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 ([email protected]).
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 ([email protected]).
Over two years after chemotherapy
This is the first time I have been in the discussion. I was diagnosed with stage 1C ovarian cancer almost three years ago and had surgery and then chemotherapy. I am wondering how others are feeling (physically or psychologically) who, like me, are lucky to have been diagnosed early and living with the effects of chemotherapy and the disease.
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Hello @blair_ns - welcome to the chat site and thank you for sharing your story. Good to hear you are at almost 3 years post all the issues.
We invite you to check out the past topics on the site (we are at over 10 pages now).
Hope you find much support here and perhaps you can join us on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM CST for our live chat.1 -
@blair_ns....I was diagnosed last Dec. Stage 1C as well. Last chemo was March 21 this year and while most days I feel back to normal, some days I have neuropathy pain in my hands or feet and I know my brain is not as sharp as it once was. I don't know if my tiredness is age (54) or chemo related. What kinds of things do you still struggle with? How many treatments did you have and was it carbo/taxel?0
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Yes, KarenMari53 it was carbol.taxel. I had the 6 treatments, 3 weeks apart. The doctors and nurses at the Cancer Care Clinic in Halifax are incredible. I am 65. I have learned that you 'cannot blame everything on chemo'. However, there are a lot of side effects. Age is a factor, but I never listen to that. I have sorted through a lot of the effects over the last 2 and 1/2 years. I worked very hard at clearing brain fog. I forgot somethings, like birthdays, but I always did. I found sudoko really helped me 'rewire'. Some people like crosswords, I am a sudoko person. I am a therapist, so I have used a lot of therapeutic techniques on myself. Right after treatment ended I made the decision not to spend two years worrying about it coming back. That was a good decision. Right now my stomach can be problematic, easily upset. My system does not tolerate many meds, e.g. painkillers. I am with a physiotherapist working on building up muscles and that seems to be a science/art form. I find it supremely difficult to find the balance between too much and 'ok' is terms of activity, the balance changes. I will continue to work on that. I am thinking of terms of using energy. How much I have varies. It can be very frustrating. However, I am focusing on being grateful for what I can do, and stretching the envelope gradually. And hydration - sometimes I take 'hydration days' and drink and pee. I have decided that our high humidity summer was a terrible strain on my system. Yes, I sweated out a lot of toxins, but I also lost a lot of water and electrolytes. I am working on this. Thoughts. I also am trained in hypnotherapy and am developing regimes to use self-hypnosis for myself - physical and mental issues.0
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Hello @blair_ns - sounds like you have a good plan for coping.. I like the energy units as well... trying to decide what I need to get done and when and plan for it; also I found the physio improved my mobility and balance over time.. wishing you good luck with all of it!0
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thank you, Flowergirl. I had a good appointment with my physiotherapist today. It seems like my healing curve with physio is not always on the upward flow, but up and down and somewhat unpredictable. It seems to take a lot of planning to manage things at time, doesn't it?0
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hi @blair_ns - good to hear and yes, things do take time and what you need also changes over time. When feeling frustrated or overwhelmed, I remind myself to just breathe and focus on getting through the next 10 minutes. Wishing you all the best.0
