Aa
SO WORRIED
In the process of waiting for "formal US" and results of ca125. Went to dr thinking I had a cyst on R ovary. My symptoms were: no period ( spotting on and off only) for several months, increased urination, fatigue, nausea, unable to eat, bad back pain, low pelvic pain mostly on the L ( I have had ovary and tube removed here from reoccurring cyst). I am sure there are more but you get the point. At any rate. I got a bad feeling when I left the doctors office. I don't usually feel like that when I leave his office when I have had a cyst in the past. His behavior is different although his actions are only slightly different if that makes sense.
He also ordered other lab work other than the ca125. He has made the results of all those test available but not the results of the ca125 and they should have come back days ago. In office he found "cyst" where there is no ovary and a 4 cm cyst on the R ovary. He gave me no details nor did he show me ( on the in office us) which is unusual for him. I am a nurse and I am wondering if that is why. Did he not want me to see something?
Now a few days ago I discovered a lump in my abdomen. I can actually palpate it and visualize it. It doesn't go away no matter what I do. I am very thin especially now that I have lost so much weight. I should say inches. I have lost more inches than weight which is very weird. Scale stays the same but none of my clothes fit. At any rate the lump is on the right side just above my pelvic bone. Can this happen with cancer?
I feel that something is terribly wrong with me. Is it normal to feel that way when you do have cancer? Is it like a sixth sense? Do you kind of know when you have it? I am sorry this is so long but I am so scared I can't quit crying.
I also forgot to mention that I have a disorder that increases my risk for ovca.
Any response would be appreciated.
Thank you to all the brave women out there.
He also ordered other lab work other than the ca125. He has made the results of all those test available but not the results of the ca125 and they should have come back days ago. In office he found "cyst" where there is no ovary and a 4 cm cyst on the R ovary. He gave me no details nor did he show me ( on the in office us) which is unusual for him. I am a nurse and I am wondering if that is why. Did he not want me to see something?
Now a few days ago I discovered a lump in my abdomen. I can actually palpate it and visualize it. It doesn't go away no matter what I do. I am very thin especially now that I have lost so much weight. I should say inches. I have lost more inches than weight which is very weird. Scale stays the same but none of my clothes fit. At any rate the lump is on the right side just above my pelvic bone. Can this happen with cancer?
I feel that something is terribly wrong with me. Is it normal to feel that way when you do have cancer? Is it like a sixth sense? Do you kind of know when you have it? I am sorry this is so long but I am so scared I can't quit crying.
I also forgot to mention that I have a disorder that increases my risk for ovca.
Any response would be appreciated.
Thank you to all the brave women out there.
Jan, Please dont say you werent of any real help. You were of great help to me. Reading your post brought a bit of strength and gave me some resolve to stand up to my doctor ( don't usually have that problem but we are on such friendly terms it makes it difficult) and tell him my needs.
You said the words I needed to hear the most. "Ovca is not a death sentence and can be handled" and "don't waste a good panic"These brought me back to reality a bit.
I am sorry to hear that your remission did not last. You sound like a very nice person, very upbeat, and strong. I will pray that God gives you the strength you need right now.
Many thanks to you and the others here. I will post when I have more info. My doc is trying to get my US moved up from the 17th. My fingers are crossed.
Gentle hug to you all.
You said the words I needed to hear the most. "Ovca is not a death sentence and can be handled" and "don't waste a good panic"These brought me back to reality a bit.
I am sorry to hear that your remission did not last. You sound like a very nice person, very upbeat, and strong. I will pray that God gives you the strength you need right now.
Many thanks to you and the others here. I will post when I have more info. My doc is trying to get my US moved up from the 17th. My fingers are crossed.
Gentle hug to you all.
