Ovarian Cancer IIIC, Grade 3 age 31 - Cancer: Stories of Courage - HysterSisters
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  #1  
Unread 08-07-2008, 12:22 PM
Ovarian Cancer IIIC, Grade 3 age 31

Well, here is my story. I hope you find it helpful.
I was diagnosed Sept 1, 2005 with ovarian cancer, (Papillary Serous Adenocarcinoma) during a "routine" hysterectomy for what was thought to be Endometriosis. I was 31 at the time, in fact I missed my son's first day of 4-year old Kindergarden while in surgery.
I knew something was wrong for months prior. I was SO tired and fatigued, and the symptoms that I had were: bloating, upset stomach, bowel problems (diahrrea and constipation back and forth) and a shoulder pain that bothered me when I held my 2 year old, or tried to sleep on my stomach...It took me 3 months for a doctor to take me seriously. One told me it was all in my head (that i was a stay-at-home mother home alone looking for attention)...Then when I prsessed him further, he said I should go to physical therapy for 6 weeks, thinking I pulled a muscle in my shoulder....It took 6 weeks to get into a different doc. I finally convinced her to give me a CT scan. She did...reluctantly because my "blood work" looked fine and there was no real cause for concern...Low and behold they found a mass wrapped around my rectum...because of my age they assumed it was endometriosis, sent me to a gyn to have a hysterectomy...
Nobody did a CA125 until after diagnosis. It was 48.
Nobody told me that ovarian cancer can be genetically linked to breast cancer (of which 17 women in my family have had....my mom, who also has had breast cancer 2x, is the youngest of 12, and all of my aunts and female cousins have had breast cancer now, even the daughters of my uncles, despite being BRCA1 and 2 NEGATIVE). I am the only one to have ovarian. And my two sisters have not had breast cancer, yet. We are the youngest cousins though, so we have to keep watch for it...
Anyways, I did 8 rounds of Carboplatin and Taxol. Originally I was to have 4 rounds, another debunking surgery (because the first surgery was not with a gyn-oncologist) and then 4 more rounds. Unfortunately, I developed a blood clot in my leg that prevented the surgery until after all 8 rounds were completed.
My second surgery was at Mayo Clinic in MN, by a very respected gyn-onc. After all that chemo, they still found a microscopic amount of cancer cells on my diaphragm muscle (a tumor was found there with my first surgery, thus the shoulder pain that I was having, it was rubbing on the diaphgram wall and causing my shoulder to have sharp pains). The gyn-onc scraped the lining of my diaphgram muscle and removed the muscle lining. That was April 2006. I have been cancer-free since.
Because I had cancer found during that surgery, I was thrown into the category of "80% chance the cancer will return".....but it hasn't. And many of you should know that we can beat the odds. And the odds are getting so much better now...this was even before IP chemo was first line treatment!
I have my "3-year after Diagnosis" checkup September 4th, coming up pretty fast. WOW how much my life has changed...I am such a happy person. I enjoy my life so much and I will never take it for granted again.
If anyone has questions or concerns, feel free to send me a personal message. I will be happy to talk and lend what advice that I can.
  #2  
Unread 02-25-2009, 10:16 AM
Ovarian Cancer IIIC, Grade 3 age 31

Just a quick followup....
Still with NED.
I did find out however that I am BRCA1 positive. The information supplied to me from my aunts and cousins was incorrect...they also are BRCA1 positive but when they told my mom to tell me and my family...she decided not to share the information for whatever reason. Just thought I'd correct part of my post above.
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