ovarian cancer

[madsis]

my sis is diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer three months back. At that time , ca 125 was 1300, after surgery went down to 229. after two chemotherapy sessions, her ca 125 is only 18.Now that its controlled, is there any need of remaining three chemo sessions? doctor recommended 6  chemo sessions. she also has pulmonary hypertension and thyroid problem. If any precaution is to be taken? guide me. if CT SCAN does not show any malignancy ,  does it mean she is clear of this disease?   Any new, improved tests, medicine or new development in this field? pls help me!

[HVAC]

Antioxidants can cause problems with the chemo. If she has no nausea she does not need medication. If she does get sick you need to get ahead of it. I hope she continues to do well.

Alex

[madsis]

Our doctor prescribed anti nausea tablets for 5 days after chemo session. Tell her to have  nutritional  diet. She can have banana and  oranges, if doctor has not put any restrictions. Give her cocunut water daily, also apple cider vineger mixed with water, it will help in minimize the side effects of chemo. Use ginger and black pepper in her food. Don't take it in raw form. I hope all these will help u. Th

[ARCAB]

Thank Alex for your response. Im glad i found this forum, I'm getting a better understanding of this cancer and treatment from your posts. My mom just had her 2nd chemo yesterday. she seems to be tolerating it. she actually told us that she wanted a variety of foods to eat from...although she still eats very little. Her Dr.doesnt want us to give her any antioxidant supplements like A, C and E. why is that? also should she take her anti nausea meds even if she isn't nauseated? like around the clock?

Thanks Again.. Hope you are doing well

[HVAC]

Small meals. Even a tablespoon size. Six a day. Find out what she likes. Make a bigger batch and divide it up into small containers. Line up six in the fridge and give them every two to three hours on schedule. The smell of food can be over whelming. Sometimes cold or lightly heated meals can be better. I ate tv dinners because they did not smell as much. I did not finish them that is okay. Tell her it is like taking medicine eat every few hours. Make a schedule. Try not to force it on her that makes you want to say no if you feel bugged. It is important to eat. I did not want to eat at all. I got too thin.

They had to cut my chemo in half and I had to be hospitalized when I got too thin. I had to stop chemo for six months to gain the weight back. I wish I had known how important eating was. They told me not to worry about it and I did not eat at all for three months. I changed hospitals and they were shocked. It does not matter what she eats just that she eats. I like potatoe chips for some reason. You can use boost or ensure. With the ensure the dark chocolate, not milk chocolate and strawberry are okay. She does not need to finish them just some sips. They are better cold. I even put them in the freezer for a bit. I was prescribed Zyprexa to give me an appetite.

Each chemo can be a bit harder than the last it is cumilative. I would not tell her that because some people have an easier time than others and you do not want to anticipate it being bad. You throw up more on an empty stomach. It is important to start anti nauseas right after chemo.

Any other questions let me know.

Alex

[ARCAB]

My mom who is 86 was just diagnosed with OVCA. She has done her 1st chemo and has a hard time eating. I'm trying to monitor her food intake so she can get more nutrient dense food. Any suggestions to nutrition and support my family can give? Thanks

[HVAC]

May be Ca 125's every 3 months. Possibly CT scans if Ca 125 is elevated. If she goes a year in remission usually every six months.

Alex

[madsis]

Now only the last cycle is due. Her ca 125 was 7 after 4th cycle. After 6th chemo cycle, wht will be the follow up?  Wht tests will be done , medicines, precautions etc.

[HVAC]

Anymore questions or if you need to vent I am here. How are you holding up?

Alex

[madsis]

thanks alex for valuable information. get well soon

[HVAC]

Yes she needs the three more chemo therapies. Everyone is different some people work and do everything on them with few side effects. Other people like me are in bed for the last three. I was really sick and very underweight. Each chemo is tougher than the one before.

Picture a shot gun being shot blast and little buckshot particles going in every direction. This is what Ovarian Cancer does. The cancer pieces are too small to be seen on a CT. They can spread all over the abdomen. The best hope is the debulking surgery she had and six chemotherapy sessions usually of Carboplatin/Taxol.

This is not like breast cancer where you take out the cancer, have radiation, and chemo and you can be done for the rest of your life or a long time. By the time you are 3c the cancer is tougher to fight. This is called a chronic cancer. Some women have remissions and some women have to be on some form of chemo for the rest of their lives. It is not as bad as it sounds. I have done two years of chemo in three years. I have taken two chemo holidays. Once for 8 months and now for three. The other chemos I have been on do not interfer with my life or make me lose my hair.

I am three years out. I am enjoying life. I ride horses. I swim and hour every day. I work outside. I train dogs. I am spending three weeks in Europe.

The first six chemos were the hardest for me. I was 3c as well but I have the BRCA mutation which genetically makes cancer.

Do not look at statistics. Everyone is different. I say people are not statistics. Some women do have long remissions after the first six chemo. Let us hope she is one of them.

The best precaution is to have a doctor monitoring her closely. Doing physicals and blood work. They are used to women with other conditions.
It is also important to be at the best cancer hospital or have a very good doctor. I was at one university hospital with a doctor I never saw. I was literally dying and no one would do anything about it. I switched to Duke. They saved my life. They also have a lot of studies. Unfortunately in most studies half the people get the new medicine and half don't. In the study I was in for a year I did not get the new medicine. Duke probably does more treatments than the university hospital I was in did.

CT's are the best test available. It does not see cancer until it is big enough so they can't say for sure you are cancer free. They may say there is no evidence of disease. That is the best news you can get. CA 125 are individual. For me they are a good indicator. If there is no evidence of disease the first two years that is really good.

I always have disease but I look at it like having diabetes. It is just something I have to treat all my life. Anyway you feel about this illness is okay. I was really angry the first six months. Mostly because they had missed my cancer and my first hospital was so bad. Now I am pretty happy. I guess I do not want to waste time being upset for any reason.

Alex