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888988 tn?1241304941

ovca under 30

Hi, I was just wondering how many people on here were dx with ovarian cancer under age 30?  I am 29 and have a 7 x 6 cm mass on my left ovary.  This was not there 4 months ago.  I have had periods every 15-17 days since last Dec.  I have 2 kids and had tubal ligation.  I've been going to doctors for over a yr now trying to find out why I am so tired all the time.  I also have back and pelvic pain; and now my stomach looks like I am 5 months pregnant.  I am gassy all the time and nauseated.  I have horrible reflux and loss of appetite.  There are several symptoms I have had in the past yr but overlooked them as other things....the pain I over looked b/c I have a hx of kidney stones and the pressure in my bladder I overlooked as Interstitial Cystitis which I was dx with in 2000.  I did have fluid in my pelvis 4 mo ago with the last TVUS but I had a normal Pap and normal uterine bx.  I forgot to mention that the mass is unlike anything my doctor or her colleagues have ever seen.  I am an x ray tech and showed the one picture I have to the radiologists I work with and they couldn't even give me a straight answer.  It looks like a honeycomb.  Any one ever deal with this at my age?  I am having the left ovary removed along with hysteroscopy d&c and uterine ablation on Sept 14th(my daughter's birthday--:(....)  and they are doing a frozen biopsy.  I also had a bunch of blood work done and I know one of them was a ca 125 but I don't know the results yet.  My doctor said she "hopes" it is benign b/c of my age.
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888988 tn?1241304941
I do believe that Chattanooga is closer than Birmingham.  It takes me about 3 hrs to get there...it's an hour to Atlanta.  I am just afraid that it will take even longer to get this taken care of b/c by the time I get an appt for a gyn/onc, this sucker could have grown even more.  I do feel that my gyn knows her stuff.  I have read a lot of posts on this site and there are people that are actually having to request things that my gyn has already done or set up for.  She ordered all the labs, including the CA 125---I am still waiting for those results as there was a bit of miscommunication between the lab company and my dr's office.  I should know tomorrow.  I have a great relationship with my gyn as well since I had to be seen twice a week for the last trimester of my pregnancy in '07.  And she delivered my daughter.  Also, after I had my son, I had hemorrhaged very badly and she had the nurses on top of it all making sure no mistakes were made with me.  She is a very thorough doctor and I have the utmost respect for her.  She did my tubal ligation.  Actually, she did fallopic rings b/c she said the whole cut, tie, and burn was really not all that accurate and she knew I did not want or need to get pregnant again.  I have never had female issues before.  My sister has PID and polycystic ovaries.  It seems she got all the female problems where as I was like clock work and had no problems before last December.  Even the problems with my pregnancies were not female related.  I appreciate everyone's concern and I do wish to speak to my gyn about a possible gyn/onc but I work in healthcare.  I know a LOT of doctors and have picked up on certain habits they have that help me depict who I would let touch me and who I would run away from screaming.  I know many doctors who recommend her as well.  Still, I remain optimistic that this will turn out to be a minor surgery.  I have to trust my gut on this one and I don't want to wait any longer.  I do feel that since she is doing a frozen that we can know soon enough what it is and then if it does turn out to be malignant then I will either have an oncologist on stand by that will do the debulking or it will be done about a week later.  My gyn has already proven to me that she is a better safe than sorry type of doctor and I know she will not delay any treatment I might need!  Thanks to everyone for responding to this!
Helpful - 0
360216 tn?1218743000
I echo the other ladies on here regarding having a gyn/onc perform your surgery - I had a wonderful gyn do my original surgery because the gyn/onc she worked with wanted to wait 3 months and see if the cyst, which was complex and clustered like grapes, would resolve itself.  I did not want to wait as my symptoms were getting worse and my gyn agreed.  My ca 125 was 6 but because my cells were coffee bean shaped and she was concerned it might be a form of cancer she bagged the ovary (make sure your gyn does that if you decide to go with her).  Thank God she did because it prevented spillage and possible spread of the cancer.  I still had to be referred to a gyn/onc (I did not go to hers) and have a second sugery for complete hysterectomy, staging and to determine I was all clear of minute spread.

I live in Chattanooga and there are some wonderful gyn/oncs here.  I'm not sure if I'm closer to you than Birmingham but would think you have to go right by us to get to Nashville.  My original gyn/onc retired - he was considered one of the best in the southeast.  My current gyn/onc doesn't have quite the bedside manner but I am sure my previous dr chose him to run the practice because he is very gifted as a surgeon, very focused on reproductive cancers, and very up on the latest testing and technology.  

