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Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2025 08:05
From: Tanja
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
@beagle.mom and @Alwayslearning FITS is a screening assay for the healthy population to reduce the number of colonoscopies and still provide everybody >50 with a colorectal cancer test. It is not meant for cancer surveillance, particularly for those at high cancer risk (as we all are)and it is certainly not good enough to rule out cancer, as @beagle.mom has unfortunately experienced. So please girls get colonoscopies!!!!! Colorectal cancer grows inside the middle of the intestine as a polyp. And this, in stage 1, can be snipped off and cured. You can ask for getting put to sleep more rather than just having sedation. I got anesthesia and it was an easy procedure for me. Only this was the way my ovarian cancer was diagnosed as it had invaded into the gut.
Original Message:
Sent: 8/31/2025 8:41:00 PM
From: Alwayslearning
Subject: RE: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
@beagle mom ... well that is very discouraging on the FIT screening.
That's very interesting that the NL government is allowing people to self-refer for those tests. Anything that supports preventative diagnosis sounds like a good idea to me!!!
#Healthandwellness
Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2025 17:03
From: beagle mom
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
The irony of using FIT for screening - is that the results of the my test last year were all clear (about a month before diagnosis). I wouldn't depend on that test at all. I am in NL and apparently the government is now allowing people to self-refer for colonoscopies and breast screening through the MyHealthNL App. Sounds like a good plan to me.
Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2025 15:42
From: Alwayslearning
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
@beagle mom ... understood. If you are worried about the 3 year colonoscopy timeframe you could request a Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT). I believe in Ontario (not sure what province you are in), you can have one done every 2 years and fully paid for by OHIP. Perhaps your surgeon/doctor has this in their line of sight for monitoring you in addition to the blood tests.
Thanks for explaining how the PN is manifesting for you. It certainly does not sound fun. I saw that someone had success using a physiotherapist. Perhaps an option?
As for brain fog...I can relate to how long it's taking to read a book. I'm like a snail now. I've taken to doing crosswords and other types of games to try to energize my brain.
#Treatmentandsideeffects
Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2025 15:46
From: beagle mom
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
Thank you for your response. No further treatments have been ordered. A colonoscopy in February indicated no issues so the surgeon sees no need to do anything but monitor with blood tests. I have been told I won't need another colonoscopy for three years! I'm a little concerned by that. The peripheral Neuropathy started as tingling/numbness but has advanced to pain/numbness. These days I am wearing extra wide shoes because my regular footwear causes too much pain. I was having so many issues that the oncologist cancelled my last Taxol treatment. As for the 'brain fog" - I was starting to wonder if there was something else going on. I'm still reading but at a very slow pace (actually I'm re-reading a favourite novel.)
Original Message:
Sent: 08-29-2025 11:02
From: Alwayslearning
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
Hi @beagle mom ... thank you for sharing your diagnosis. I'm hopeful that at earlier stages you will be able to successfully treat both cancers. Out of curiosity have they started to treat the colon cancer now?
As for PN, I had a severe bout of that for my first chemo. It impacted my hands and feet, with my feet worst of all. I couldn't stand for longer than 30s at a time. I reported it to my medical team and they reduced by chemo dosages by 10% strength. As well, I took B12 and also iced by hands/feet throughout my infusion. We just used Ziplock bags, filled them with ice and I kept them on my hands/feet, rotating over the course of the treatment. My oncologist said that using ice was a myth however I gotta say, it worked for me. My PN dissipated and was pretty much gone by Tx3. How severe is your PN? You indicated you still have it. You could ask your oncologist if B12 or B6 would help at all (supports nerve health). I am not aware of laser treatment for PN. Any Teal Sisters out there have experience with laser treatment for PN?
As for brain fog. I completely understand. My diagnosis/surgery were in Feb '24 and chemo March - July. I was an avid reader prior to that. I'm well over 18 months into all of this and I've read one book and that took me a few months. That would normally have been 8-10 books in that 18 months. I definitely have a hard time concentrating when reading a book. It's the oddest thing. I've had a book on the go now for two months. I just give myself grace and accept that it will take about of time now for me to finish books. I'm still reading, just slower.
