I finally wish there was a test I could take!

Why on earth did I know so little about ovarian cancer and its symptoms before? This when I was getting regular check ups and mammograms. What the hell was I thinking not relating the symptoms of this most aggressive of all women's cancers? I spent at least a  month ignoring symptoms, self-treating, and bearing with what seemed like run-of-the-mill episodes of bloating, indigestion and general uncomfortableness. I was online looking for foods that don't cause gas, I took gas-x . . . 

Well one major surgery later and in the middle of chemotherapy treatment on the eve of my 56th year, I would like to help break the silence on ovarian cancer. The primary reason why OVC almost always gets diagnosed late is because women haven't been taught to identify the symptoms. The symptoms are so generic and unrelated that even doctors miss out on pinpointing the real cause.

ALL women are at risk

there are NO screening tests

AWARENESS of symptoms is most important for early detection of OVC

mother’s day miracle

Why didn’t I think of that ? For Mother’s Day I went to a friend's house for dinner. It was lovely by the way, and two of the women were wearing sundresses, which makes total sense because it is hot as hell outside. As I was getting dressed to go out that evening I remembered that I had some silk pants with an elastic band and I thought I was being so smart by wearing those instead of pants that zipped up since theoretically they would be so much more comfortable. Anyone reading this must know that I have dresses in my closet that would’ve been very well-suited for the evening and I have no idea why it never occurred to me to put one on. So there I sat as discreetly as is possible with my hand down my pants. I was obviously pulling the elastic band away from my lower left quadrant while seriously questioning my fashion intelligence. But from that day forward I have been wearing sundresses, so I thank you dear friends for introducing me to loose waist sundresses for summer in "the sauna".

my story real quick

I am not sure how long this has been going on, but it was awhile. I was bloated. Any woman reading this knows this isn't unusual or alarming. What is unusual is how long it went on. I was looking up online foods that make you bloated/gassy and foods that don't. I was cooking differently. We were eating in for most every meal. I was taking Gas-x, I was trying to exercise more. I even tried to eat fewer carbs and sugars and yet . . . there was no change in my pants. My pants were actually getting tighter, WTF!? So for those of you who have known me for a long time, you know that I have always just exercised and eaten what I wanted [in moderation] and I have never been a dieter. So in April of this year I was consciously exercising, eating right and my pants were still getting tighter. All the while everyone is telling me that it's menopause and I look great for my age {thanks!} [and there is nothing you can do about it]. In the back of my head though I am thinking it seems so weird for my pants to be getting so tight if I am not gaining weight.

sooooo IT is actually a GOOD THING .  .  .  

     I was too vain to buy larger pants [bloated]

     too clueless to throw on a sundress [good thing because I wouldn't have felt the pressure]

     and not smart enough to know where my appendix is located [so when I asked my  husband, he wanted to know why and when I told him it hurt in my lower left quadrant when I ate, he made me, right then and there make an appt with an internist for may 14th]

[fun fact: two weeks before this ball started rolling, I hadn't had an internist. The only doctor I ever went to was my gynocologist because I was never sick. I saw my gynocologist on April 10 and had some bad labs and she said, "You know Sara, you really need to see an internist, I don't want to be treating your cholesterol when you need to get this stuff checked out.]

I have always been a very lucky

I have always been very lucky.

Right now you might be thinking “How can you feel lucky Sara, when you have ovarian cancer?”. 

Two months ago I knew absolutely nothing about ovarian cancer. All I've ever heard about is breast cancer, the favorite cancer, the one that men are willing to throw some money into finding a cure for. I mean, let's face it, breasts are beautiful. Everyone knows that breast cancer even has a color. Actually, ovarian cancer has a color too: it’s teal, but no one really knows that, or even about ovarian cancer itself. We don't know it's color or that there are no screening tests to detect it. Every year around 15,000 women in the US die from ovarian cancer because it goes undetected for too long, until it has spread too far, until it's too late.

I am lucky because I am one of the 15% of women who caught it early. 

Have I told you there are no screening tests?

wait, what!

Wait, what, how can you have ovarian cancer??? You exercise, you go to yoga, you eat healthy, you're a good person, you're married to a doctor! [I know right, that should count for something, LOL]

Some people say I am so sorry, I had no idea, My response to them is no need to be sorry, I had no idea either! You could have seen me in May and neither of us would have had any idea! 

I guess I am here to say cancer doesn't care who you are, where you live or what you do. I am still going to go back to living the same way I have always lived because I believe it has saved my life from a worse diagnosis and will help me recover more easily. 

So listen to your body and do take care of yourself, and If you are like me and avoid going to the doctor, DON't bE SO sTuPiD!

[Especially, if you aren't married to a doctor who knows his anatomy, and knows when to make you go see an internist for a CAT scan. Seriously folks, listen to your body, don't put this stuff off! ]