Scared As Hell

[venius]

i have a pelvic exam scheduled for tuesday but feel that a transvaginal exam would be more beneficial.  my doctor does not seem to be listening to what i'm telling her.  i have pain in my lower abdomen it is only a dull aching pain that is there all the time and has been there for about a month.  just recently however my bowel movements have become very difficult to pass.  i have gas constantly and need to run to the bathroom quite frequently to pee.  i am so scared that i may have ovarian cancer / cervical cancer and i don't think that pelvic exam would be a beneficial as the transvaginal exam....can anyone advise on this

[gah_70]

Hi,

Often the first step for all of this is to have a vaginal exam, and your doctor will go from there as far as scheduling other tests. It is important you voice your concerns, and if necessary, tell your doctor that you want a TVUS, even if she doesn't think it is necessary.  If you can't get your doctor to listen, then it's time to find a new one.  

A CA125 might be a part of your test, but it is very important to realize it will NOT determine if cancer is present.  It is a very inaccurate test, especially in premenapausal women. There are many things that affect the results, including benign conditions, or even lung irritation, so it's possible for the results to be elevated for many different reasons. For other women, their CA125 was never elevated at all when cancer was present.  It is a test best used for women already diagnosed with ovarian cancer to monitor treatment progress.  Doctors will perform one occasionally to see how high it might be elevated, but without a surgical biopsy, it really doesn't mean a lot initially.

In the meantime, I know you are nervous and scared, which is only natural.  Please feel free to come to this forum any time with questions or concerns.  We're a bunch of ladies who understand exactly where you're coming from, and will be glad to hold your hand as you go through this.

Gail

[venius]

almost 2 years ago i did have a transvaginal ultrasound because i had a miscarriage.  if there was anything there they should have been able to see it.  they were specifically looking to see if they last of the pregency had passed but just wanted to know if they would have been able to see the ovaries or any tumors that might have been there at the time

[venius]

just need to ask...what stage was the cancer at when they found it

[WildFlower84]

I had some of the same symptoms that you had and my 12 cm tumor was found via ultrasound over my stomach and inside my vagina (not sure what the correct term is). They also performed the CA-125 test to determine whether or not It was a tumor or just a simple cyst. Ask your doctor about the CA-125 test if you are concerned about Ovarian Cancer.

[waywen]

Just wanted to say I can really relate to your post. I feel exactly the same. I have had dull aching pain in abdomen for past 3 weeks continuously, lower backache and wanting to go to toilet frequently, also bowel movement problems. I've had a pelvic ultrasound and absolutely nothing showed up, the doctors have just given me different lots of antibiotics which are not doing anything because I don't think it's an infection causing it. I feel the transvaginal ultrasound will give a much better picture.
Hope you get some answers from your doctor, I'd be very interested to know the outcome as I feel our symptoms are very similar.
Best wishes,
Wendy.