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Guidelines for Survival
We learned the following lessons at a hideous price — the slow consumption of a loved one's body over a period of almost two years.
Do not discount any bodily signal that something may be wrong, no matter how innocuous it may seem to be. It is OK to be a little paranoid especially when the person feeling apprehensive is you. After all, you are going to be the ultimate victim if something is developing that should not be — not your family, not your doctor — NO ONE but YOU. And make no mistake. Advanced stage ovarian cancel will likely take your life away. If you have something going on with your body that is causing you a feeling that all is not well, take the chance that it really is happening, not the opposite. Even if it turns out not to be cancer, won't you feel relief when you find out for sure what it really is? Cancers do not grow at a fixed speed. Some grow slowly, some grow quickly. If things don't seem right with your body, do not just hope that "this too will pass." It may pass, but the outcome may not be what you want. For safety's sake, think of any persistent feeling of discomfort or pain in your body, especially in the lower abdomen, as a possible threat to your life. If any abdominal symptom persists for longer than two weeks, to be on the safe side regard it as likely very serious and urgent. Do not accept delays in getting a doctor's appointment, examinations, referrals, and diagnosis. Days may not be critically important, but weeks might be, and months must be considered as unacceptably dangerous delays. While others may appear to be casual about your case, including nurses and doctors, you should not be. After all, they are not the persons who may be dying, but you might be." If your OB/GYN does not give you a unambiguous answer regarding what is ailing you, then ask for a referral. It may be that the OBGYN does not know the answer. If gynecological symptoms persist for longer than two weeks without a completely positive and logical diagnosis from your doctor, ask for a referral to a specialist. In the case of ovarian cancer, the specialist should be a gynecological oncologist ("GO") — not just a gynecologist and not just an oncologist alone. Even with a GO, if you are not getting the answers that satisfy you, keep insisting on additional referrals until you get an answer you can live with. In this case, the use of the phrase "live with" is the key operator. You already know the alternative. Unfortunately, a positive single test for ovarian cancer has not yet been finalized. But researchers are working on it, and like other medical problems (polio, smallpox, malaria, etc.) the right answers will eventually prevail. For the present, specialists use a combination of examination techniques — blood test analysis, physical contact skilled hands, and imaging (x-ray, sonic, and magnetic) have been the primary techniques of diagnosis. As a more invasive approach to identification, one might consider a biopsy or exploratory surgery. It is possible that at the time of the exploratory surgery, if a positive indication of ovarian cancer is found, the surgical procedure might be continued on to removal of the tumors and the ovaries. Looking back at our case, I would not have opposed exploratory surgery after all other tests were exhausted without finding the answer. If a woman is past childbearing age, removal of the ovaries might not be such a calamity. Not having ovaries may mean also not having ovarian cancer. If you find a GO that you are comfortable with, you might wish to stay with that person for the treatment because of their intimate familiarity with your condition.
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