It was November 2005. There were no warnings, I was not sick. I did not have any problems that I was aware of. I went to my family doctor with a burning sensation in my lower right side/pelvic area; he thought I had pulled a muscle or tendon in my hip that was causing the burning sensation, so he scheduled a CAT Scan. A few days later I was sent to a specialist and I was diagnosed with Stage III C Ovarian Cancer or as we have come to call in here...the ugly word disease.
I was frantic. What happened? What went wrong? How could I have cancer? How could a sudden sensation in my side become cancer - overnight? This couldn't be happening to me.
I have made it a priority to try and help others to understand how a truly silent killer is missed. Ovarian Cancer will sneak up on you and before you know it, your family is being told, “it has been my experience that when people have this form of cancer, the survival rate is longer than 3 years if they have Chemotherapy treatments.” This is not a very pleasant experience as I am sure my family and others can attest to.
A lot of Doctors say that about 80% of the cases are not findable until the cancer has spread…or they say that it affects postmenopausal women more. I say Bull Malarkey!
There are some women that are more susceptible to Ovarian Cancer than others. These women are the ones that:
- Have had Endometriosis that was never treated properly
- Never had any children
- Are over the age of 40
- Started their menstrual cycle very early
(generally before the age of 12) - Had an immediate family member with Ovarian Cancer
- Had an immediate family member with Breast Cancer
- Had infertility problems, if you've had an active sex life and not able to get pregnant
- Have or are taking infertility medicines, such as clomiphene citrate
- Have or are using estrogen or hormone replacement therapy
If you are one of these women or if you know of someone that is then there are some signs that need to be watched for more carefully.
Due to the fact that these signs can also be signs of many conditions other than cancer they are more often than not ignored. It's time to STOP & LISTEN! You have to learn to listen and look for the symptoms. You must learn to read your own body.
- Abnormal frequent indigestion
- Bloating
- Burning sensations that may be mistaken for a pulled tendon or muscle in your lower back or pelvis
- Pain in you abdominal area
- Abnormal bleeding from your vagina and not just after menopause, at anytime
- Discharge from your vagina that contains mucus that may be tinged with blood
- Problems with pain or bleeding during sex
- Nausea or loss of appetite or you cannot eat normally
- Ongoing bloating or intestinal gas that is not relieved by home treatment measures
- Bigger belly size or a lump that can be felt in your belly
- Decreased energy level
- A change in your bowel habits, i.e. constipation or diarrhea.
- A change in your bladder habits, such as urinary frequency, urgency or involuntary leakage
- Weight loss; excessive weight gain for women with existing thyroid problems
Most women will ignore the symptoms or pass them off for another reason; and then when they are brought up as an after-thought most doctors will not realize or recognize the potential urgency of evaluating the symptoms.
If the symptoms are persistent and recurring then you need to make sure that your doctor is doing everything he/she can to protect you. First they should do a pelvic exam, trans-vaginal ultrasound, and a gastrointestinal work-up.
Your doctor can also do a blood test called a CA-125 (cancer antigen-125), which is a cancer marker test that is frequently used for Ovarian Cancer patients. The cancer antigen-125 is a protein that is found in most ovarian cancer cells that are elevated compared to normal cells. CA-125 is produced in the surface of cells and released into the blood stream.
I know if I had been made aware of this information BEFORE I was diagnosed with the Silent Killer, I would have been more than happy to submit my needle fearing arm to the phlebotomists cold hands (that's medical lingo for vampire) for the measly $100.00 the test cost me.
Believe me when I say that the physical, mental, emotional, family and financial drain that this killer causes you comes knocking at your door…you will wish you had learned to listen to your body!
Don't be a statistic! Let your doctor know that you have some concerns or that there is a problem. If you don't let them know, then they do not necessarily know what they are looking for. After all, the doctors are only human and they do make mistakes and the art of medicine in still not an exact science, hence the reason it is called the “art of medicine” and not the “science of medicine”.
