Would u tell the children

I have had pain in my left ovary for about 5 months now. Then my lower back started to experience really bad pain about 3 months ago and then i started bloating about 2 months ago and I've been really tired for about 4 months not being able to get out of my own way. Everyone told me "it's just menopause". I turned 50 in October, every time i get a headache and I've been experiencing a lot of gas, which I'm on a high dose of omiprozole, it just gets blamed on the menopause. My 3 aunts had colon cancer and my mom dies from colon cancer, today I have an ultrasound scheduled for a pelvic exam cause the dr wants to explore the possibility of ovarian cancer. I'm freaking out! My 4 children r 26, 22, 21, and 18. My 22 yr old is due to have her 1st child, my 1st grandchild Feb 3. I don't want to tell anyone cause I don't want to worry anyone, but I'm a very spritual person and I would like some prayers and also some support. But at the same time I don't want to burden my children with worry. I'm a single mom and they have raised me as much as I have raised them, I also have a mental illness...but have it under control. Any thoughts?

[ireneo]

The 50's are kind of troublesome years, aren't they? I was in my mid 50's when I had the same symptoms you're having. I blamed it on everything else but my ovaries. I thought I was eating all the wrong foods, wasn't exercising enough, maybe my heart was causing me some fluid retention. I never considered my ovaries because I was post menopausal.

But surprise! I went in for my pap smear, explained how weird I've been feeling and sure enough, my left ovary had a big cyst on it. I was sure all those parts were finished messing around.

I did go in for surgery, my ovary, tube and 10 cm cyst were removed. Yes, they mentioned cancer and had an oncologist on hand to evaluate everything. But everything was fine, no cancer at all.

Your kids are adults and would want to know if you're not feeling good. It's fine to ask for prayer because you're worried. Most likely you'll be going in for surgery if there is a problem in there and the family should know. It's not something you can hide. My kids wanted to be included in the process, hear the updates rather than be left out.

Just take the first step and get the test done. I don't know if it's good or bad news but either way, you'll want  someone there to talk to.

[janice150]

Thank you so much for your response!! You have just put my mind to rest, I can't stop thinking that I'm dying, and I actually just started living... I've been living with a mental illness my entire life and have just started to finally feel like I'm moving beyond it and my body starts falling apart. I've lost 85 lbs in 2 years  by removing sugar and flour from my food plan and walking and over the past 7 months for strange reasons I've slowly gained 20 back. Your response has given me great hope, so thank you again, I will talk to the children and just give this to God one minute at a time! God Bless!

[ireneo]

How wonderful that you're doing so well recently. Mental illness is greatly misunderstood and so difficult for the person battling it. I'm glad you're feeling better because now you're stronger and better equipped to handle this physical health problem.

Yes, it's scary and waiting for results is difficult. I hope and pray your test results all turn out as well as mine did.

[janice150]

My results came in today, turns out I have a fibroid growth in my uterus...At first I was very excited about the news, but then I read the symptoms and it just didn't make any sense to me. I don't know if I should just let this go or not. Ovarian cancer seems extremely difficult to diagnose until , it seems anyways, til you're almost dead! So do I wait til things get worse and I'm experiencing more symptoms and something turns up? They are doing a catscan on Monday, but should something definitely have shown up on the vaginal ultrasound? I would like to just relax and move on, if only my body had that same thought process too!

[ireneo]

So, are we twins or what?  Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a bit. When I had my TVUS it showed the large cyst on my ovary and some fibroid tumors in my uterus. Originally the doctor wanted to do a full hysterectomy. Why not since I'm post menopausal? Just get rid of it all. But after consulting with another surgeon they decided to leave the fibroids and uterus alone because it would just make the surgery more complicated and my recovery longer. No need to take extra risks just to make a clean sweep of things. And the fibroids were causing no symptoms.

As far as I know a TVUS does a great job of looking at the ovaries and any abnormalities would show up just fine. It's nice they're going to do a CT scan as well. Perhaps your fibroid is causing your symptoms and you'll require surgery. I had a friend that was quite miserable with her fibroids because of their size. She had them ablated at first but that didn't solve the problem. So she ended up with surgery to remove them.

Be blunt with your doctor; ask right out how your ovaries look. The report will give the details about size and any little things going on with them.

[janice150]

You are so so good at this! And keeping it light is so important! I have a good sense of humor and so do my children, laughing is the best medicine, what a wonderful gift God gave us in humor! I am feeling much more relaxed this week, I have told several people including my children and they all said I worry too much, which I do. At the same time I think God justs answers my prayers when I tell people, lol. Who knows, who cares, I just feel better going into this catscan today not feeling like I'm going to die... hahaha! I am going to ask my doctor about the pain in my ovary and tell her about my concerns. I was reading today on lower back pain and I came to find out that it can b caused from a vitamin D deficiency which I just found out last week I have, so that was good news. And I haven't been exercising as much as I was, which is also a contributor to the pain, cause the more I walk the less back pain I will have. And the fatigue can also b related to the deficiency. So all in all I am feeling a lot more positive. Thank you so much for your help!

[ireneo]

I'm so pleased you're feeling better, at least emotionally. The scan will be a snap and then you'll have more information. Not knowing is what drives us batty. I always grumble that I have no imagination but when it comes to medical issues, my imagination can get really revved up.

So glad you have the support and understanding of friends and family. They may tease you but inside I know they're thinking of you and praying that all is well.

Whatever is causing your symptoms, I hope they clear it up soon and then you can get back to walking and enjoying the fresh air. Which reminds me, I need to head to the gym. Not as good as a hike along the Columbia River but at least I'm moving.