My Diagnosis Story

What symptoms led up to your diagnosis?

The symptoms that led to my DX really, at first, weren’t that annoying, but still I knew something wasn’t quite right. I felt like I was pregnant, however years before I’d had a hysterectomy, I knew that couldn’t be! Things like I ALWAYS had to pee, slight nagging lower back pain, felt full a lot of the time without indulging in a pint of my favorite ice cream, and then I was gaining weight without eating much....what the heck? It wasn’t to long after this that my belly started looking like I really had a baby bump. Off to the doctor I went...

What tests did your doctor do, and what was this experience like?

When I went to my regular doctor, he did a pelvic exam. He asked me lots of questions about when I first started noticing symptoms and putting on weight. Told him it sucked not wearing my favorite tight jeans since I looked bloated. He didn’t say much other than the bloating was concerning and he’d order some further tests. That day I had a CA125 blood screen and scheduled CT scan. The blood test was no big deal, in fact, my cancer never showed up in this screening. However, the CT scan showed evidence of a large tumor right away. I, of course, was concerned. Since this tumor was attached to an ovary, I was referred to a gynecological oncologist. To not keep me anxiously waiting too long, this appointment was made within two days. The first thing this specialist told me was not every one she sees in her practice has cancer. Because my tumor was not yet showing up in the blood scan, although we had cause for concern, it may or may not be cancer. The best course of action is to have this  “baby” surgically removed ASAP. At that time specimens would be sent to pathology for study and results. Because this doctor took time to explain upcoming surgery steps, and reassured me that she'd be pushing my results from the lab thru fast, I felt comfortable with the future.

Upon learning your about diagnosis- what happened next?

Less than 18 hours after surgery, my doctor visited my hospital room. She was direct and told me straight out, “you have clear cell ovarian cancer. We removed a large tumor along with omentum, appendix and did what we term debulking.“ She explained that I would need to heal from this surgery, then get a chest port implanted for six treatments of carboplatin and taxol. I would follow up with her in her office to get all my questions answered about fighting this cancer. At that time I’d learn about my cancer stage and prognosis. Yes, I cried a bit, prayed a lot, got information online and from friends, and then did what it takes to shut down this ugly disease. I learned I am not alone in my cancer journey, the medical community and my own home community are behind me. As of writing this, I’ve been declared NED(no evidence of disease) for six weeks.