Fat belly? No. Ovarian Cancer belly (pt 2)

[TwitterQueen1]

The story of my ovarian cancer discovery is here

This is such an important health issue - there's a reason why OC is called the 'silent killer'. I really want more women to be aware of what few symptoms there are (I wasn't).

This is my story. I hope it's a long one.

[eatyourveg]

I have this one on my Xmas list !

[BarchesterFlowers]

V good 😁. We are all at it then!

I am having a new frame made, just like my current one but with a sloping tube (old lady tourer). I need to go to see the frame maker but need to wait until I am sure I can actually manage getting on one 😂.

TQ have you got any cycling exploits planned 😁 ?

[BarchesterFlowers]

I wonder why a nice looking 😁 smile turns into something else on posting?

[TwitterQueen1]

Barchester are you sure you should even be thinking about cycling????
That doesn't sound like a good idea to me... You need to take it easy.!

[BarchesterFlowers]

Well, on a good day TQ I am sure I can do it. If I had a women’s bike I would definitely be having a small go, but I don’t, I will take it anyway and walk my dog if I feel feeble. 😀

Are you feeling a bit better?

[TwitterQueen1]

My onc nurse got very cross today. She was asking if I'd spoken to my GP about my blood pressure, which is always on the high side.. I said yes I had asked for a 24 hour monitor but my doctor told me to go and buy one. Amy was seriously, seriously very unimpressed and has told me to ask again. As a cancer patient I should apparently take no shit from anyone (she didn't say that) and she was horrified at the attitude.

So tomorrow, when I try to find out what my CA125 marker was last week I'm going to ask again.

[BarchesterFlowers]

Like you haven't got enough to deal with TQ.

Who you get seems to be such a lottery, my own surgery always has a first class response (not just this one but every one I have had since leaving London 20 years ago).

Shame to think they aren't all the same.

[eatyourveg]

I was due to get my full staging results next week following a second op - the hospital have just rung asking me to go tomorrow instead. I realise in comparison to a lot of you ladies , my initial staging is nothing and having had no symptoms I have viewed it all as a bit surreal but the phone call has really destablisised me and have to say I am now quite scared.

Will have to take ds2 (asd/ld/mh) with me as his carer is sick and his second carer is not available. DH will drive us and depending on how ds is managing, will either come in with me or wait with ds in the waiting room.

[BarchesterFlowers]

Best of luck eatyourveg, what a shame your DS's carers aren't available for you tomorrow at a time when you all need them.

I imagine it is scary but I am pleased that you have got one night, rather than over the weekend, to worry about it.

I had received my results today, no abnormal cells found, I realise I am very fortunate.

to all.

[eatyourveg]

Oh thats fantastic news Barchester, you must be so pleased
I am trying to think of as many questions as I can for tomorrow and failing miserably.

[WhatWouldLeslieKnopeDo]

Great news Barchester and good luck for tomorrow eatyourveg

Twitter I hope you got your results today

[TwitterQueen1]

eatyourveg will be thinking of you tomorrow and wishing you good news. I'm trying to think of some questions for you but failing. My surgeon put me up to stage 4 because it WAS all over my insides (bowel, liver, diaphragm, lung lining, stomach lining etc) but he said I was better than some stage 3 patients because it's not in my lymph nodes.

Barchester good news about no abnormal cells.

Everyone! I got my CA125 marker result today, and it's 10!!!! down from 587 in March. I'm so happy. I made the mistake of ringing the doctor whilst on a break from a very tedious workshop in the office.

I cried down the phone at her and am trying to hold it together until I'm in bed and can have a proper cry. I'm still on a 3-week maintenance programme until July and I know it will come back at some point and that I'm not going to live a very long life but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. For the first time in over 8 months I'm almost normal and can tell myself that I'm NED if not cancer-free.

I think I'm going to plan a few days away lying in the sun somewhere, just doing nothing.

[Itscurtainsforyou]

That is brilliant! Amazing news
You should definitely treat yourself somehow if you can to mark it - cheap sun holiday once half term is over?

[BarchesterFlowers]

TQ, that is fantastic news. You deserve a holiday after your year.

Your DD's will be so happy to hear your news, I hope you are all managing to get together soon. , 🍾

[AuntyElle]

What wonderful news TQ.
The resilience you've shown on these threads is quite amazing.

[TheOneWithThePurpleWrapper]

TQ, here's to a lovely few days away.

[eatyourveg]

NED for uterus, cervix and omentum but washings came back positive so its a case of wait and see - CT scan and CA125 in 6 months or before if symptoms appear then repeated every 6 months for 3 years and then re-evaluate.
Not sure how I feel, on the one hand I am pleased but on the other hand knowing that there could be dodgy ovarian cells floating around and the oncologist can't tell me exactly where they are until they start misbehaving a bit more, is a bit frustrating

[AuntyElle]

eatyourveg, that must be difficult to take in.

[TwitterQueen1]

Thanks all! Yes, definitely cheap sun after half-term. Am scouring the web but not having much luck so far. I just want to lie on a sunbed for a few days and do nothing apart from decide what to eat and what to read....

[Itscurtainsforyou]

Some have 2 weeks off at half term, so may be worth looking for the week after - how about the canaries?

[Squeee]

Wow 10!! That is fantastic. I am a little late to things as being new here. I agree so much more awareness needs to be out there about ovarian cancer...I didn't even know the symptoms. If I had, I would have got it treated sooner. I had been unwell since 2009...and collapsed in 2011 after moving house...finally found 2 lumps in my abdomen..after surgery they found it had spread to my bowel and spots all over abdomen..so it was stage 3b...another surgery and chemo later finally in remission. But I'm not complacent, every day is a Brucie bonus..really needs to be awareness of this disease, so many aren't aware of the symptoms, even hospitals a and e staff, they were asking me how it got discovered and what my symptoms were.

[TwitterQueen1]

eat good news for you but I absolutely get the frustration and uncertainty. I don't know about 'washes'.. I assume this means the fluid swishing around your stomach contains cancerous cells? At least they will keep a close eye on you.

Squee so happy to hear you've been in remission for years. Long may it continue. I'm going to hold on to your Brucie Bonus attitude .

curtains yes, the Canaries are favourite at the mo, though I may decide I CBA and stick to the UK. I'm permanently knackered and not sure I want to cope with airport hassle

Thyme yes to lack of confidence. I ran out of oomph yesterday in M&S and had to sit for 10 mins or so. That wasn't because of the op in this instance though, just nearly-end-of-cycle-six exhaustion.

[Thymeout]

Twitter - I'm so sorry. I was trying to send a p.m. to EYV - she'd been in touch before - and I don't know what went wrong, but I reported my post as soon as it came up on the thread. Don't know why it wasn't deleted. Just what you don't need when you've had such brilliant Ca125 results - lower than mine. Apologies to everyone else on the thread, too.

Yes - I actually complained to M&S about the lack of chairs in my store. The assistant said they'd actually removed some to make more space for display.

[TwitterQueen1]

Thyme No apology necessary on my side! I thought you'd got confused with the Lacies thread. (Blimey, what's this preview thing...)

I'm not sensitive ref the staging, there's some uncertainty around me as I'm sure there is for others.