Hi ladies

I just want to wish you all a Happy and as Healthy a New Year as possible - bring on 2012.

Its good to drop in and see what others are up to - scan and more treatment (fingers crossed!) in January for me.

Best wishes

Sue x

Hello everybody, may I join you and introduce myself?  I opened a new thread on this subject the other day in the "introduce yourself" section, but I really wanted to get onto this site.  I  am 67 yo and live in Essex, UK and have recently been diagnosed as having tumours on both ovaries, plus some areas on the omentum and outer bowel.  However, my hospital MDT  wants to ascertain whether my ovaries are the primary site or secondary to breast ca I had 15 years ago before planning my treatment, so I've just had a biopsy and await results on 22nd Feb.  I found your site about a month ago and was both heartened by all your posts, and at the same time scared - not of the treatment particularly but the outcome.  Some days I feel that I won't get through this, other days I think "No, you won't get me, you (expletive deleted!)"

The last post on your site was 28th Dec, I have been checking, so I hope you are all getting along OK

Best wishes, Hazel. X

John,

Hope Mary is feeling OK, I'll be in the same boat next week!

Love, Hazel. xxx

Hi Hazel and everyone,

Sorry for not being on sooner but Thursday they kept me in as I felt really faint. I had another x-ray and they keep going on about my bowels being full even though I can't stop going. I am  begining to get annoyed with them now as to me going properly 4 times on Thursday is more than enough.

Anyway I had my picc line fitted and I was taken to the investigation ward until they found a bed for me. The next thing they said we are sending you for a scan tomor as we think you may have a blockage in your bowel as well. I eventually got moved to a ward at 6pm after been at the hospital since 10am with no drink of tea until 5pm. I was on a 4 bed ward with lovely ladies 3 of who had ovarian and one breast cancer. I had my chemo start at 3pm Friday, it is a 3 hour bag of chemo and all the other bags are magnesium, calcium, and the normal steroid, anti sickness ect.. That all finished at 6am Saturday. I felt really sick in the night ( something I am not normally )  So I had another anti sickness. I am not sure if it was the chemo or the amount I had drank as I got a terrible thirst on me after the chemo that I couldn't seem to quench.

They let me out yest about 10am and I came home had a drink of tea ( I only drink earl grey so I have to take them wherever I go ) I then decided to have a bath while Tony made me some chicken noodle soup. When I got out of the bath and put my arm up to dry it all water came running down and when I looked the dressing was open at the end so I had to go all the way back to the hosp to get it re done. I got back home at 2. 30 and came to bed and have been here since drifting in and out of sleep and feeling sickly. I take my last 2 steroids at 12 and my last main anti sickness (ondansetron ) and at 11 am in a few mins actually I take my chemo tablet ( ETOPOSIDE ) I take them for 15 days..

So ladies I hope everyone else is ok. I am going to read what John has put and anything else I have missed...

Love to all Hi to Dot and Jackie, Sharon. Tony. xxxxx

Hi Eileen,

my heart went out to you when I read what you had to go through, I can only hope that it will get easier as your body adjusts. It doesn't sound like you had much sleep while you were in hospital, so it is no wonder you are so sleepy now.

I wish I could find something more comforting or helpful to write to you, seems you always go down the hardest route for your treatment, I am thinking back to you ending up in hospital so many times after the other chemo's.

My thoughts are always with you xxxxx

Hi to everyone else, hope you are all ok

Love Dot xxx

Oh, Eileen,

I am SO upset that you've had such an awful few days.  I hope you have a reasonable interval between treatments to rest up, when is the next one?  I have been reading back but can't see if you've mentioned before how long between.

Please take care and have a good rest - I won't write too much this time as I know you need to sleep and get your strength back.

Lots of love meantime, Hazel xxx

Hi Eileen, you poor thing! seems like uve been through the mill this last couple of days

hope you feel better soon BIG HUGS to you love sharon xxxxx

Dear Eileen,

Please do not apologise for not posting, most of the ladies are having a rough time at the moment and understand what you are going through. It's nice that everyone updates us when they feel well enough to do so. Sounds like you have had an awful couple of days, I really do hope that the chemo will work for you this time and that you feel a bit better soon.

Mary felt awful on Friday (day after chemo) but was a lot brighter on Saturday so we went into town for a couple of hours. Mary tried on some dresses (I was unusually tolerant, it was just good to see her feeling better), then we went to a coffee shop and watched the world go by for a little while. Bumped into a couple of sets of friends and had a chat, which was nice. The Marie Curie people were in town collecting and giving out their daffodil pins, so we got one each and I was surprised at how many other people I saw wearing them. I think it's a nice symbol, the start of spring and the hope that everyone will feel a bit better for it soon. I have put my daffodil avatar back up

Today Mary feels a bit light headed, don't know if that is the chemo, the cancer or just overdoing it yesterday. We managed a short trip to the supermarket but she didn't look good so I got her home quickly. Still using the wheat bags, I have ordered a couple more on ebay as I could also do with one for my tense shoulders.

