My name is Margaret and I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on June 27th at Sunnybrook. The tumor could not be seen either through the ultrasound or CT scan; however the doctor says it could be hiding in the fallopian tube. I've had three rounds of chemo thus far; being treated by Dr. Osborne at the Odette Centre. I am scheduled for surgery next Tuesday. My CA125 count was originally 738, came down to 310 after the first chemo treatment, and 38 after the second. My family doctor feels it was caught early and treated quickly; however, I am scared both about the surgery and what the doctor will find. Those two things are keeping me awake at night.
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We will be thinking of you on your surgery date. You may want to review the Prepping for Surgery topic on page 4 of this site
https://ovdialogue.ovariancanada.org/discussion/40/surgery-prep#latest
We hope you will find much support here as there are lots of topics for your review.
We try to meet live on Tuesdays at 7:00 PM CST
My father had RA and mother has osteoarthritis. Because of my ongoing pain post chemo, my doctor tested me for RA a few months ago but it was negative. Naproxen helped however I retained a lot of fluid. I too take Tramadol when the pain is very bad (it is still constant however I try to fight through it). Needed 50mg 2-3x a day at the start (post surgery and chemo) but now maybe only take 50mg 2-3x a week.
Have made a concerted effort to be more active however still very challenging. Knees, back, hands and shoulders are constantly in pain. You may want to discuss medically prescribed CBD oil with your doctor too. I find hot showers to get me going in the morning help and Epsom salt baths at night give some relief. When going through chemo there were some nights when I had multiple baths. Even getting in and out of the bath can be difficult. Have also got more into yoga and meditation this year too. And participated in an acupuncture study for cancer patients - had some relief but it didn’t last long. Might be worth a try for you.
Other things like Tumeric/Curcumin to fight the inflammation, Glucosomine might help however you need to be diligent taking those and at least for 3 months.
Good luck. Of all the chemo side effects, the pain I was not anticipating and has been the most challenging for me. Not looking forward to a nasty winter which looks like it has started already in YYC this week.