I am the daughter of Kay, a fierce fighter of Ovarian Cancer. She was in remission from her cancer for five wonderful years before it resurfaced and a few short months later she was gone.
This blog is dedicated to my mom. In the years after my moms passing, I’ve been working in the healthcare environment in marketing, public relations, and patient relations. One of my children has struggled with serious chronic illness since birth, and we spent much of her growing years in one hospital or another. The patient relations field was a natural for me because between my child and my mother’s (as well as my dad, who had cardiac problems) medical experiences and care, I understand. I’ve been in that room looking at the doctor who is giving me bad news, okay’ed procedures I really didn’t understand, argued against urgings to perform procedures that were experimental or I felt weren’t in the best interests of my loved one, and researched and requested other options. I’ve watched the world go on as if nothing had happened, while my world crumbled. I empowered myself with as much knowledge as I could find even before the internet days.
I’d like the site to be a resource. Cancer survivors and their loved ones need information, and positive encouragement along with tools for the present and the future. There are always ups and downs and this blog may be no different. I hope that here you will find a positive resource in your journey to healing. Site plans? Links to the newest women’s cancer news I can find, info on self care, supporting the cancer survivor and their loved ones, as well as how to talk to physicians and asking for the info you need to make informed choices. I may do book or product reviews. There will probably be a little random stuff in there somewhere, tools for keeping track of what’s happening, tools for coping, along with some laughter. I have a personal goal to laugh every day, and I may have a chance here or there to share the joy. If there are issue’s you’d like to see or discuss please leave a comment.
A little about Ovarian Cancer:
According to the National Cancer Institute over 22,430 new cases have been diagnosed so far in 2007. This is such a sobering statistic. This means that in the five short months of the year, thousands of mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, wives, aunts, cousins and friends have been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer. Their whole life has changed in an instant.
The symptoms are so vague. Symptoms list from the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health’s website MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia:
- Sense of pelvic heaviness
- Vague lower abdominal discomfort
- Vaginal bleeding
- Weight gain or loss
- Abnormal menstrual cycles
- Unexplained back pain that worsens over time
- Increased abdominal growth
- Non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms:
- Increased gas
- Indigestion
- Lack of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Inability to ingest usual volumes of food
- Bloating
They also state there may be no symptoms until late in the disease, which was the case with my mom.
Both of these sites are a wealth of info that I encourage you to explore. We may take a closer look here in a bit.
As women, we have a tendency to just keep moving forward even if we don’t feel quite right. No matter how young you are, I urge all women to listen to their body for these vague symptoms.
Insist that your physician listen to them too.
Posted on May 8th, 2007 by Paula
Filed under: Ovarian Cancer
I just recently lost my mother to ovarian cancer, and feel like I lost myself as well. I cant seem to get out of “survival mode”, even the basic functions of life, like grocery shopping, getting out of the house, taking a shower, or the worst of them all, getting out of bed seem unfathable. I dont know how to cope with my loss, and its ruining my life. Its as though I’m fighting my own little vietnam war in my head, complete with horrible flashbacks of the agony she went through. I’ve tried greif counsuling, and all they did was reffer me to a mental health clinic. I’m running out of options to get it together, and dont know what else to do. Do you have any advice?
Elona, I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. I was lucky enough to have young children which forced me to at least get out of bed most days. Occasionally even now I spend a weekend in bed because its so hard to face another day without my mom. The only thing keeping me going some days is the fact that my mom would insist I go on, would insist I survive, would insist I do my best. Sometimes it makes me mad that she would want me to go on, and that keeps me going too. No real advice I’m sorry to say, except to ask you what your mom would want. My bet is she would want you to go on with life. She continues to live through you.