familyman06

Familyman 06 - so sorry to read about your wife. Please be good to yourself. Sometimes I think it is harder to be the caregiver. I have been both. My mom had cancer three times. I thought I really understood but once I became the patient I realized I did not. It was not for a lack of trying but until you leave through it you cannot guess how you will react. My mom always said she would do surgery but never chemo and radiation. That was hard to accept but it was her body so I learned to just support her but th hurt. Then I had surgery. Okay. Survived. First surgery in my life but I did it. Chemo was another story. I was sick from the moment the first ounce it my system. I am now about seven months out from my last treatment I I am still suffering side effects. I had severe nerve damage to my hands and feet. Even had to be in a wheelchair for six weeks. My hands are almost normal. Feet not so much. Going to start acupuncture next week to see if it helps. I was only able to tolerate four treatments before we had to stop. I was so very sick for 2.5 weeks and just before we would start again I would be well enough to get out of bed. The nerve pain got so bad I cried and screamed for at least six hours daily. I finally told my onc that he would have to hospitalized me if he insisted on continuing. He kept telling me chemo could not cause pain life that. Tried to tell me it was just anxiety. Ugh. Since I could not finish chemo I had to do 25 rounds of radiation. While it was not a walk in the park, it was doable. Diarrhea kept me close to the bathroom and the fatigue was tough, I did it. To be quite honest, I am not sure I could withstand chemo again. At least not taxol anyway, but we are all different. Having a good support system helps. I am sure you are a blessing to your wife. Some days you have to take things one day or one minute at a time. Sending you both warm hugs and good thoughts. This is temporary.

Jane

Hi Steve - Haven't seen any posts from you recently so I'm just checking in to see how things are. Hope all is well.

My last scan was clear and I am currently in the middle of maintenance chemo which is rough. At least it's only every three weeks. My birthday was two days ago and I am just so happy to be here to celebrate the day.

Sending lots of happy thoughts and good wishes to you and your wife.

Diann

familyman06, have you read up on stage II cancer? The prognosis is much better than for later stages. chemo was not easy but it was not a horror for me either? I wanted that cancer out of me and so I looked forward to the surgery.Most important that you have a good gyn oncologist for all of this. The only thing. I know for sure is she will lose her hair on chemo. That was tuff for me at first and I cried in front of the mirror before I had my son in law shave what I had left off. Amazingly when it was all gone I wondered why I waited so long. The good news is that it grows back after chemo. I am a hat person but many choose scarfs and attractive wigs. My husband even shaved his hair off and we had a laugh, he looked really good. Who knew? Concentrate on good days and there are those even with chemo and surgery.Believe that you will celebrate your twenty year anniversary and more because there is every reason you will. It is impossible to have zero stress during this time but I hope both you and your wife do research. Know your enemy. I hope she has an easier time in chemo, mine wasn't nearly as bad as some have voiced,everyone is different.Keep in touch both of you.

Hey just saw you are from Iowa, I am too I have stage two cervical cancer and just going to,begin treatments in Des Moines does your wife have any great advice or do you have any for my husband ?

Good afternoon. How is life in Iowa today? Hope your wife's treatment is progressing and you're both doing well.

Hi Steve,

Just checking in to see how you and your wife are doing. Hope things are easing up on her and the two of you are having a good day today.

Diann

Hi there, Steve. I had a busy day today and wasn't online much but I was thinking of you and your wife. Hope it was a good day for her -- and you.

Hi Steve,

Just checking in to say hello and see how you and your wife are faring today. It's been a rough week for me but I made it through and feel pretty good today. My blood levels are not high enough for chemo on Monday so I will just continue to eat well, rest and build myself back up.

I hope your wife is feeling better. I know once I could predict a pattern in my responses to chemo, it helped me manage the side effects better.

Please know there are lots of of us out here holding you both in our thoughts and prayers and sending good energy to you both.

Hugs,
Diann

Hi familyman06, this is Paul, lynne_I_am's husband. Your wife's treatment options are up to her medical team and her. You can listen to her, help her research things but the final choices are hers and hers alone. You can point out the positive aspects of her treatment, showing her where she has been and where she is now and not let her dwell on just the negative.

Being a care giver is tough but not near as tough as what your wife is going through. This disease is not just physical but mental too. The fear of the unknown, the symptoms, the side effects of chemo, the changes in her appearance. Knowing that people are talking about her when she isn't there. The advice given to her from people who have no clue as to what she is going through.

What you can do is make sure she has the best medical team possible. Make sure she knows you love her and that you will stay with her out of love and not out of duty.

Dear Steve,
This is for your beautiful wife. Please let her know I will be thinking of her while I'm in chemo tomorrow... She's so lucky to have you.

http://quotesnsmiles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/what-lies-within-us-bravery-picture-quote.jpg

No evidence of disease. Don't say cured. Just no sign on CT. We all get up tight when we go for scans or check ups.

First and second chemo rounds I told my daughter just couldn't do this. Oncologist adjusted chemo. No walk in the park but I completed the chemo. Now NED. I'm 73.

Hi familyman06, glad you found this site. I am 67 and was diagnosed months ago with stage IIIC ovarian cancer. It has been quite a ride since then but I am currently in remission. My daughter and my husband found this site for me? My husband has been my rock and I hope you can give your wife strong support also. It is always a shock to be diagnosed with cancer, then you have surgery , chemo and or radiation. Hope your wife will interact on this site also.As much as our loved ones help they are not experiencing what a person with cancer experiences. IShare your journey, ask questions, we are all here for each other. Take care, talk anytime.

Welcome to the WhatNext family. I am an oncology nurse and I amaalways available to answer any questions you may have. There are many here with similar circumstances willing to share their experiences. Best of luck to you, Carm RN.

Hello and welcome, we are glad you found us. Please feel free to join in the conversations. Here is a link to our cancer dx page for your type of cancer. Take a look at it to get you started on some information. You will notice at the bottom of that page 4 of our active users who have had that journey already, you may wish to contact them for their experience and wisdom. Also, I encourage you to go to the questions page now by clicking on the questions tab at the top of the page and post what is the most pressing issue you have right now. This will introduce you to the community and get you started on the help you need right now.

https://www.whatnext.com/conditions/cancer/ovarian-and-fallopian-tube-cancer

There are also subtypes listed on this page to narrow down the type of cancer to match your dx.

Also, if you can take a few minutes and fill in some details of your journey so far, it will help others as they try to answer questions for you, it also helps others as they search through the data base to find someone like themselves. Confirming your email will allow you to receive updates and notices from the site when someone answers your questions or writes on your wall.

Thanks for being with us and let me know if I can help you find any information on the site. After you have an opportunity to look the site over and see what great things there are here, we encourage you to invite your friends, family or anyone you know that may be helped by the connections on WhatNext to join the site also. Just click this link to invite them to join. http://www.whatnext.com/recruit-a-friend

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GregP 3X Survivor
Team WhatNext Community Mgr

Usually same chemo cocktail. I'm NED right now. Diagnosed august2013 with serous uterine stage 2 grade C. No nausea. Bad body pain, take lite morphine. Neuropathy. First week after chemo miserable, gradually better until next chemo 3 weeks later.. Hair started coming out within ten days of first chemo.

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