Dot, Hazel, Sharon, and any other ladies reading this, how are you all doing at the moment?

Best wishes,

John

PS - If you want to see my ugly mugshot next to my beautiful Mary on NYE, just click on "JohnMillbrook". It took a little while for the mods to ok the pic LOL

Hello, John,

Love to Mary, hope she's feeling a bit better now.

Love your profile photo!

I am going for "pre-assessment" tomorrow, not quite sure what that entails or how long it will take, any ideas?  Then, all being well, start chemo on Thursday, thank goodness - pains are gradually getting worse now, so hope treatment will start to shrink tumours sooner rather than later!

Love to everybody,

Hazel xxx 

Hi Hazel,

Mary didn't have a pre-assessment this time, but from what I remember from last year you basically have a chat with a nurse who tells you about your treatment and possible side effects. She will also answer any questions you may have. I think they check your height and weight so they can work out the correct dosage for you. Hope all goes well tomorrow and on thurs.

Mary feeling a bit odd today, has taken a couple of anti-sickness tabs and gone to bed, hopefully be brighter tomorrow.

John

Hi John, Mary, what a lovely photo of you both! hope marys feeling better. soon.its been 8 months since

i finished my chemo i to have got to ave a ct scan next tues the 13th of all dates! as my ca125 was up

at my last visit to hospital so im a bit worried as you can well imagine. then i go back on the 29th

to discuss what happens next. take care both sharon xx

Dot, have just noticed you've sneaked your photo on to your messages, and you have hair and look good!  Lucky thing, I'm about to start losing mine for the first time, so have chopped a load off today in preparation and have got the clippers and scarves ready!

Hope you've shaken off the colds and feel better.  Fingers crossed for your blood results on Tues., it is worrying waiting for all these results I know from all my years of breast ca check-ups!

Love, Hazel xxx

Dot, have just noticed you've sneaked your photo on to your messages, and you have hair and look good!  Lucky thing, I'm about to start losing mine for the first time, so have chopped a load off today in preparation and have got the clippers and scarves ready!

Hope you've shaken off the colds and feel better.  Fingers crossed for your blood results on Tues., it is worrying waiting for all these results I know from all my years of breast ca check-ups!

Love, Hazel xxx

Hi Hazel,

I got sidetracked while putting my pic up lol.

I had long hair when I first had my chemo, I decided to have it cropped back before it started to fall into my food lol, I wasn't satisfied with that so I took the scissors and slid it across my scalp to get rid of the rest, I didn't make a very good job of it so when my daughter came over I got her to razor the rest off, I did get follicilitis which was rather uncomfortable, having a velcro head was distracting to say the least hahaha.

My hair was blonde but now it is just grey.........at my age it is to be expected but I am still miffed as I was always saying how lucky I was not having many grey hairs lol.

I will be posting tomorrow when I get back from the hospital.

Hi to everyone..........stay strong (I know it is hard)

Dot xxx

Hi everyone,

Just a quickie as still feeling bad. I should be getting my steroids out of  my system today as took last ones yest. I was awake all night feeling sick and heartburn ( hiatus hernia ) it always gets it. I am telling myself to be strong and positive and only 5 more to go.. I am also taking the chemo tablet everyday as well. Back in clinic Thursday for bloods and to see Dr then overnight stay Friday for chemo again. It is going to be tough but I am trying ????

Dot you look great for your age, and you and Hazel are so young at heart. I love you both you know as you are very similar. John and Mary ? Well what can I say what a beautiful looking couple you are. It is funny how you imagine people look and I thought you were older so got a shock seeing your picture. Mary is a very attractive lady and now I know what she looks like it's easier to get the whole picture when your talking about her...

I have my chemo brain so have forgot who is going where and when ? I think it's you Dot tomor so if it is good luck and we are with you...xxx Hazel I think you are there this week but not sure. I apologise if I am wrong. Sharon hope your good , Jackie my mentor let us know when you get word on what's happening.

Love you all Eileen. xxxxx

Ps John I agree about what you said at the hospital and the kindness we all share, the smiles and yes the tickets we give to others for the car. I call it gods waiting room as we are all just waiting for our name to be called and hopefully take us somewhere pain free. xxxx

Dear Dot,

Well, I reckon a velcro head could be quite handy for keeping wigs or scarves in place - bit drastic though!  I must remember not to shave mine off, just use clippers!