I had had an enlarged uterus for years from fibroids, never anything with ovaries. Changed Dr.'s, had been seeing NP's (should have stayed with them) cause I thought I was might need surgery someday and I wanted to know who would be cutting. Symptoms probably started shortly after my gyn check up, when I had my first ever UTI, chalked it up to getting older, kept them away with cranberry capsules. Had another. Then I had some depression, and mood swings, they went away and I evened out. Jumped on a tramboline on Labor day, one week later I was incontinent. Saw Gyn, on a Monday, TVUS on a Wed, told I had OVCA on Friday, that is when they drew my CA 125. My CA 125 has always been normal, it was 14.4 when they drew it with a stage 3C cancer. It was 3.9 with recurrance. I won'tl help any woman explain any of these symptoms away, I explained mine away. You need to have a fresh look, at you and a Gyn/Onc is the best physician to do that. I don't know where you live, but there are sites that will provide the names of Gyn/Onc in all parts of the country. This is the web site for the Society of Gyncologist Oncologists http://www.sgo.org/.
Gail the symptoms may be a cyst and chances are in your favor that they are, GYN/ONC's aren't just for cancer they are for second opinions and difficult surgery. CA 125 is not a very reliable test, so don't put all your eggs in that basket. My Dr. called after he told me it was cancer and said it was normal, so maybe there was hope. I thought he was nice - he was covering his ***. I will be thinking of you, let me know how you make out, get the second opinion, the bump says something has changed
Gail the symptoms may be a cyst and chances are in your favor that they are, GYN/ONC's aren't just for cancer they are for second opinions and difficult surgery. CA 125 is not a very reliable test, so don't put all your eggs in that basket. My Dr. called after he told me it was cancer and said it was normal, so maybe there was hope. I thought he was nice - he was covering his ***. I will be thinking of you, let me know how you make out, get the second opinion, the bump says something has changed
Thank you all so much for your words.
I am not sure how if I have access to a Gyn/Onc or how I feel about this doc that I used to really like. I am now afraid he may have let me down. This story goes back a couple of years when he saw what he said what could be my L ovary growing back. I also had a cyst on my R ovary that they had been watching for some time but had not been growing so they weren't going to do anything about. I had multiple US and nothing changed so I guess they figured it wasn't cancer. I don't know. At any rate. I never saw the US report when they looked at whatever it is that is on my L side. I only know that the doc told me we need to follow up every 6 months with US. I got busy with life and just did not think about this stuff b/c I was having no problems til 4 months ago til I had no period. Now I have all the other symptoms. The worst being the nausea, back pain, and fatigue. Now I have the cyst on the R and I am concerned that it is the same one and that it has grown and I also have what he says could be "cyst" (he even put the the " " around it ) on the L side. I asked him very specific questions via e-mail about these things and his only response was that we should wait for formal US. Wouldnt even answer if they were simple cyst or not. How can they be sure what it is that is growning on the L side if they don't do a biopsy? So all this going on and then 5 days ago while looking in the mirror I see what reminds me of when I was pregnant and the babies parts would stick out of my belly. Now it looks like a heel of a babies foot sticking out of my stomach and I cant palpate where the rest of the borders are. It feels big but what do I know? I keep thinking maybe it's bowel. I am very thin now but that wouldn't be normal either.
If it weren't for this lump I would be able to relax. I could explain away everything else. I could blame it on a hormone producing cyst. I just can not explain this away. Can anyone help me do that?
One good piece of news is that my ca125 was only 2. Thank you God.
God Bless those of you who have gone through this and are actually dealing with this disease. I will pray for your continued strength. I can not imagine how much it take. I am having a hard time and chances are I am just fine.
Thank you for the support.
Gail
PS Marie, if you don't mind could you share your symptoms with me?
