OVdialogue – consider joining our team in the role of Peer Support Volunteer. Over a few hours each week, you would be part of a team that helps connect people, support conversations and are thought leaders for OVdialogue. This is your opportunity to give back to those who have/continue to support you through the tough times, share your unique experiences, and help celebrate successes. For more details of what this entails, please reach out to @Mfallis (mfallis@ovariancanada.org).
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Re: TEAL THURSDAYS - Sign in and CLICK HERE TO ENTER LIVE DAYTIME ONLINE CHAT (1pm EST)
Today's news announced the death of former Ottawa councillor Diane Deans, 5 years after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. She was a municipal councillor for 28 years, retiring in 2022, 2 years after her diagnosis in 2019. She was also the first woman to chair the Ottawa Police Services Board, including during the terrible period when disgruntled truckers blockaded and harassed downtown residents and businesses. Another amazing teal sister gone too soon.
Re: TEAL THURSDAYS - Sign in and CLICK HERE TO ENTER LIVE DAYTIME ONLINE CHAT (1pm EST)
Thank you so much for letting us know about this. I had been following her and posted a couple of articles about her announcing and being open about her original diagnosis and when she entered Palliative state as well. She seems to have left us quickly after being deemed Palliative. I hope she went as pain free and surrounded by all her loved ones. Again not sure if she was an active member on our site or not but it does not matter. She was one of us, doing her best to bring about awareness of Ovarian Cancer to the public and being public about her own health state. This is a big thing when you are a such a public figure and commend her on her work,
Here is a link for those that want to read it. In it, it tells of a service and book of condolence that can be signed in the Ottawa area. There is also an email to send condolences to should you so wish. So those that do, wonderful.
Thank you to all who have been following this and with me will mourn her death and remember all she has done to bring awareness to the very disease we continue to battle,
Re: Book Quote
Not a book quote but something I though fitting with the theme of the other posts and truly…..who can't use a HUG somedays????
Re: Joint pain
Good for you! Glad the Dex lasted that long for you as well which should decrease the amount of times you take it. Gardening, never ending work. I was walking around yesterday showing my friend what we had done and said…looks like I have some weeding to do again. Especially since we are getting mulch this weekend and if it isn't done, hubby will just dump the mulch over it. Love the help but wish he was more patient with it as I don't move as quick as before. I want to get it done today if at all possible since I am going for a pedi/mani with a friend tomorrow, Priorities eh? I just hate doing my feet and it bothers me to be bent over for too long due to the tumour locations. Plus an excuse as to why I need to get them done! ;)
Horse back riding. So nice, we have a horse farm next to us and I often see them out riding. I would love to go but if the riding lawn mower bothers my insides, I think the riding would be the same. They are nosy little things though, those horses. We come out to do anything near them and they are like "hey what are you doing". I often talk to them if they are close enough as well. So nice. So glad you get to go riding still even if it is periodically. Anything to bring that sense of normalcy back to your life @HorseGirl
Well, enjoy your day! Keep on trying things intermittently, document how you feel before, during and after and then see if it changes over prolonged period of time. Chat again soon.
Re: Managing Lynparza side effects
Now back to you. You sound like you are at a cross road not knowing where to go or which road to take. I am saddened that you feel or do have "not a huge amount of people trying to be with me either". Do you want to elaborate on that? Are they all rushing to your sister or is this was how it has been since the onset of your journey?
You have every right to want to be alone when you need to be. Part of this is recognizing those times in our lives and allowing ourselves "to be". By no means should we EVER have to feel like we should be pretending for others that everything is okay. I have found that those that showed disinterest are okay with you saying "I'm ok" as an answer to how you are doing. My experience has shown, they don't either know what to say or do or are doing it for themselves. I have slowly removed them from my life. I don't need it as I go through my own journey. You will need to determine how much you let them in yours and when, if you want them to be part of your life. It is your journey and your process not anyone else's.
There are many great resources on Wellspring.ca that you can check out for yourself if you want. There is a wealth of information on this forum as well when you type certain key words into the search bar.
We are here for you for whatever you need and however we can support you. You let us know how we can do that for you.
I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to be going through your own journey and wanting to support and be there for your sister as well with barriers in the way. Including distance, your own diagnosis, your own journey and your sister's wishes with her own journey. It would be tough and heart wrenching at times, I am sure. You would not only be going through anticipatory grief of your own diagnosis but for what everything means for your sister too. So tough to be in and navigate through. The advice I can give you is get yourself as good as you can be, for you, mainly but you can't be there for your sister if you aren't. Like what they tell you in the plane about masks and little ones....you know ...put yours on and then assist others.
So, my fellow Teal Sister, let us know how we can help you at your time of need and help you get through some of this in your own way and your own time. We are all here, when you are ready to be open and vulnerable to share in a safe space as you navigate your journey going forward.
Take care of you, rest and think about the words in the post. They come from a place of wanting to help wherever possible to make the other's journeys more bearable and for them to not feel alone during any of it.
Re: Joint pain
@HorseGirl I am sorry to hear you are experiencing this type of pain. I am going to tag both @MaryCatherine and @Petra as they have both posted before on Avastin and the same type of pain you are experiencing. They may be able to assist with things that have been tried or asked of their team to help with this. I would definitely go back to your team to explain your symptoms to see if they have anything advice or meds to help. An anti-inflammatory or possibly better pain med may be in order???? Document how mobile you are, how long the pain lasts, type of pain (acute/sharp or chronic/dull) and how it is affecting you in your daily life. Those keys will all help when you speak with your team. I hope some of this helps and perhaps the other two gals may have some helpful tips in the meantime.
Take care
Re: Joint pain
I had 6 rounds of Carboplatin/Paclitaxel along with Avastin (Sept-December 2023). Now I’m just on Avastin every 3 weeks since January 2024. The joint pain is crazy! The stiffness/pain in my hands, feet, knees, lower back and hips are causing mobility issues. Walking hurts! Thinking of asking my oncologist for some pain meds. NSAIDS are not helping at all. Has anyone here had better luck with dexamethasone or some other prescription pain reliever?