ovarian cancer

not really a question but after over 8 montsh of going to my dr and not getting anywhere as he was not listening to my symptons  have now got an apt with a private gp on Friday.i hope they are prepared to listen and I can get rid of this mass in my abdomen .

[nyc lady]

We have to advocate for our own health.  We know our bodies and we know when something is wrong.  Let us know how the next appointment goes.  Let's hope all is benign!!!

[anbuma]

hi  had my ap;pt yesterday and dr said she couldsnt find anything butsent for an ultrasound scan.aftere waitinga\round for 4 hours(walking round shops and hangign around waiting nfor scan and said i had gallstones.my brother thinks this is the problem for my abdominal pains etc.i dont i know my body .drs  private or not still not listening to me/my symptons..now i have sciatica as well and cannot sit for more than 2 minutes.

[anbuma]

saw dr this am and said I had had a scan which revealed gallstones and all he said was to wait until he had received a letter from them.
saids again about abdominal symptons and all he said was scans I had over a year ago were negative,.will NOT accept that I had these symptons way after I had the scans and I ve told them that scans don't always show OC or cysts and I have the symptons eg never feeling hungry and always feeling full and they don't ackjnowledge the fact taht altho my tummy is getting bigger I ahve lost weight elsewhere,i have had a cough since October and rib pain fro over a year all which caused by tumour or cyst.

[HVAC]

Keep pushing, it took me several years with clear scans for them to finally do a pelvic ultrasound and diagnose me. My new Oncologist says it takes at least two years and three doctors. I had my gallbladder out and I said "This makes no sense my pain is down in the lower left quadrant". I got sicker after my gallbladder came out. I finally went to my GP after going to the ER for vomiting and seeing a gastroenterlogist who said I had IBS, and said "Something is really wrong, I do not know if it is kidney stone or my Ovaries or what". She did a pelvic ultrasound and found the cancer. I was in a Cancer study with a gynecologist having papsmears, endometrial biopsies,scans, and mammograms. None of those things test the ovaries. My doctors felt bad they missed it but you can't test the Ovaries easily. No one else will advocate for you. I wish I had pushed harder. I threw up constantly for two and half years and had diaphragm spams for two hours at a time for two years and lost tons of weight all signs of Ovarian Cancer and I have a strong family history but none of my doctors put it together.

Good luck.

Alex

[nyc lady]

Can you go to a local emergency?  I would go and complain about pains etc in the pelvic region.....maybe they will do a CT Scan and see if there are any masses.  

While agree  with Alex that there is a delay in diagnosing OvCa when first presenting to a doctor with symptoms, the average delay is between 3 and 12 months.  However, if you have had scans, and they are clear of masses etc on your ovaries and in the pelvic region, you do not have OvCa.  Microscopic cells are not going to create symptoms.  The reason that you would feel full is because of the mass, takes ups space...frequent urination, again the mass against the bladder, etc.  

[anbuma]

I learnt yesterday from the DR that there was a follicle on one of my ovaries
that was the first I had heard of it/the gynae never mentioned anything about an follicle when I saw him from about june to sept last year.i had not heard of this and as the DR said no more about it I googled it and it said a follicle on the ovaries and is 2cms can be classed as a cyst.it may not be a cyst or OC but it could still be a tumour.what else would cause pressure on my ribs and cause a trapped nerve as well as all the pian and discomfort?
when you say mass what do you mean?.a solid mass as my abdomen is has to be a tumour?

btw it s taken 9 montsh fro me to get a referral for a acute sinusitis.

[anbuma]

thanks alex.i called the surgery today and there were no appts .I don know how much more I can take.surely where I have read so much about drs nto recognizing symptoms they woudl have been taught that when studying?

I will print off your reply and take it to the dr along with all the other stories and articles etc I have where people have same probs as me.

[nyc lady]

Are you still menstruating?  If you are it is very common for follicules to form on your ovaries when you ovulate.   The doctor might not have mentioned it before because it probably was not on your scans before.  Follicules, cysts, etc can come and go depending on where you are in your cycle.  2cms is not considered very large when it comes to cysts, tumors, masses, etc.  Most doctors will not even consider operating until they are 5-6cms.  
I am glad that you are forging ahead and trying to get answers.  

[anbuma]

hi
no I stopped about 4 years ago.