Your ovarian cancer nurse will be able to relay information to your medical team and gain guidance for you about the best way to support and treat you. 

To join the Teal Support Program or for further information, please contact an ovarian cancer nurse on 1300 660 334 or email care@ovariancancer.net.au.

Thank you

I am Anne and I recently had a surgery and will start chemotherapy this Thursday. I want to try to get support from you ladies who know what I am going through. It has been a tough 5 weeks for me after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage 1c. I try my best to see the light in this but sometimes I feel so sad and alone and mostly scared now that treatment will start. It is nice to hear inspirational stories from all of you and I pray that my treatment will be kind to me . Appreciate any helpful tips that I can do before I start this Thursday .

Thank you. 

Ovarian Cancer Australia, Counterpart and Mercy Health are excited to announce a free “Living with cancer and wellbeing” day for women with, or following, a gynaecological cancer diagnosis. The event will be held on the 3rd of March at Mercy Hospital, Heidelberg VIC where you will have the opportunity to:

- Learn from psychologists about ways that may help improve how you feel

- Connect with other women who have experienced a gynaecological cancer

- Try wellbeing activities with experienced practitioners including yoga and art therapy.

To register, please follow the link: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/a-free-living-with-cancer-and-wellbeing-day-tickets-88598138417

Or call 1300 660 334

Can anyone recommend an empathic gyne oncologist who is proactive and holistic in their treatment approach, and up to date with relevant trials?

Many thanks

Tara16

Thank you for reading

Yesterday she had her first appointment with an oncologist who visits Darwin Royal hospital every month. The treatment plan is for her to go to Brisbane where hopefully she will be able to have a hysterectomy in 3 weeks, there is another tumour showing in her remaining ovary and the doctor said they can’t stage the cancer until after this second operation. She is a public patient and will be going to the Mater hospital for the operation and follow up treatments.

The biggest concern for her at the moment is to find somewhere to live in Brisbane now/ asap and for the duration of treatment which could run into months.If there is anyone living in Brisbane with any ideas could you please let me know. I’m new to this forum and not sure if you can send private messages?

My daughter is happy for me to put out feelers on her behalf so at least I feel I can be of some help to her. She has no permanent address in Darwin and has been staying with friends and then in a unit for a month which she has to leave on Friday. She has done a lot of house sits through Aussie House sitters and has received some excellent reviews, she is single and into healthy eating and yoga. She is self-employed and runs her own small art and design business which has been put on semi-hold at present, so there is little income happening.

Needless to say all our lives have been turned upside down and due to being significantly disabled I am not able to hop on a plane and be with her and help which is a great sadness and frustration, my husband is my carer. We are all hopeful that the cancer may have been found early.

Thank you for reading, Rosemary

I’m 56 and I’ve just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer three days ago, but  I don’t know what stage it’s at just yet.

My doctor has sent off a referral to Brisbane and marked me as urgent. I just have to be patient now and wait for an appointment.

It came as a shock, but I guess that’s the same for everyone.

I’d been having digestion issues, constipation, needing to urinate more frequently, and that’s why I went to the doctor.  When she was examining me and pushed on my abdomen she felt something.

She ordered blood tests and sent me off for a CT scan  I didn’t even know we had a CT machine in our small town but I was lucky we did.

When I went back for my results she said I’m sorry but it’s ovarian cancer. I have what appears to be a 6.5cm growth on my ovary. Hoping it might be a cyst and not cancer I asked about the blood tests.

She had done one to look for cancer markers in the blood. Apparently normal would be about 30 U/ml and mine was 420 U/ml.

I have 1001 questions but for now the most important one is how and when  to tell my family.

I’m the sole carer for my grandson and it’s his 15th birthday on Saturday, then Easter, so definitely not until after that. But do I tell them before I get to see a specialist, or wait until after that? How do I break the news? I want to be as calm as possible when I tell them, so rehearsing something beforehand is probably best, but I don’t know what to say. Any advice would be wonderful, as I’m emotional and clueless right now.

