Q & A

Over the years , I have answered many questions about ovarian cancer or just plain cancer . Almost all of them have been from women . 

1. How did you know you had cancer ? 
    This is the most asked question by women . I think because it's a woman type cancer . This cancer is called  a silent cancer , because there really aren't any symptoms . By the time it is caught , it's usually a stage three and a tumor . 
   So to answer the question , I actually felt my tumor inside my belly , but I had no idea that it was a tumor . I thought it was some kind of bacterial thing that could be taken cared of without any problem . My tumor weighed in at seven pounds ! 
   On my very first visit to the doctor , they immediately became alerted , while I like a dummy  , couldn't understand why .

2. Didn't you have regular pap smears  ?  Or doctor visits ?
   Ovarian cancer is not found during a pap exam . If for some reason it is caught early , it might have been by accident during a scan or ultrasound for something else or through blood work . 

3. If you had a hysterectomy , why does your cancer keep coming back ? Didn't they get everything ?
  My cancer is a re-occurring cancer . I may  have had my uterus and  ovaries taken out , but a cell can be left over and attach itself to lining . Mine is always in the same spot. Chemotherapy basically shrinks it down to a tiny , tiny speck until it starts to grow again . 

4. Why don't you just have surgery and take it out ?
   When I'm in remission , I am tested every three months with blood work and pet-scans . When it starts to grow , it only grows in centimeters . You have to remember that we all may have the same type of cancer , but our bodies are very different and our treatments are based on that fact . 
   So yes , we can go in and have surgery and remove it , but do we want to do this every time ? A good oncologist will evaluate your treatment based on how your body has reacted in the past . Mine does not do well with surgery . Remember , ovarian cancer keeps coming back , do I 
really want to expose my body to potentially dangerous infections as in the past ? For me , this would be the last result . 


If there are any questions any one of you may have for me , I will be more than happy to answer. Have a Blessed day everyone .