Step-on-me vs. Ovarian Cancer

People often ask me what symptoms I had prior to my diagnosis.  Looking back, I had several symptoms that I wrote off as “normal” for a twenty-nine-year-old woman who was trying to get pregnant.  These included a "pooch" in my lower abdomen, fatigue, frequent potty breaks, abdominal cramping (I had recently stopped taking birth control), and late periods (when this happened, it made me hopeful that I was pregnant). I was hesitant to visit the doctor sooner because I had heard that most doctors want you to try for one year before they take any measures to help you get pregnant.  Even though my symptoms were noticeable, I could reason them all away, and I told myself to wait 4, 3, 2 months until my next annual appointment in October. Fast forward to today, and a complete hysterectomy later, a biological child is not an option for Greg and me.  However, we both still desperately want to become parents.  We've done a lot of research and found that "traditional adopt

Chemo does not discriminate - it attacks cancer cells the same way it attacks good cells in your body.  The result of this indiscriminate attack is that you lose your hair, you get tired, you become weaker.  Chemo wears your body out and my body is not as strong as it used to be. In addition to recovering from chemo, I am recovering from multiple surgeries and procedures.  The two nephrostomy tubes and the pelvic drains (one which went right through my butt cheek) made moving around uncomfortable at best.  My daily physical activity went from constantly running around to avoiding movement as much as possible.  Climbing our set of stairs was leaving me winded. This is where the Livestong Foundation has been immensely helpful.  I joined the program at my local YMCA and I can already tell an enormous difference in my energy level, strength, and stamina.  If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with cancer I cannot recommend this program enough.  Not only has it helped me physica

Greg and I received an excellent report from the doctor last week, my scans were clear and my CA125 (the tumor marker they check in my blood work) was great, less than 5! At this point I am officially considered NED, No Evidence of Disease!  My appointment went a little longer than expected though because my Magnesium was still too low from my previous chemo treatment.  I ended up getting IV Magnesium for an hour before we could go home. My doctor has decided to put me on an enzyme inhibitor that will help prevent any estrogen that may be left after the hysterectomy.  Estrogen is dangerous to me now because it is what "feeds" ovarian cancer.  This is a precautionary measure because there is no way to be sure that the chemo eliminated 100% of the cancer cells and we don't want any cancer food floating around in my body.  Goodbye Estrogen, Hello Menopause!   Unfortunately, ovarian cancer has a high rate of re-occurrence and most often re-occurs within the first two year