what to expect

[sdj42]

Had surgery last week and cancer had spread to spleen, liver, omentum, and colon. The surgeon states he removed all of the tumor but there were small erosions in diaghram and intestine that were less than 1 mm in size and he states chemo will attack what is left. Have had alot of fluid in abdomen and around lungs. Currently have jp drains to abdomen. Will this fluid continue to come back? How effective is chemo and how long before reoccurence is usually seen? The doc says I have serosal adenocarcinoma that is highly differentiated and states that because it is aggressive the chemo will work better. I have to wait a month before I can start chemo, how big will the cancer grow between now and then? Has anyone survived stage 4 longer than a year?

[nyc lady]

There are many stage 4 survivors, longer than a year.  A few of the women will come along and tell their stories. A member of my group is 2.5 years out stage 4 and no signs of recurrence, someone else I know survived for 9 years.

No one can tell how long before a recurrence or if you will even recur, nor do they know how big something will grow or not grow in a month.

Chemo is not easy and you need to recoup from the surgery, your body needs some time to mend.

The fluid most likely will go away with chemo, and shouldn't come back, unless you recur.

You have come to the right place for support.  You will meet the best people in the world on this forum and we will all help you through this.

Best of luck,
Pam

[Burnzie]

Hi
This is my first time posting so I hope it works!  I have stage 3-4 OC and I just passed my third year mark.  I have had recurrences and am presently on caelyx.  One of the most important things to remember with this disease is that it is a WORD not a SENTENCE.  Everyone only has today to live, nobody knows what will happen tomorrow, so its best to live today for today.  When I was first diagnosed the Dr told me "we can't look ahead in the book; that we don't know how it will end".  That was one of the best things I was told.  This is a tough disease, but it is not all bad.  There are many blessings with it and you will find that "along the way."  I find I get overwhelmed when I look too far into the future  and I have to remind myself, or be reminded by my husband, to just think about today and tomorrow.  Life is much better from this perspective.  Whether you recur or not, you will be better at this and many people never get the opportunity to learn that.   Enjoy your month to heal and try not to think of the next step, chemo.  Do something you enjoy today!

Karen from Canada

[westajul]

Hi,
I believe that stage iv is not an automatic death sentence. In July08 during a ct scan two tumors were found in my liver and one in a lymph node and  as of last month the tumors were gone. Now I had very little disease as the tumors were 15 mm, 13mm and 8 mm.  I won't officially be declared in remission until May when I have a PET scan. So much depends on how well the chemo kills to cancer.  I  realize I have only been cancer free for a short time but I had two extra chemo treatments to make sure we got all of the cells. I wish you good luck and keep up the good fight. Julie

[PinkTissue]

I echoed the view of other laides on this board. My mum was diagnozed with stage 4 cancer in Dec 07. Like yours, it was spread everywhere - throughout the stomach, colon, intestines, liver, spleen etc. The doctor candidly admit that there were so many tumors that they gave up counting. My mum went through the standard treatment and went into remission for 9 months. Even though my mum's cancer has relapsed, she is undergoing treatment and by the end of 1st chemo, her CA-125 dropped to normal and the doctor is hopeful of my mum going into another remission. My mum had a friend who also had stage 4 ovarian cancer and went into full remission for 15 years!

Remember - there is always hope!

[sdj42]

Thank you for the support, I am just overwhelmed with all the information and all the negative articles and statistics. I have 2 small children and just trying to find out as much as I can so I can plan for their future. My ca125 was 7232 before surgery and everyone else seems to have a much lower number, what does this mean?

[gls2824]

Don't focus on what your CA125 numbers were before surgery.  The important numbers come after surgery and after chemo because as they fall, it shows that you're getting better!  

I read somewhere that because of the internet we have become a nation of "cyberchondriacs" (I LOVE that word -- it's me!).  As Fran Drescher would say, "Statistics, Schmatistics."  You're not a statistic.  There are plenty of women out there who are long-term survivors.  Just keep that in your mind as you go through this.