My boyfriend's sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer stage 3c in sept 2017. She has the BRAC1 gene. Her mother was first diagnosed in 2013 with uterus cancer, it came back in 2015 then again in June 2017.  She sadly passed away in Nov 2017.

My boyfriend's sister had surgery as well as chemo. A small tumour has come  back just a year after her first treatment in her abdomen area. She had radiation but doctors have seen stopped that as they believe it has spread to the abdomen lining. She is waiting for her CT scan results.

In the meantime we( family) have done research and has anyone had HIPEC surgery?

If so, which hospital/ surgeon?

Any replies would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

Lina

But then I had the same pain 4 or 5 times after that. During this time I kept thinking it was something I'd eaten. Then my sister was getting married and I got busy. The last time it happened it was in the middle of the night and freaked out because this time I couldn't blame food allergies. I went to my regular GP who felt my stomach, sent me for urgent CT scan, blood test and ultrasound. Turns out I have a 12 cm complex cyst. I had surgery on 30 August 2018 to remove it. It's going to be 3 weeks on Thursday, 20 September 2018. I'm going to have my first chemo session on 21 September 2018. I'm a bit scared and I'm wondering how bad it'll be.

I'm 35 years old, no kids or partner. My mum and sister are my rock. I'd never had an operation in my life, and boom! The first operation I have is this one. Really sucks. But my doctors say they are looking to cure me. I'd be grateful to hear other people's experience with chemo. I'll be given 6 rounds of chemo, each session will be 3 weeks apart. The drugs I'll be given are called Paclitaxel and Carboplatin.

I lost our thread.

I will not have chemo or blood work till June 15, 16.

Longest I have been without treatment since 10/13/2016.

No blood stick this Friday either - thrilled about this.

Going on a church retreat this weekend.

Very unhappy at work - my contract was not renewed and I suspect these people are the tackiest on the Earth when it comes to managing foreign teachers.

Day at a time with this roller coaster.

Enjoy your short trip.

Sandra

My name is Kanwal, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Dec 2016. I had 3 cycles of Chemo then surgery debulking/ hysterectomy and then again 3 cycles of chemo.

My CA125 at the start was 192, which which stayed in one digit after surgery. I have been having 3 monthly checkups. In March my CA125 was 6. In June it went to 24, so had PET Scan which resulted in reoccurrence in abdominal lining (peritoneal). Gyno/onco said that it is Chronic.

I'm back to Chemo for 6 rounds, already completed round 1.

Is there anyone going through similar situation? I need some reassurance and guidance. I'm worried.

Thanks

I’m Julie and I’ve been diagnosed with Stage 2c ovarian cancer

It’s about three weeks since I made the appointment to see my GP, two weeks since I first spoke to the gynaecological oncologist and one week since my surgery. It’s weird how it’s all happening so fast, but some days seem so slow

Thankfully, the surgery went well, recovery has been mostly good and prognosis is positive. I’ll start chemo in a few weeks.

I’m 37 years old with two kids under 5. All my fears and concerns centre around them. So far, they’re coping well. We’ll just take each day as it comes and try to prepare them for the chemo journey ahead.

This website has been very useful and reading through your stories has been both informative and calming.

Thank you!

I am pleased to find this forum as I have just been diagnosed. Actually it is three weeks today I went to the hospital with terrible pain in my side. What a shock to find out I have an active cancer in my ovary and several seeds of cancer in my abdomen. Off to see oncologist surgeon in sydney next Tuesday and don't know yet what stage etc. I am. All very new and scary

Here is my story...l was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer mid November 2017, and was operated on in mid Januarythis year.  I have just started Radiation Therapy for five weeks combined with Chemotherapy for four of those weeks, then to be followed by Chemotherapy for the following five weeks.

l am still tying to process the diagnosis, everything has happened so fast...

l am unsure what l should put here as my story is a long one and l do not know if l would have enough room.

Thank you,

Sioux

I really would like to hear from ladies who were diagnosed with stage 3c (aggressive ) cancer and your journey . I have had surgery for hysterectomy but I still have cancer on the perinteneal .

my Chemo starts 29/1/18 it will be 6 weeks since surgery .

Thanks. Susan