Hot flashes.. will they ever stop? ONly 28 still have 1 ovary!

I had a rare form of Ovarian cancer. Immature Teratoma. Stage 1C It burst which is how they found I Had it. I'm 28 years old. I had emergency surgery to remove the mass. They also removed my right ovary and tube. I still have my left one. Because it burst Doctor put me on chemo. Same kinda as Testicular cancer, VP-16 and Cisplatin. I had 4 rounds which was 5 days for 5 hours every 3 weeks.  Luckily i'm now done, 3 weeks out.  i'm still have nausea and have trouble eating. But what bothers me most is the hot flashes. Especially at night! I wake up every 2 hours sweating! I have not got my period back yet since treatment started.  

I have a hard time finding anyone with same illness or able to answer my question about hot flashes.. anyone have advice?  ( I know talk to me doctor) but looking for personal experience here!


This discussion is related to immature teratoma stage 1.

[Jennyrose]

Hi! I had one ovary removed and 2/3 of the other, due to cysts. I had hot flashes for close to a month. At about 3am every night, I would fling off the covers; you could practically see steam rising. My sliver of ovary did eventually start to kick in. I had an ultrasound and there are follicles on it and I got my period about 8 weeks after the surgery. If you have a full ovary left, it might just be in shock from the surgery. Your body has only 1/2 the hormone levels for a while. Your remaining ovary needs a chance to adjust and bring you back up. I am not sure if the chemo can complicate things, but your body has been through a lot. I would check with the doctor and give it some more time. Good luck!

Jennyrose

[gina76]

Hey there. I also had an immature teratoma, diagnosed this past January at age 32. I had surgery and then 4 rounds of BEP chemo. I never got staged because when the doctor performed surgery he was 95% sure it was not cancer. Mine was a grade 3/3. I also experienced hot flashes, probably for about 4 months or so after chemo ended in May 2009. For me, it was one of those side effects that have completely gone away. I also have one ovary left and am on birth control. It took about 3 months for my menstrual cycle to regulate. I now am having regular periods and am feeling very hopeful I can still have children some day. I promise you, it gets easier as time goes on. The only side effect remaining for me is ringing in my ears, which is also getting better. I've read that the ringing is common after Cisplatin. Keep in my mind that it is possible to be cured of this type of cancer, unlike the typical form of ovarian cancer. I remind myself of that every day. I get check-ups every 3 months with pelvic exams, ultrasound, CT scan, and my alphafeta protein level measured. So far, there is no sign of cancer. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Ours is an extremely rare form of cancer, and i've never actually corresponded with anyone else who's had it. Good luck with everything!
Gina