I know how important it is for all of us, when we're struggling, to hear some good news. I was diagnosed with stage 3(c) ova cancer in Nov. 2006. I finished 6 intensive rounds of chemo in April 2007. I have now made it to the second anniversary of my diagnosis without a reoccurrence which means the chances of a reoccurrence decline immensely. My doctor says I'm NED - no evidence of disease. My CA-125 started climging over the last summer, (still within the normal range), but then the last 2 times, it declined.
I don't know if it's the curcumin, the astragalus, the Moducare, the increased vegetables and exercise and sleep I take religiously. Or if I'm just lucky. But I wanted all of you to know it's possible. I'm aware that everything can change at any time, but I'm so enjoying life fulling now. My doctor talked about taking out my IP and IV ports in the spring if my CA-125 stays low, but right now I want to keep them as a security blanket.
Jan
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21 replies
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- By FavoriteAunt
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 9:41 am
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Congratulations! You are very lucky and I hope it continues. But, be sure to be vigilant and not get complacent. I am IIIC and had a wonderful and unexpected 6 year remission before I got my first recurrence. The odds for recurrence go down the longer the remission, but it can still happen. I'm now in my second recurrence and being treated again.
Enjoy these good days and I wish you a year of happiness and continued good health.
- By momanderson920
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 10:02 am
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Please share where you get the curcurmen and other things you mentioned and what are they. I am very interested in this sort of thing to keep the cancer from recurring.
- By JanJ
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 10:03 am
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Wow! Six years! That sounds incredible! It must have been awful to get that reoccurrence. Did you continue to get your CA-125 blood test, and if so, how often?
- By momanderson920
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 10:05 am
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Congratulations on your wonderful news! Whatever you are doing, keep doing it.
- By JanJ
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 10:15 am
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I buy Curcumin (turmeric) 500 mg by Doctors Best, and astragalus extract 500 mg by NOW, plus my Moducare (for the immune system) and alpha lipoic acid (for the strange feelings I'd get in my feet because of chemo) from www.betterhealthinternational.com
I can't say for sure that these things have made the difference, but they certainly haven't hurt. And I checked them with the chemo department's dietician. Oh, I also take JuicePlus everyday. I know that some people say it's best to get all your fruits and veggies from the real thing, but I take those to make sure I get enough!
- By abbaschild
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 10:30 am
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You go, girl! This is what we are all hoping for! Way to go! Keep doing what works for you!
- By FavoriteAunt
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 11:08 am
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Yes, I always got my checkups regularly. When I hit the 5-yr. mark, we started doing them every 6 months, the longest I ever went. I'm glad I never went longer because the first recurrence was a shock since I had no symptoms at all - just an elevated CA-125. For this current recurrence, which happened just 10 months after completing chemo, I did have some symptoms.
My doctors told me they never expected me to go that long before a recurrence, so I was truly blessed. I kind of t hought I had it beat, but I guess not. That's why you need to go to the doctor with every little thing that does not seem right.
- By zircons
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 12:36 pm
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I know how you feel. I was diagnosed June 2006 with IIIC. So far so good. In October my CA125 went up to 33 and in November it was 30. The doctors wanted me to visit them every 6 months, but I like every 3 months. I still have my IV port and do not want it removed. It is a security blanket. I go again in March.
- By youngmom
- Posted January 6, 2009 at 6:38 pm
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Congratulations are your 2 year anniversary ! I love reading good news postings on here.
- By MAG
- Posted January 7, 2009 at 3:01 pm
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I am so happy for you! What wonderful news to share with us. It is inspiring to hear it.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary ann
- By verlinda
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 1:11 am
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Thanks for brightening our day! May your remission be permanent!
Blessings.
- By kla
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 2:11 pm
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I am truly confused. Please help.I was also been diagnosed with 3c . My Dr. has never said anything to me about chances going down the longer you go without recurrence.I have had no sign for over 2years , but other complications that led to other surgeries.In fact when asked he said that I could expect recurrence any time to five years.
Is there a diff I am missing or is he a pessimist.Have never thought of him as anything but realist.
- By JanJ
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 3:44 pm
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I think he's probably right, but on the pessimistic side. Certainly there's a chance of reoccurrence after 2 years, and after 5 years, but I keep hearing that the longer one goes without a reoccurrence, the better. Look, just going awhile between chemo treatments has to be healthier! But there is no cure for this disease which means that it can reoccur.
I try to balance realism and optimisim. Everyone says a good attitude is very important to surviving this disease!
- By youngmom
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 6:12 pm
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I was told that the longer you are in remission, the better chance you have of being cured ( which does make sense ! ). I have also read that the majority of advanced ovarian cancer survivors recur within 18 to 24 months of diagnosis. And although they consider you "cured" if you make it to 5 years without a recurrence, a recurrence can still happen, but you are less likely to recur than someone who is only 1 year out from diagnosis.
- By Jennali
- Posted January 8, 2009 at 6:52 pm
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All true, but it's still a crap shoot. Ovca can recur right away, a long time after or never. My odds were supposedly greatly raised by successfully undergoing IP therapy. Guess who is undergoing treatment for a recurrence only 7-8 months post chemo. OTOH, women can go for years. My maternal aunt had ovca and a relatively quick recurrence. That was 25 years ago and she is still alive with NED.
One factor that can be important is that if you have a recurrence years later, you can (probably) be treated again with the first line chemo of Taxol/platinum. With sooner recurrences, they look for something different.
- By faith50
- Posted January 30, 2009 at 3:15 pm
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Great to hear how well you're doing. I'm curious about what your ca 125 range is and how much of increase you had before it decreased. Everyone's # seem to be so different.
- By JanJ
- Posted January 30, 2009 at 3:21 pm
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My CA-125 went from 9.2 last June (with the lowest about 6, the previous September), to 12, then 15, then up to 19.1, before it droppe back to 12.4 and then 11.7. I get another blood test this coming Monday. It seems I get nervous before every blood test, even if I'm not conscious of it. I guess that's to be expected.
- By Gabriele
- Posted January 31, 2009 at 7:14 pm
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Good news from me, too:
I went skiing for the first time post chemo! Under a clear blue Colorado sky, it was wonderful to be alive. I felt victorious.
The ski area management was kind enough to transfer my season pass from last year, when I didn't have a chance to ski but twice before I was diagnosed in Feb 08, at a stage 1c. How nice is that?
Last chemo was July 14, 08, like momanderson's :) . My formerly stick-straight brown hair is now curly and salt-and-pepper colored, a whopping 3.5 inches. The picture was taken on Thanksgiving.
CA-125 is at 10, CT scan showed NOTHING. I feel fabulous. Wanted to share my happiness with you nice ladies since you helped me get through this.
...and don't forget: TEAL TUESDAY, 'TEAL' we find a cure.
- By faith50
- Posted February 3, 2009 at 2:42 pm
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JanJ, Thanks for your reply. It has given me some peace that maybe my # will go back down as well. I'm still under 10 but since last chemo treatment 11/07 # has gone up a couple of points each 3 months. So we don't know what my baseline is.
- By JanJ
- Posted February 3, 2009 at 2:47 pm
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One thing I've learned is that the CA-125 doesn't stay static. My lowest was 6.4, about 5 months after my last chemo. It's double that now (or at least until I get my results from yesterday), but I'm comfortable with that because it didn't double all at once, and it's still in the acceptable range. I'll really start getting nervous if it doubles from one test to another. Try to stay cool. It sounds like your numbers are excellent!
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