I Have Symptoms - Now What?

If you have any of the  symptoms that I mentioned in my post of September  3^rd , you should make an appointment to see a physician, preferably your gynecologist. There is NO screening test for ovarian cancer for the general public. But there are a few tests that your doctor may run if he/she suspects you have ovarian cancer.

At your appointment with the gynecologist you may have a pelvic exam. If you are due for a PAP test your gynecologist may do it at this time too. Remember a PAP test is a screening test for cervical cancer.

In addition to the medical tests she may do, you doctor will ask questions about your personal medical history as well as that of your family.  Be sure to mention to your doctor if anyone in your immediate family (aunts /uncles too) has had breast or ovarian cancer or has Lynch syndrome. About 10 % of ovarian cancers are hereditary. (Tomorrow's post will discuss risk factors.)

If your doctor has concerns during the exam she may do for a trans-vaginal ultrasound.  You can find more info about the transvaginal ultrasound here.  She may also ask you to have blood drawn to test the level of  the ovarian cancer tumor antigen, CA-125. ( I'll provide additional information on the CA-125 test in a future post.)

For more information and diagrams of screening methods please visit : http://www.cancer.gov/types/ovarian/patient/ovarian-screening-pdq#section/_12

My Story / Advice:  I recommend going to the doctor with a small notebook and writing down information your doctor has given you. That way you won't forget  important information and appointments. I used a small pocket-size notebook to keep track of information and to write down any questions I had so that I could remember to ask my doctor when I saw her. 

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!

 

Unremarkable Again

On the evening of October 1st I drank my first Readi-cat drink in preparation for the first CT scan in a year . I added some chocolate syrup to the rather thick, chalky drink to make it more palatable. Drinking through a straw helps and using a Minnie mouse glass just makes it a bit fun. I also try to imagine it is a chocolate shake not a barium sulfate drink.

The morning of October 2nd I drove to the radiology facility. The nurse there was great and gently started the IV for contrast. I was done in a short period of time and drove home. Later in the day my gynecologic oncologist's nurse called me to say the scan was clear. But you know I wasn't totally convinced I was a-ok I wouldn't feel that way until I saw my doctor and she did an exam. I was going to have to wait for that to happen though since my appointment wasn't until the 17th.

On Tuesday I went for a port flush and blood draw for the CA-125 test ( the tumor marker test for ovarian cancer). The nurse who did the flush was excellent and after saying hello to one of my favorite nurses I drove home.

Today( Oct 17th) I had my 4 month visit to my gyn-onc at the Rutgers Cancer Center of New Jersey. She did the internal exam, told me my CA-125 result and that my CT scan results were good. Then she asked me when I wanted to see her again. It is nice to finally be a part of the decision.  I'm not quite ready for going 6 months so she said another appointment in 4 months would be fine.

As I left her nurse handed me a copy of the CA-125 results and CT scan report.  I've gotten pretty good a reading those reports. I checked that they found my port in the chest CT, and didn't find my spleen in my abdominal CT.The report show no fluid or lesions. All three scans used the word-  Unremarkable. I like being unremarkable. I feel pretty wonderful.

If only I can get less anxious before scans and doctor visits. That would be remarkable.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!