I am not sure how if I have access to a Gyn/Onc or how I feel about this doc that I used to really like. I am now afraid he may have let me down. This story goes back a couple of years when he saw what he said what could be my L ovary growing back. I also had a cyst on my R ovary that they had been watching for some time but had not been growing so they weren't going to do anything about. I had multiple US and nothing changed so I guess they figured it wasn't cancer. I don't know. At any rate. I never saw the US report when they looked at whatever it is that is on my L side. I only know that the doc told me we need to follow up every 6 months with US. I got busy with life and just did not think about this stuff b/c I was having no problems til 4 months ago til I had no period. Now I have all the other symptoms. The worst being the nausea, back pain, and fatigue. Now I have the cyst on the R and I am concerned that it is the same one and that it has grown and I also have what he says could be "cyst" (he even put the the " " around it ) on the L side. I asked him very specific questions via e-mail about these things and his only response was that we should wait for formal US. Wouldnt even answer if they were simple cyst or not. How can they be sure what it is that is growning on the L side if they don't do a biopsy? So all this going on and then 5 days ago while looking in the mirror I see what reminds me of when I was pregnant and the babies parts would stick out of my belly. Now it looks like a heel of a babies foot sticking out of my stomach and I cant palpate where the rest of the borders are. It feels big but what do I know? I keep thinking maybe it's bowel. I am very thin now but that wouldn't be normal either.
If it weren't for this lump I would be able to relax. I could explain away everything else. I could blame it on a hormone producing cyst. I just can not explain this away. Can anyone help me do that?
One good piece of news is that my ca125 was only 2. Thank you God.
God Bless those of you who have gone through this and are actually dealing with this disease. I will pray for your continued strength. I can not imagine how much it take. I am having a hard time and chances are I am just fine.
Thank you for the support.
Gail
PS Marie, if you don't mind could you share your symptoms with me?
What did the man tell you? Other than the CA 125 was he planning something else? A CT scan? Without a plan or some information from him, I would be very upset also. I agree with Star get a referral to a Gyn/Onc and see him/her as soon as possible. When they didn't show me anything on US it wasn't good, and I was one week in work up. What I have learned through this is trust but check up on everything. I have CA 125's drawn on a Thursday and they are in the office the same day they are drawn. If you went from no lump to lump you need to see another Dr. I too am a nurse and I missed my symptoms, none of my health care providers ever told me I was at risk. The reason you want the Gyn/Onc is they have 3 additional years in training in women's surgery, I didn't realize that before cancer. The odds are against cancer, however you do not know without a biopsy, and given that you have had previous surgery, the next could be more complicated, you may have adhesions. So having the Gyn/Onc who has more experience with surgery is the win-win situation. Keep us posted. Good luck
Is this a doctor you know from working around? Do you know a good gyn/onocologist? Not that you have cancer, but if you are not happy with the way your present doctor is reacting to your problems then I would ask for a second opinion. You have the right to see all your tests. As a nurse myself I have seen times when they didn't want to tell me the truth. Also with our medical background we tend to think too much and worry too much. What I have learned from these ladies is the most valuable teaching I could get any where. Push for answers to all your questions.
You are going through alot. Ask your Dr why he has not shown you what you think you need to see. CA 125's can take about a week to get back. If it has been longer than that call him. The symptoms you describe can be OVCA but can also be other things. Looking back on mine I can see when it all started but at the time I thought it was "just" a hernia and it was almost two years from start to diagnosis. Mine started with a pea size bump in my stomach area. If your gut is telling you that something is wrong and you are not usually a worry wart do everything you can to find out what it is. Being a nurse you know that you have to be very proactive and be your own advocate. I am sorry I can't be of any real help but I didn't want you to think you were alone out there. We are a good group here and you have us to lean on. I know you are scared, but OVCA is not a death sentence and can be handled. I was only in remission 5 months when mine came back (last week) and while I am still strong I am getting my garden in shape before I start chemo again. As someone on here said, "Don't waste a good panic". Try to focus on other things, get your ducks in a row, pray, and watch comedies. It is the not knowing that is the worst part so find out and than make a plan. Once you do that you will feel more in control. Take care and let us know how it comes out.
Kindest Regards,
Jan
Kindest Regards,
Jan
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Ovarian Cancer Community
Learn how to spot the warning signs of this “silent killer.”
Diet and digestion have more to do with cancer prevention than you may realize
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
