a new test on the horizon for ovarian cancer. It's currently going through approval stages. My doctor told me that it may be available in 5 years.

My mother has three daughters and she felt very badly for the legacy she left for her daughters. (How could she have known?)

My decision to have surgery happened on Thursday, May 26th, and surgery was booked for the following Wed, June 1. (I had very little time to think about it - but I would have liked the idea of coming out to the parking lot to medicate me!)

Keep us posted!

My sister is 52, I'm 54. She had her ovaries out last summer. (She had already had the uterus removed years ago). She is taking the lowest dose of HRT available. She absolutely loves it. She said she has no menopausal symptoms and feels great. My doctor said since I had gone through menopause, I would not need any hormones after the surgery. But, I may ask for a low dose, just for a while. The first time I took HRT was about 2 years ago for some hot flashes, but I broke out in hives! It turns out that some of the HRT pills have MSG in them, which I am very allergic to. But the doc said that there are other pills he could prescribe that have no MSG in them. Talk to your doctor about a low dose HRT maybe for a short while until your body adjusts. A friend of mine took them for about 3 years after her surgery, then weened off them and did great. Eventually, they will get this all together and we women will not have so many issues hopefully.

I will keep you posted. Good luck with your HRT decision. Sounds like the worst is over for you.
quiltlady