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Can anyone tell me how long from first sign of symptoms until diagnosis it takes to find out that you have ovca?? My symptoms have been going on for about 1.5 years. Is that a long time?? I am going to the gyn/oncologist next month thanks to everyone's advice here.
BTW, about to try Altrum for pain, is anyone familiar with that?? I wish they would stop putting me on pain meds and take this seriously instead. Ugghhhh...
Thanks again!!
Exercise Cancer Appendicitis Surgery Arthritis Advil Back pain Ibuprofen Pregnancy Physical therapy Breast cancer Ovarian cancer Constipation Menopause Pain Heart attack Endometriosis Chiropractic Diarrhea
At the end of January 07, I had a pelvic sonogram. I was monitoring my ovaries since I had breast cancer in 04. Everything was fine.
In April 07 I started having urinary infections. Bad ones. I kept telling my mother - I just didn't feel right. Then, I was having trouble going to the bathroom. Again.....it just didn't feel right. Felt thick in the waste. In July, 07 doctor finally scheduled ct scan. Was I shocked.....filled with tumors, ascites, ..... they didn't know if I was in Stage IV breast cancer or if it was ovca. Turned out to be ovca stage IIIc.
Mary Ann
Are you in remission? How are you doing? I am so sacred my daughter is just 20 and may have the same thing.
So you think that it's not endo? It is very specifically my ovaries hurting. They said it can be caused by the oavries trying to flax and move and the endo tissue not allowing that to happen.
Hi Blderluck,
I cannot imagine how the pain would NOT be related to OVCA. Both of us had it, and both of us were later diagnosed. And since the pain came from where an ovary is located, what would be the odds of that happening just out of the blue?
I had my first sign on a Saturday, which was pain in my left ovary for about an hour. It hurt quite a bit and I vomited as well. I took ibuprofen and it went away. On the next Monday I had my pap smear and told my gyn about the pain episode. He thought it might be from my fibroid, but he told me to schedule an ultrasound to check out the fibroid and ovaries. He said my ovaries felt fine.
On that Wednesday, the pain returned, even worse, and continued, with repeated vomiting. I went to the ER and the pain continued until emergency surgery 11 hours later. The pain was caused by a left ovarian torsion (twist), so that the blood supply was cut off, and the ovary swelled up to 8 cm. They found cancer on both ovaries, but I don't know what size.
I had absolutely no signs before this. My cycles were perfectly normal and my ovaries were always sensitive around ovulation. So my total duration of any signs-5 days. I was stage 1c.
I think the problem is that we dismiss those little indicators that are telling us that something is happening to our body. We make excuses about the minor changes we are feeling in our bodies until the aches and pains are so bad that we go to the dr. If I had gone to the doctor when I first started feeling heavier, or when I noticed that my energy level had dropped, perhaps they might have caught it in its earlier stages. But, would the dr have immediately tested for ovarian cancer based on the inital quiet symptoms? It seems until the symptoms are really severe, doctors are not going to push for ultrasounds etc. Its a shame.
3h,
I had that same searing pain for about 90 minutes that you wrote about. I was at a conference and had to drive back to the hotel room to lay down. On the way to the hotel, I told myself that I was going to dial 911 if this lasted much longer. I got to the hotel, took and advil, laid down and slept, and woke an hour later with no pain, and it never came back again. The only other symptom I had was needing to pee when I was out running. I didn't get into the doctor until about 6 weeks after the pain episode. I've mentioned the pain to both my oncologist and my gyn/onc and they didn't think it was related!! I still wonder what that was!
I noticed symptoms for three months.
My gyno felt something (turned out to be a tumor)on my first visit after the symptoms. It took him two months to figure it out since he was trying to rule out other things.
I was ALWAYS health conscience, in shape, new my body, and visited my gyno yearly or whenever I thought I had a problem. I was especially vigilant since my mother died from ovca. When mine was discovered it was already stage III.
Waiting 1.5 years is too long.
I was feeling discomfort in my lower pelvic area-left side for about 3months before I saw a doctor. The pain got worse-not better, so I made an appointment to be seen. I had a routine exam that showed nothing, so he ordered an ultrasound for the next day. That night they had me in for a CT scan. The next week I saw an ob/onc doc. and I had surgery a week and a half later- it went pretty quickly.
Do not let them tell you that you are too young. I was 23 when I was diagnosed as having a Germ Cell Tumor in my left ovary. Malignant Cancer. I had severe back pain, nausea, was urinating like crazy, then after 3 months of no menstrual cycle, I knew that something was wrong. I went to the hospital and they did a pelvic exam, I then went to a gynecologist who after doing a ultrasound and ordering a CA 125 blood test confirmed that I had a tumor, my ovary was the size of a good size pineapple. So I would go to the doc as soon as possible. Its nothing to play with.
Hello,
I had been really sick with recurrent sinus infections beginning in November 2006 -- as soon as I was off antibiotics, it would come back. I had never experienced anything like it before and ended up having Sinus Surgery in April 2007...not fun!
In March 2007 I went in for my annual exam and the OB noted that my left Ovary felt enlarged. She asked me if I had any pain -- I did not so I told no and that was that.