Dian and the other ladies are right - please listen to us and get a gyn/onc if you can.  We've been there and want you to benefit from our experience.  Best wishes, Chris P
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Please, please, please DO NOT have surgery done by a gynecologist. I have heard too many horror stories about gynecologists who blow it and make things worse. Even if a gynecologic oncologist is far away, it is essential that you have a gyn-onc do your surgery. And even if your gyn is great, he or she is NOT trained to do cancer surgery. If there is ANY POSSIBILITY whatsoever that it is cancer, you need to have your surgery done by a gyn-onc.

Good luck!

PA
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
YOU HAVE ONLY ONE CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME......it is imperative you have a gyn/oncologist perform your surgery.  You owe it to your children, husband and yourself to provide the best future you can for your family.  I'm sure that picture would include you ...... don't take any more chances than you have to.  I drove 3 hours one way to see the best gyn/onc in this area.......that was nearly 4 1/2 years ago.....I'm sure my kids are glad I did....I know I am!
Hopefully, your biopsies will be benign, but, please err on the side of caution.  
Peace.
dian
Helpful - 0
155056 tn?1333638688
Rachel - as the others have stated, if possible, get an opinion from a GYN/Onc...while the drive to a major city hospital might seem like a lot right now....think of this, if someone does have OvCa, they have a better chance of survival if the surgery is done by a GYN/Oncologist....they have 3 years more education than an OB/GYN, in all of gynocological issues.  Maybe you can even just send copies of the test results for an opinion.

This is all scary and is happening fast, AND chances are it is all benign, you are considered young for this disease, but, it is not impossible....just want to make sure that you have all the info  you need and can go into the surgery armed with it all.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.
Pam
Helpful - 0
888988 tn?1241304941
Glad to hear you are in your 4 yr anniversary.  Are you in remission now?  I appreciate everyone's kind words.  To be honest, I haven't even thought of going to Atlanta or Birmingham.  This has all happened so fast and as grateful as I am to be so needed at work (rare with the economy these days) it does present a problem when I need time off to go to the doctor.  My husband was injured on the job and had 3rd degree burns on both arms and left leg in June and I had to take time off to make trips to Austell where he had 2 skin grafts done.  We had to go every Thursday and he just went back to work last week.  It has just been one thing on top of the other.  Good news though, (this will sound nuts)  I just found out that my at home sleep study was positive for sleep apnea and I need to have a full study done.  It I do have sleep apnea, this would explain the fatigue and not necessarily mean cancer!  I doubt anyone has ever been so excited to have to sleep with a mask on but I'd rather do that than try to endure chemo and take care of 2 kids--plus, I need my income!  I hope everyone here is doing well and I will pray for all of you!


Rachel
Helpful - 0
107366 tn?1305680375
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi.  I just wanted to reiterate shewrite's good wishes to you.  There are several ladies here who were diagnosed under 30.  It is not the norm, however, so the odds are in your favor.  I was 35 when diagnosed....not quite under 30, but still younger than most.  I just celebrated my 4 year anniversary of diagnosis on Saturday, by the way.  Although not all cases are like mine, it is possible to go through it and make it several years.  I'm not planning on going anywhere anytime soon!  I see you are in Rome, GA (I spend lots of time in Chattanooga for work - and will be traveling there tomorrow, in fact.  So I'm very familiar with where Rome is located).  I'm wondering if maybe you would consider going to Atlanta or Birmingham for further treatment if your GYN is suspicious it might be malignant.  I know it isn't always convenient to go that far, and it means a lot to have a doctor you like.  But larger cities tend to have more intensive treatment options and GYN/ONCs.  

At any rate, this is all putting the cart before the horse.  I am keeping my fingers crossed this is something benign and no further treatment will be required.  Do keep in touch.  I know the waiting game is probably the worst part about it.  So come here any time to vent or ask questions.  We'll be happy to wait with you.

Gail
Helpful - 0
888988 tn?1241304941
Thanks for the good wishes...unfortunately there is no gyn/onc in my area.  I have a wonderful gyn that I fully trust, I just don't like this waiting game.  I am not looking forward to having this surgery as it will put me out of work for a few weeks and I don't like being put to sleep.  I think my gyn is waiting for my labs to come back to decide if an oncologist will be in the surgery with her or on stand by.  I will let you all know as soon as I know!

Thanks!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
We all hope it's benign.  Regardless of your age.  But yes, women of all ages, even teenagers, can have ovca.  

The women of this forum are in agreement that you need to be in the hands of a gynecologic oncologist.  They have additional training, and work with people who do not have cancer as well as those who do.  They're more likely to be able to diagnose by seeing the problem, although of course they want biopsies to make the final call.  You want things handled properly from the beginning, and the gyn/onc provides some assurance on that score.  

Best of luck to you.  Please keep us informed.
Helpful - 0
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