Ovarian Cancer? Or something else?

[jamy709]

Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for some clarification, as I'm doing nothing but worrying day and night.  This has been going on for months now.  I am 32 years old, and overall healthy.  Back in Feb I went to my doc with pains in my side.  He thought it could be kidney stones, so he sent me for a CT Scan.  The results of the scan came back as 2 large masses on my ovaries (1 on each).  I was booked for an ultra sound and sent for blood tests.  My blood tests came back with elevated levels of CA-125.  When I was finally in for my ultra sound, it came back showing nothing on my ovaries.  My doctor thought that perhaps I had cysts that burst on their own, and sent me back for another CA-125 test to see if it could have been a false positive.  The results of my second CA-125 test was still shown as high.  He sent in a request for me to see a gynecologist about 2 weeks ago and said it could take months to get an appointment, as there is a long wait list.  I can't imagine sitting around for months with thoughts that I could possibly have cancer and there's nothing I can do about it.  With a clear ultra sound, does this rule out cancer?  I'm very confused and dealing with a lot of worry and anxiety.  Any words of wisdom are appreciated.  Thanks :)

[Jerry_NJ]

My wife has had ovarian cancer, so I speak as a witness, not a patient.

First I can't understand why it takes months to be seen by any doctor, are you in the USA?

My wife had both ovarian and uterus cancer, at an age far beyond your current age, and she had not symptoms.  Well she had some sudden stomach/back pain (she also has some back and hip problems) and we went to the emergency room for help. The standard tests they ran included a x-ray of the pelvic region and the ER doctor was concerned about some areas (dark on x-ray I think) and he referred my wife to a glaciologist who examined my wife within a day or two (don't recall, it was a few years back), my wife then had several specialized scans/tests and we were talking with a surgeon within a week.  Surgery was recommended and the surgeon (a highly regarded surgeon in a hospital with a special women's cancer institute) was ready to operate the following week.  My wife had airplane tickets to see our children who live about 2,500 miles from us and the surgeon agreed she could make the trip as it would delay the surgery only one week.

Two take away items:  

While cancer was active the surgery was delayed for personal and optional reasons - a day or two was not important at that point.

Our experience with the USA health care system is it is quick and expert.  I hope for those following us in age that it can somehow survive the onslaught of "change" that is being forced on this marvelous medical system. ..  

Good luck, your young age should help with whatever you have to face, try to keep a positive and optimistic mind set, that helps more than we can explain.  If you practice any unhealthy life styles, stop them - control weight, don't smoke, don't drink alcohol or other "substances".  Get as much physical exercise as you can without overexertion.  Just a running list of ideas that I believe will help you focus on being positive and on helping your body fight any problem it may have.  

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you?  What are the symptoms present? I understand your concern regarding your Ca-125 result. However, apart from cancer, there are indeed many different conditions  that can cause an increase such as uterine fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and cirrhosis, as well as pregnancy and normal menstruation. Hope this helps. Take care and do keep us posted.