Just diagnosed with ovarian cancer and starting treatment soon: Help

Barbara, like you OC is my first serious illness. I’ve been through one course of chemotherapy and will soon be starting again for my first recurrence. Like Janelle I found it useful to keep a journal of symptoms/reactions to chemo. It helped me to be open with people and to let myself have the painful emotions when they came instead of listening to the voice in my head telling me I should shut them off. Getting outside everyday and having a good supply of books also helped. Weird as it sounds I actually started to look forward to seeing the staff when I went for treatments. This forum has been so helpful…I hope you keep us up to date on your experience.

@amywells can I ask how long between finishing treatments and recurrence? I'm on my 2nd course of chemo too. I'll have 3rd treatment on Nov 3rd then have a scan. I have 3 more treatments depending on what scan looks like. I'm also HER2+ and getting Herceptin along with chemo and immunotherapy I had first time. 1 active area still so I'm hoping these treatments knock it out. I had stage 3C endometrial cancer. After hysterectomy pathology report said stage 4. Thanks

@carol1024 Not sure if you got my response to your question…I finished chemo in early August 2024 and a recurrence was detected on CT scan in August 2025.
I’ll be starting a new course of chemotherapy in January with the addition of Avastin and possibly another immunotherapy drug as a clinical trial. All this will be finalized over the next couple weeks. I’d love to hear updates from you..

To add to the mix, I tell people to keep a journal of symptoms so you can talk to your oncologist about what happened after each cycle. I had trouble remembering. I also wrote down if my temperature spiked, as well as my weight each day, but that is because of other surgeries.
You have a very steep learning curve ahead of you. Write down questions you want to ask your oncologist. Don’t be afraid to ask them anything.
The treatment will finally end. Look forward to that day. You will return to a new normal eventually. Your support group around you will be important. Make sure you tell them what’s going on. If it’s taxol/carboplatin it always took a week for me to feel better, but days 3/4 were the worst.
As has been mentioned, everyone is different. You will respond in the way that your body is tuned to cope. I have relied on God’s grace for me for over 15 years, with more recurrences of the disease than most other ladies. It has returned yet again, which means more chemotherapy for me too. I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

My ovarian cancer surgery for stage one was done in August 2012. A complete hysterectomy. In December 2024, a new mass was found by CT scan, and surgery was performed January 2025. I was to have 6 chemotherapies. I only did 4. I tried the immunology drug Avastin on my second round of chemo. My blood pressure was 200/80. An ER trip to bring it down. Then 3 or 4 massive bloody noses. More ER visits resulting with my nose packed with something similar to a tampon. Then hospital stay and 3 blood transfusions. My eye doctor said there was a small leak in one of my retinas. The Avastin was terminated after only one dose. Because I had low white and red blood cells, and PET scan came back negative, I only did four sessions of chemo with approval of one oncologist. So I do my second PET scan tomorrow. If something shows up, I’ll start chemo again. No immunotherapy drugs. I thought they were supposed to be the new miracle drug but the side effects were too drastic for me.

Hi, Charlotte. I’m taking both Avastin and Keytruda, along with low dose chemo. Sometimes a day or two of Claritin can knock back some of the inflammation. I was told to take it during chemo for my aches and pains, but the occasional dose also seems to help now.

Hi, Barbara. I was diagnosed with primary peritoneal carcinoma in March 2024. It’s a sister to ovarian cancer and is treated the same way. Take things one day at a time and you will be fine. Right now your job is to get through the chemo in the best way possible. If you are lucky, that will put you into remission for some time. My best advice is as follows. 1. Ice, ice, ice during chemo, as others have suggested. There are many who have discussed this issue regarding many of the gynecological cancers, so you can find guidance there. As they indicated, it will help you to avoid neuropathy, which can be limiting and painful. I used Sussi gloves and booties (several pairs), which I got off Amazon. They have inserts you can freeze. I would put them in their covers and into a cooler, which I brought to chemo. Each lasted 30 to 45 minutes. Some places allow you to use their inserts, but I found it easier to bring my own already assembled. I was diligent with icing and have virtually no neuropathy. Also buy some thin cotton glove and socks (I got the gloves on Amazon and the socks at Publix). When the gloves and booties come out of the freezer, they are almost too cold to put against your skin and that little layer of protection helps. You can take them off as your ice warms. 2. Eat a high quality, plant-based diet with lots of fruit. Everyone reacts differently, but I found that the better I ate, the less nausea I had. Fruits and vegetables just made me feel better. Moreover, the fruit helped with constipation/consistency. If you eat lots of watermelon, pears, canned peaches, and mixed fruits of all kind, you will probably have no need for laxatives. 3). Exercise if you are able. It is good for body and mind. 4) Figure out what to do with your hair, as hair loss can be sudden. I did not want to ice and never found a wig I was willing to wear. Instead, I bought some bandanas with elastic in the back off of ebay, which I could slip on without tying. They were kind of cute and came in a variety of colors. I never shaved off my hair, as I heard that could itch, but I cut it very short as it thinned. One day it was time for the bandana. It was really the least of my worries.
In the end, I lived a fairly normal life during chemo and I had seven rounds before cyto-reductive surgery and then three after. I went to the grocery, saw friends, and did not mask, as my numbers remained fairly high, but I kept my distance from others, especially when inside. You will have to do what feels right for you, but you may be able to live a fairly normal life during chemo. Good luck and all the best. We are rooting for you!