#Healthandwellness #Treatmentandsideeffects
Original Message:
Sent: 08-28-2025 19:06
From: beagle mom
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
Last summer I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer (Stage 1) and colon cancer (Stage 2). It was decided that I would begin receiving chemo to treat the ovarian cancer. In an earlier post I mentioned having peripheral neuropathy and brain fog. I have seen a post where someone had good results with laser treatment - so I will be checking into that. As for the brain fog, I was having issues concentrating before I even had surgery - I thought it was because I was feeling so sick and in a lot of pain. The poor concentration has continued throughout the chemo treatment (the last treatment was in January 2025) and I am still having issues. I used to love to read novels but I haven't been able to concentrate enough to read for the past year. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this?
Original Message:
Sent: 08-28-2025 14:24
From: Alwayslearning
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
Hello @beagle mom and welcome to the OVdialogue forum. I hope you will find as much benefit from this forum as I have since I joined a year ago. As @GloHo said, the Teal Sisters in this forum hold a wealth of support and information. Please let us know if you have any initial questions - either in general about the forum, resources available or specific to your situation. We are here to help. You can also type key words into the search bar above e.g., "Walk of Hope", and past chats/discussions will be available to you. In additional to this forum, you can also sign up for "Teal Teas" which happen monthly via Zoom and are another way to connect with Teal Sisters. I've included a link below to the September session however you can also find them on the OVDialogue main page (right hand side).
https://ovdialogue.ovariancanada.org/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=9a082e26-ac3e-431f-8f4d-0198522b1d0c&CommunityKey=172c2157-676a-4181-937a-018f4f89ca5f&Home=%2fhigherlogic%2focapi%2foc%2fevents%2fcommunityEventsList%2fgetEventsList
To start, please if you are comfortable, feel free to share your story. I found this very helpful when I first joined as it enabled me to connect with others with experiences similar to mine. It helped me realize I am far from alone in this journey. You can do that by replying to this chat.
Again welcome! We all look forward to getting to know you better and supporting you in your personal journey.
#Introductions
Original Message:
Sent: 08-28-2025 13:30
From: beagle mom
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
Hi. This is my first time on the Teal Thursday and I'm not sure how to proceed. I was diagnosed last summer and have had surgery and chemo and I'm in the monitoring phase. Next meeting with oncologist on Sept. 3rd.
Original Message:
Sent: 08-28-2025 13:20
From: Alwayslearning
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
Hello Teal Sisters,
How is your Thursday going? How is the weather in your area? It went from the hottest summer ever here on the shores of Lake Erie to Fall, almost overnight. However it's lovely being able to open the windows again with the cooler evening temperatures. It is absolutely pouring here right now. Can't say we don't need the rain however then I have to close the windows 😂
On a personal note, I got my CT results back (chest, abdominal and pelvis). Happy to report NED for all. Yeah!!! Combine that with my CA-125 which was 20 and I'm feeling pretty good (note that my CA 125 post chemo's has averaged around 18/19 so 20 is good for me). It was 23 in July but I had a chest infection so the drop to 20 was definitely welcomed. I go to PMH for the Lynparza (Olaparib) check up next Friday so am hoping for the trifecta and good bloodwork so I can continue with the maintenance drug going forward I'm one year into my two years. I still have a lot of ongoing unexplained abdominal pain, which good very well be a side effect of the Lynparza. Who knows.
If you are connected drop a line on what's new in your world this week. I always love to hear how everyone is doing physically/mentally and just in general with any fun plans. The long weekend is approaching (also my son's 27th birthday). It will be a busy one with family celebrating. What's going on with all of your long weekend plans? Talk soon.
#Supportandencouragement
Original Message:
Sent: 08-06-2025 14:29
From: mfallis_OCC
Subject: Teal Thursday - August & September 2025
Hi everyone - I hope you are enjoying a wonderful day, enjoying some sunshine and all of the things that bring joy into your lives!
Looking forward to having you join the Teal Thursday chats for August & September by posting below. If you have any questions please let me know.
All the best!
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