I have ovarian cancer

The only way that they can know if I have cancer now is by having a PET scan. When on chemo I have had one every 3 cycles, where a cycle is a month. When the scan has been ‘clear’ it’s 6 months, just because I didn’t want to know! I counted … I’m up to 35 CT scans and 13 PET CT scans.
I teach Chemistry to Year 11 and 12 students. These kids are 17/18 years old, and in their final years of secondary education. I get them ready for university! I’ve taught some great kids, and have many friends who always ask me how I’m going.

Janelle, thank you for your reply! Question...if your CA125 never went above 10 how do they know when there is active cancer? How often have you had scans? I have my labs checked every three months but they aren't planning to do scans until I reach the one year mark from ending chemo in August. At first they said I'd have scans in six months but then they changed it to a year. My treatment is at Mass General Hospital in Boston so I am pretty confident in their expertise but it does seem that some medical centers do things differently.

@jenelleseaman Thank you for sharing our much this forum means to you. I greatly appreciate your willingness to share, your beautiful photos, and what is meaningful to you as you live your life each day. It's wonderful that your school is flexible with your schedule. What is the age of your students and what do you teach?

@amywells Thank you for sharing with us. It's always good to talk about the things we do to take care of ourselves so that we can continue to live our lives each day. Do you presently work full-time?

I have found taking the focus off myself and being able to help others very beneficial.
You also have to be flexible with your plans! I try and tell my oncologist when I want to have the chemotherapy treatments! I try and fit everything around school, but that has proved a little difficult with the last set of treatments, simply because I had to keep going past 6 cycles for the first time.
I don’t teach full time. The school that I teach at is also very understanding, and will give me time off if needed. My students know a little of what I go through - they don’t have the life experience to understand fully. In fact no one really understands what I go through. One of the things I have realised about suffering is that it can be extremely lonely, because of that. That’s the reason why a forum like this is so helpful.

Thank you for your warm welcome. I find it very helpful to hear what other women's experiences have been with this unplanned journey. I'm still working although I will probably retire if/when I have to go through another round of treatment. Exercise helps, as does reading, seeing friends, doing the things I enjoy and trying to laugh and have fun despite this new component of my life. I'm a person who likes to plan and have had to rethink some of that. My spiritual practice keeps me oriented on the present which helps so much.

I was first diagnosed in 2010 as stage 3c ovarian cancer. Had a radical hysterectomy with debulking and then 6 cycles of carboplatin/ paclitaxol adjuvant chemotherapy. The cancer returned in 2014 and again and again…
I am up to the 8th line of chemotherapy. I am on carboplatin/ Caelyx at the moment. I have had 50 cycles of chemotherapy in total, I have the next in 2 weeks. Another PET CT scan will tell me if I’m done with the chemo, or not! My ca125 has not been higher than 10 for the last 6 years even when I have had cancer.
I’ve always said that every day is a good day, because it’s what God planned for you. There’s no such thing as a bad day. There are definitely hard days, but somehow I have always come out the other end knowing that I have coped, and sometimes even been blessed.
At the moment I’m wondering how much more of this I can cope with, and I’m praying that the scan this time will be clear. The question is also for how long? I keep trusting God for what He has in store for me. I am definitely a miracle, living as long as I have with the disease recurring so many times. My oncologist calls me his Champion! I know I give hope to others, even though my journey has not been a pleasant one. But as I have said, I have also been blessed along the way with successes that I would not have believed possible. My faith in the One True Living God is what keeps me getting out of bed, and teaching high school students every day.

@amywells Welcome to our Gynecological Cancers Support Group. I also 73-years-old and would like to be around for awhile too! From your description you've had a tough year. I'm relieved to know that you are doing OK. Do you the so-called good days and bad days? What do you do for yourself when you are feeling anxious or down?

Hi to all…I’ve been quietly following this discussion since I discovered Mayo Clinic Connect a couple months ago. I was diagnosed with OC Stage 3b in February of 2024. I had a total hysterectomy with debulking and a two inch resection of colon, followed by six cycles of platinum based chemo that ended in August. So far doing okay though living with the expected roller coaster of emotions, especially just before labs are checked. I have so much appreciation for all of you who share your worries, questions and words of experience, encouragement, and wisdom. I’m 73 and just want to be around for eventual grandchildren!

I am @cipnsue. I strongly encourage you to become your advocate. Know the type of Ovarian Cancer you have - I am Stage 1C of Clear Cell Ovarian Cancer. Use resources such as: Ocrahope (the national OC org) and sharecancersupport.org and the Clearity Foundation to educate yourself on OC. These groups also have support groups and educational videos available for OC gynoncs. With my last cancer I was given a list of chemos to choose from and I went to the Clearity Foundation who helped me get molecular profiling (which requires a tissue sample from surgery). They sent it to 3 labs and came back with gemcitabine. I had carbo/taxol the first 2xs and it did not work and during the 2nd cancer I went into anaphylactic shock. Put on your armor of knowledge and go girl!