What I did not realize at the time was that I had many of the classic symptoms -- gassy, constipation, tired, and I had lost 18lbs. without trying. She did not ask if I had any of the other symptoms and I did not know enough to volunteer any of this information -- I just thought it was part of being a girl and getting old.
Well...fast forward to July 2007 -- I was pregnant and had switched OB's and was having an ultrasound when the tech noted that I had a mass on my left Ovary. We monitored it for several months and then opted to do surgery in September 2007 -- she was worried it would contort or burst.
Well...I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer on September 10, 2007 -- roughly 6 months after my first OB noticed the Ovary was enlarged. We were not able to stage the Cancer officially because of my pregnancy but we know that based on the size (the size of a canteloup), the fact that it was grade 3 and had moved to the fallopian tube, we know it was at least Stage 2 (if not more...I am good with 2).
I honestly think the tumor had been there for some time. I had never been as sick as I was the Fall of 2006 and Spring of 2007 and I think my body was having a difficult time fighting the Cancer and all the Sinus issues.
Jill
Looking back I realize I had some symptoms on and off for about a year. Post menopausal bleeding sent me to my gyn who sent me for an immediate sonogram (bless her heart) which led to an MRI.
Diagnosed with APST, stage 1c. TAH/BSO done in January. No chemo. I consider myself blessed.
Like others have advised you, get an answer ASAP. I have a friend whose gyn gives all her patients transvaginal sonograms every year. She says it's her way of fighting back against OVC.
My symptoms were so quiet that I dismissed them for quite awhile. I felt "off" for probably 4-6 months, bloating, tired, full feeling, but that also coincided with menopause so I associated my body changes with that. I was uncomfortable for a few months and then whammo I was horribly ill. I was diagnosed with stage IIIC so it had been progressing for sometime without me knowing it. It's true that ovca whispers....you really have to listen. Sadly as in my case by the time I started experiencing problems it had already progressed.
I had a complete physical including a pelvic exam in July 2007 because my family practitioner was retiring, and then my first colonoscopy in early September. Everything was fine. Then on September 29th, I had a searing pain in my lower right pelvic area that lasted for 75 minutes, and I felt a little wobbly and nauseous. I googled appendicitis and then called my brother who is a doctor. He said it didn't sound like appendicitis and mentioned that the location was where my right ovary was, and it could be a torqued cyst. About 3 weeks later, I noticed my abdomen growing and was gassy, so I called my brother again and he told me to have a CT scan. And that was it. I had a tumor that was bigger than 7 inches, and surgery showed I was Stage 3C, and yet nothing had been felt during my pelvic exam in July. I had no other symptoms. No fatigue, NOTHING.
Like all the others post here wasn't diagnosed right away it was probably 5 months and when I think back further I had some signs but didn't seek a doctor about them. I think if your doctor isn't requesting the right tests for you then seek out another doctor. I wish you all the best. I have been on chem now three years and we have finally found a combination of two drugs that have my CA125 lower from 2100 to 127 Yippe
Kathy
GEt yourself to a gynocologic oncologist through any means you have to use as soon as possible. That's my two cents.
I had symptoms for only ONE month before being diagnosed, have surgery, and finding out that I had the worst, most aggressive form of ovarian cancer, and that it was already stage 3C. I started chemo three weeks later.
I'm not trying to make you panic, but you do need to find out ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had gas,,embarassing for one year. It was so bad that my daughters teased me that I was qualified for disability. I am not kidding,,it was so extreme.
My waist got big. I wore size 12 pants for years and by the time of diagnosis I had 12 pants but only 18's would button. I thought it was old age.
I think I was sick for longer than a year,,I swear about two years. ANd it was all so vague,,kept trying to lose weight but couldn't exercise, poor tolerance for walking.
ANyway got acute abdominal pain, went to get ct scan as thought I was rupturing colon or something,,cancer, stage 3 c,,the radiologist informed me,,
I had pain in my right shoulder for 6 months that responded to chiropractic and physical therapy, but kept recurring. Developed abdominal pain and bloating right after a normal colonoscopy and thought it was due to the procedure. My cancer wasn't found for another 4 months. Kept having low back pain though. Never had the "typical" signs and symptoms until about 2 weeks before diagnosis.
I had no real symptoms. In Nov 2004 I thought I was having a heart attack. Went to the ER and they said it was gastroentestinal. Had meds for one month and it went away. A year later I had a slight pain on the left side of my back. Had xray and told nothing was wrong. April 2006 had 30 hot flashes a day. Saw an article about CA125 and asked the doctor for one because the article said to. My CA125 was 128 and got referred to gyn. Had transvaginal ultrasound and was operated on June 2006. Stage IIIC.
It is impossible for me to say, as my symptoms really snuck up on me. The one and only definitive one that sent me to my doctor was post menopausal bleeding. And I am so thankful for that, because I likely would not have gone to the doctor until it was too late.
I saw my primary care physician's nurse practitioner on October 16, 2007, and on November 26 was in surgery. It would have been sooner if I had not been determined to take an already planned and anticipated Thanksgiving trip.
I consider myself fortunate in the timing of it all.
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