ezmonday

Hi there. Wanted to give you a little info. A great site for any ovarian cancer survivor is ocrahope.org. I have been to two of their annual conferences , before Covid, Nothing lifts a survivor’s spirits like one of these conferences. I highly recommend it . The organization is made up of ovarian cancer survivors , for ovarian cancer survivors. The organization also petitions congress for more research funding to fight this crappy disease as well as raises its own funding for research. Theses are a great group of ladies and the information on the site is insightful and current. Also there are several Sites on Facebook exclusively for ovarian cancer survivors .

Hi ezmonday, your post came up in my e-mails. I am alerted when a member of WhatNext asks a question concerning ovarian cancer. I was genetically tested and I am BRCA negative. They did find a mutated gene in my makeup but at this time , do not know what this specific gene is responsible for. I was diagnosed IIIC in 2013 at age 66,, went into remission March 4th, 2014 after chemo, surgery and more chemo and have been in remission since then. Today, many doctors place their ovarian cancer survivors on a maintenance medication following chemo. This was not widely done in 2013, so have not been on maintenance . All of us are individuals and respond so differently to this disease. I am active on several ovarian cancer sites and from survivor’s posts can tell you that there are many ladies surviving years after diagnosis with later stage ovarian cancer who have had no recurrence and still others who have had a recurrence then become NED with no further recurrences. There is unfortunately too many who never reach NED or have reached it several times only to recur. This is the terrible mystery of cancer. Keep in close contact with your doctor and listen to your body. During the past seven years I have had two false alarms, thinking I had a recurrence but luckily no evidence of disease found. I know that the shadow of this disease always follows you, in differing degrees for all survivors. From the time I was diagnosed I have always looked forward . Two pieces of encouragement that were said to me when I first came to WhatNext, 1. Take things one day at a time, and 2. No one is stamped with an expiration date. Wishing you always better days ahead and here to talk anytime.

Hi ezmonday, welcome to the WhatNext site. I know this is a scary time fir you. I was diagnosed with stage IIIC ovarian cancer in 2013. At first I could not wrap my head around it and became depressed. I was 66 years old. I did some research and found that the most important thing I could do was have a gynecologist oncologist head my medical care. There were no specialists in our town, so we traveled 21/2 hours away for my treatments, including surgery. I really believe that is a good part of why I have survived these seven years. Another important part of adapting to this reality is support. Family and friends are very important of course but I found myself drawn to other survivors and that is when I came to WhatNext. The site is full of cRing people all fighting cancer. Use the question tab to ask any questions, visit our pinboard for uplifting messages and search through our videos and blogs for additional information and personal experiences.
The treatments for this xxx disease are not easy, but they are DOABLE. Even for us older ladies. Anytime you want to talk you can message me on my wall.All my best.

Also wanted to add- a second opinion is never a bad idea.

Welcome to the WhatNext family! The WhatNext family is made up of people like you who are looking for help or looking to help others. To help you along your journey the WhatNext family has put together a Beginner's Guide to Cancer that I highly recommend you check-out here: http://bit.ly/10BQKCi. Also, please do not hesitate to reach out to others or ask for help.

Wishing you the best.

David
Founder, WhatNexter