Community Connection: Ovarian Cancer Canada is looking for volunteers! Could you help?
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).
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).
Best Of
Re: Let's get started! Come and introduce yourself
Hi @Ralanda - welcome! Glad you found this chat as there is much support here. You may want to review some of the previous posts as there are several topics and pages of coping tips to help guide and support you. There are also comments for dealing with chemo and the side effects.
If you don't have a copy of the OCC resource, you can order it here:
https://ovariancanada.org/living-with-ovarian-cancer/support-resources
It can be hard to meet with a new DR each time... depends on your province and cancer centre... often, many of them work as a team. I found it helpful to keep notes myself so I could recap what took place at the previous appointment.
Hope you are feeling well as you recover from the surgery. If you are up for it, we try to meet on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM CST in the Teal Tuesdays Live Chat topic.
If you don't have a copy of the OCC resource, you can order it here:
https://ovariancanada.org/living-with-ovarian-cancer/support-resources
It can be hard to meet with a new DR each time... depends on your province and cancer centre... often, many of them work as a team. I found it helpful to keep notes myself so I could recap what took place at the previous appointment.
Hope you are feeling well as you recover from the surgery. If you are up for it, we try to meet on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM CST in the Teal Tuesdays Live Chat topic.
Re: Bladder differences???
@Ingrid_Canon - that is absolutely beautiful. I agree with every word. Thank you for the support. Right back at you. ❤️
djapj
1
Re: Bladder differences???
@djapj Yes I certainly mourned my 'old self'. In fact it was just recently that I 'turned the page' so to speak. I am trying to focus on the positive and despite the unexpected outcomes of this journey, I believe that I am better off. I am a lot stronger and more brave than I originally thought. I now take more risks, because I know that it is now or never. I appreciate and enjoy life more now, but I am aware of my limitations. That is not a bad thing for me as I had to stop 'burning the candle at both ends'. Little things make me content and satisfied. A sunny day, a good read, a tender touch and lots of laughs. Life is good if you look in the right places. I think of my old self as the catapillar that has turned into a beautiful butterfly that is happily drinking up the good things life has to offer. Take your time to heal, everyone has their own pace. Remember that I am walking beside you and giving you the support you may need, even if it is only virtual ☺.
Re: Side Effects Carboplatin and Doxorubicin
I had carboplatin and paclitaxol - side affects included complete hair loss, some numbness in feet, minor nausea (controlled with drugs), fatigue and trouble sleeping, leg pains for about four days after each treatment. Heard that taking Claritin can help with the leg pains - found that out a short while ago and I finished chemo in 2016. Drink plenty of water before chemo and for a few days following - I found that helped
Re: Let's get started! Come and introduce yourself
I’ve been reading all these brave introductions since my diagnosis in July of 2018 without adding my voice. So even though I don’t have any advice for others on this chat line (yet), I can share my experience and offer support to those who are on this journey with me.
I’m a newly retired psych. nurse. I’ve had abdominal pain along with weight loss and low appetite for about five years. GP and surgeon did lots of testing for gastrointestinal problems with no results. Finally a CT scan with dye picked up a uterine tumour confirmed by an intravaginal ultrasound. Two months later I had debulking surgery to remove the cancer that had spread throughout the abdomen. Woke up with no spleen, an ileostomy, an IP port, a damaged (during surgery) femoral nerve that has healed enough that I can finally walk a little, a spleen also damaged during surgery, and ..... well, too much detail, right?
My recovery has been slow. The impact of the diagnosis and treatment are life-altering both psychologically and physically, but the care I’ve received from the specialists and nurses at the British Columbia Cancer Agency has been tremendous. I’ve had four IV chemo sessions out of six (the oncologist decided against IP chemo) and am now looking forward to surgery to reverse the ileostomy and remove the IP port. I know the battle is not over, that remissions and recurrences are common.
Thank you all for being part of this link to the tribe. I don’t feel alone anymore.
I’m a newly retired psych. nurse. I’ve had abdominal pain along with weight loss and low appetite for about five years. GP and surgeon did lots of testing for gastrointestinal problems with no results. Finally a CT scan with dye picked up a uterine tumour confirmed by an intravaginal ultrasound. Two months later I had debulking surgery to remove the cancer that had spread throughout the abdomen. Woke up with no spleen, an ileostomy, an IP port, a damaged (during surgery) femoral nerve that has healed enough that I can finally walk a little, a spleen also damaged during surgery, and ..... well, too much detail, right?
My recovery has been slow. The impact of the diagnosis and treatment are life-altering both psychologically and physically, but the care I’ve received from the specialists and nurses at the British Columbia Cancer Agency has been tremendous. I’ve had four IV chemo sessions out of six (the oncologist decided against IP chemo) and am now looking forward to surgery to reverse the ileostomy and remove the IP port. I know the battle is not over, that remissions and recurrences are common.
Thank you all for being part of this link to the tribe. I don’t feel alone anymore.
Re: Bladder differences???
@Caitsmom and @Ingrid_Canon - as always, I feel I get more information from my fellow OC ladies than anywhere else. The information you’ve shared has been a huge help. I am coming to terms with things being my new normal. I feel like I am grieving for my “old me.” Has anyone else had to go through this as well?
djapj
1
Re: Maintenance Therapy for Who?
Hi @Luci22 Happy New Year to you as well. As Flowergirl suggested the approach for each individual is very specific to their circumstances. I am a Stage 1 mucinous survivor and I only had surgery. No adjuvant therapy was required on my part as the ONC was confident that they got 'it' all out. Also I have been noting in some of my research that not all ovarian cancers respond the same way to chemo drugs. With that in mind; the stage, type and age of patient are all taken into consideration. For myself the current maintenance I am on is follow-up scans and doctors visits. I am almost 18 months from diagnosis and going strong. Hope this helps to address your query. Wishing you and your mom well and good health ☺.
Re: Let's get started! Come and introduce yourself
Hello @Prairiebreeze - hope this message finds you doing ok today and welcome to the chat site.
Thank you for sharing your story and it seems you are done the treatment and now getting the thyroid looked into, is that correct? Good to hear you are enjoying life. We hope you will find lots of information and support here.
Thank you for sharing your story and it seems you are done the treatment and now getting the thyroid looked into, is that correct? Good to hear you are enjoying life. We hope you will find lots of information and support here.
Upcoming Webinar - Travel Insurance: What You Need to Know if You Have Cancer
Have you tried to purchase travel insurance since you were diagnosed with ovarian cancer? Do you have questions about your eligibility and what you can do if you want to travel outside Canada? This presentation will provide some basic information about how travel insurance works, policy terms such as eligibility, stability, exclusions, pre-existing medical conditions, and differences between group plans and individual ones.
English presentation: Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 12:00 (EST), presented by Medi-Quote Insurance Brokers
click here to register: https://ovariancanada.org/events-support/go-online-for-support/webinar-series
If you have questions, you can post them here and I will pass them on to the speaker to be sure you get an answer!
Re: Bladder differences???
After my hysterectomy I noticed the same thing . I was told that with the removal of the uterus and adjoining parts that there is more room in the abdominal cavity for the intestines and this could cause the feeling of pressure on the bladder. Also there probably was bruising on the bladder. My tumour was actually touching my bladder so some scraping was involved. You should definitely bring this up with your doctor but I would not worry about it .