Mostly I want to say good luck for your blood results tomorrow - please, please, please God they'll be OK.

Love Hazel xxx

Hi Dot and Eileen,

Thank you for your nice comments on our photo, we had a really good time on NYE.

Hazel, I hope all went well for you today, let us know how it went.

Question: Have any of you heard of, or had an abdominal tap procedure? It is used to drain excess fluid from the abdomen which causes bloating and discomfort. Mary is getting quite bloated and I was just searching the net to see if I could find anything, and sure enough I found some info here on the cancer research site. I may ask our onc team if it is appropriate for Mary to have this. I would be interested to know what your thoughts or experiences are of this, here is the link:

http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/type/ovarian-cancer/diagnosis/further-tests-for-ovarian-cancer#fluid

The last paragraph is about abdominal tap.

Best wishes,

John

Thanks John, today wasn't too bad, I've gone into more detail in my post to Eileen.

I was due to have an abdo drain last month in prep for a biopsy - CT scan showed fluid obstructing biopsy site.  I was admitted for 3 days - NBM first day for afternoon op. to insert drain, but in the event the doc couldn't find any fluid when he did the ultrasound (he was rather cross as everything was ready to go ahead, had a look at CT himself and said even that showed no fluid, so don't know what radiologist was looking at - makes you wonder, doesn't it?) so was wheeled back to ward to await biopsy couple of days later (more NBM!)

I looked it up beforehand online as well, and found a site with a video of the drain procedure, but can't remember where it was, I'm afraid. As far as I could tell, it was much the same as the biopsy procedure, i.e. swab area with iodine, several anaesthetic injections around proposed entry site, which was the worst bit but bearable, then a small incision to insert the drain.  It's done in conjunction with ultrasound or CT so the doc can judge where the drain is going.  I'm sure there are other ladies who have actually had it done, and Jackie will probably have better info, I expect.

Do bear in mind though that it may not be fluid - I get very bloated but mine is mostly from wind (and other unmentionable stuff) caught up in my partially obstructed bowel - but of course it's worth discussing with Mary's team as you say.

Love to you both, take care,

Hazel xxx

Hazel,

It must seem strange to some to be looking forward to chemo, but I know what you mean. I guess we need to feel that something positive is being done to help.

Thanks for your help re abdo tap, and of course you are right, it may not be fluid. It's easy to misdiagnose using the net, but from your experiences and ours, some of the doctors seem to be getting things wrong too! When Mary was in hospital in Jan with a serious kidney infection, one of the docs told her not to worry, it has nothing to do with the ovarian cancer. How wrong did he turn out to be??!!

Mary will be back on Thurs too for 2nd treatment so will be thinking of you.

Good luck,

John

Thanks, John.

It goes without saying that I shall be thinking of Mary and you on Thursday as well.

Love to you both, Hazel xxx

Dear Eileen,

hope you feel a bit better today, your body is certainly taking a pounding, hopefully it will get easier for you.......hugs

Hi to everyone else, sorry I haven't had time to respond to everyone, but I do hope you are all bearing up.

I got the all clear for another 3 months, yeahhhhhhhhh,   breathing a sigh of relief until June.

Love to all xxxxx

Dot, I second that, yeeeah!  Fantastic news, feel as pleased as if it had been said to me!

Brilliant, well done!

Love Hazel. xxx

Hi Dot,

That's great news! Many of the ladies are having a tough time at the moment so it gives us all hope when we hear good news, enjoy the next three months and hopefully much more

Jackie, thanks for the info on abdo tap, I will discuss it with the onc team also at next clinic.

Eileen, I do hope you're feeling better soon, I am so thankful that you started this thread, I bet you never imagined it would attract so many nice people and be as popular as it is. I know that Jackie was the first to respond to you and has helped you a lot on your journey.

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News: Mary had a call from the hospital bed manager today, and they have arranged for her to have her port fitted on 23rd March, hopefully that will go well and she can avoid a lot of distress from attempted canulas.

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Hi Sue,

Welcome back, so sorry to hear that you're also are back on the journey again. Mary is on Gem/Carbo too but her onc is prescribing both doses spread equally across the 2 weeks (he always has to do things differently) , only good news is you don't lose your hair!  She had her chemo postponed once last time around because of low neutrophils, yes it is a bit frustrating if you're making good progress but they have to put your safety first. I agree that it is good to be among people who understand and can compare notes and support  each other.

Good luck and best wishes to everyone,

John