I’m really struggling with this right now. I was diagnosed with stage 4 primary peritoneal carcinoma, which is treated the same as ovarian cancer, in February 2025. Im 42 years old. (I had my uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes removed as a preventative measure in 2021 after being diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome.) My diagnosis came about after a pleural effusion that was originally thought to be a complication of pneumonia was malignant.

I had 4 rounds of carbo taxol chemo, and cytoreductive/debulking surgery last month. It was horrible. A couple of weeks after the surgery I started having serious shortness of breath and pain and learned that my pleural effusion was back. I also had fluid buildup in my abdomen. I had to go back in the hospital to have my abdomen drained and lung drained twice and it keeps filling back up. I started back on chemo 3 weeks earlier than planned to try to get the PE under control. I see my surgeon tomorrow and a pulmonologist the next day.

I just feel like I am spinning my wheels, like I’ve gone through all of this really difficult and treatment just to end up exactly where I started. I have no hope, no joy, nothing but a line of appointments with painful procedures on the horizon. My oncologist says she thinks she can get me a “decent” quality of life once I complete 3 more rounds of chemo but I don’t believe it. Plus I’m not sure what “decent” even means. I’m just tired of all of this. I’m seriously considering stopping chemo and just going into hospice care. I don’t think I’m cut out to fight this battle.