Were you aware of ovarian cancer before you (or... - My Ovacome
Were you aware of ovarian cancer before you (or your friend/family member) were diagnosed with it?
JackOvacome124 Voters
I took an article from the internet to my doctors in the January stating my symptoms and that I thought I had ovarian cancer. He laughed at me and laughed at the fact I'd diagnosed myself from the internet! 6 months later I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer!
Sounds stupid and ignorant of me, but while I'd heard of it I had absolutely no idea what it meant, nor what the symptoms might be, so have to vote 'no' here. This cancer definitely needs a raised profile: I now understand it to be the 5th most commonly diagnosed in the UK, yet in my mind most coverage in the media and for fund raising seems to be for breast, lung, colon and prostate cancers.
I was aware of ovarian cancer before I was diagnosed with it because in my family on my mum's side was breast/ovarian cancer history but I didn't think I may have it as my mum is BRCA1 negative. I knew there was something wrong with myself and pushed for gynae appointments and histpathology results showed i had rare type of ovarian cancer as on the ultrasoind scan it was a cyst with 2 chambers and thick irregular walls.
I agree with momminkat - I'd heard of it, but had no idea what it really involved, and nobody I knew had had it, so never thought it would happen to me! In fact a few weeks before it all started I'd had a phone call about taking out 'ladies insurance' for things like this and said it had never happened in our family so I didn't think it would be necessary!
i have to agree with momminkat and greybadger as i'd heard of it because a colleague at work had it but i didn't know what was involved or what the symptoms were.
actually i didn't have the normal symptoms and only found out that i had a fairly rare form of ovarian cancer in its early stages when i had an op.
i had a large cyst on one ovary apparently which my gynaocologist didn't like the look of and he did a radical hysterectomy [my "tubes" had been removed as a result of lesions [r] and an ectopic pregnancy [l] several years before].
i went into the menopause the following day but didn't need any treatment other than a ct scan every year for ten years.
i thank my gp and my gynaocologist for saving my life.
I had never heard of it, and when I was told that the histology report on the removal of an enlarged lymph node from my groin 'shows something nasty is going on in your pelvis', I was convinced that I must have cervical cancer. When Ov Ca was diagnosed it was a huge shock that it could happen - especially as the prognosis seemed so rotten at the time.
I'm much more positive about it 2.5 years later!
You don't 'hear' what doesn't affect you directly.
Isadora.
Yes heard about it but only because I was researching Pierce Brosnan for my job and his first wife died of it. So not through any awareness campaigns or education as with breast or cervical cancer. I did not know anything specific to the disease - i.e. symptoms or nature of disease progression etc.
I knew about OC and even knew what symptoms to look out for but I didn't have any symptoms at all until my ovary burst and I was rushed in for emergency surgery. I was totally overwhelmed to hear I had the disease and have learnt so much more about it since.
I Knew thier was something really wrong with me and had gone back to the docs loads of times with same symptons only to be told its your ibs (which i had,nt been tested for) I even asked to be tested for cancer i thought i might have bowel cancer the doc just palmed me off again really wished i,d been more asertive with him and had i,d known about ov ca it would have been sorted out much sooner!!! I don,t feel GPS are aware of ov ca like they should be!!!
I was aware of it and worried that I might have it but the professionals never mentioned it until post-surgery when the cyst I had was found to be malignant, or as the specialist quaintly put it, not benign.
I have been told that most GPs would only encounter one patient with OC during their working lives but I really wonder about this. They are trying to heighten womens' awareness of the disease but I'm afraid I don't think that medical professionals are tuning into this. What does anyone else think? Am I the only one to be told that 'You slipped through the net'. My symptoms made me a preety big fish!
I was aware of OC because of family history of BRAC1 and on screening programme. Opted to have prophylactic oophorectomy last year to reduce risk of Breast Cancer/OC and histology proved 2C OC - awareness is everything! Shout it from the rooftops and do not let GPs fob you off!
I was also aware of the symptoms. I just had the symptoms of constipation and swollen stomach but as I had suffered constipation since my teens and had been eating, not exercising etc and hence developed a swollen stomach, assumed it was just my age, putting on weight, not good.
As for others, to me this is not a yes or no question. I was "aware" that it was a form of cancer but unaware of any details. I'm not sure it' a poll which will be of much value, as a result.
Happily, my GP sent me to the hospital after three days when the swolen stomach failed to react properly to normal treatment as SHE was aware which ultimately is what counted.
I actaully worked in the NHS so I should have recognised the symptoms for OC but didn't. It is so easy to get the symptoms mixed up with other illnesses, which is the only reason it was left undiagnosed for so long. It was only having treatment for something else, that it was discovered.
I had never heard of ovarian cancer before being diagnosed 4 years ago...if only I'd known the symptoms , things would never have got to stage 3 .....iI thought I had vague indigestion and middle aged spread , which I tried to cure with Actimel !! only when jogging became a bit uncomfortable did I go to the docs and luckily was diagnosed and treated almost immediately. I definitely agree that the profile of this needs to be up there with breast cancer, which we read about all the time
I went to my doctor for 8 months with increasingly severe symptoms and was given painkillers only - one day I couldn't get out of ned and the call out doctor told me that I was just constipated (despite me telling him I had a bowel movement evey day) - so he prescribed movicol for ovarian cancer! I was emergency admitted to hospital the next day as I was unable to stand.
No, I had no awareness of OC until I was diagnosed and am still in shock i think. I do think that it needs to have a profile as big as that for breast cancer.
Eleni x
I had no awareness of OC so thought my symptoms of back ache and 'middle aged spread' was a sign of getting older, Only went to the GP when I experienced post menopausal bleeding, by then I was stage 4. I too feel that there is not enough publicity for this type of cancer. I think we are all aware of breast cancer because of the high profile and I was constantly looking for signs of this. What a shame OC doesn't have the same high profile publicity.
Yes I had heard of it but did not know about symptoms. I started to look on the internet and could see it was a possibility.I agree that GPs are not all sufficiently aware. I went back a few times with constipation and swollen abdomen. I told him I was experiencing a leaky bladder and he said that it would be due to the constipation and the lump I could feel were the stools. Another GP examined me and said immediately he could feel something untoward. Let's hope everyone becomes more aware.
The only mention I had ever see was on the leaflet in the packet of contraceptive pills. All it said was it may reduce the risk(yeah, right...I have stage 3c!) I've not seen any leaflets around apart from the hospital, still not seen them much, not even at my GP surgery. ChrisH
I had heard of it having read various articles in newspapers etc but to be honest I really thought I was too young to have it even though I had a lot of the symptoms. I went to my GP
4 times in 6 months trying to get to the bottom of what was wrong with me but he kept saying you need to go on a diet, exercise more- there is nothing wrong with you. Eventually ended up in hospital as an emergency referral and low and behold the minute I had a pelvic ultrasound there it was. I had 2 upper abdominal ultrasounds the previous year- if only they had looked a bit lower.
Although I was aware of Ovarian Cancer I didn't think I could get it as I had a radical hysterectomy when I was 55 for Cervical Cancer. I am 61 this year and 5 months ago started to get severe abdominal pains. After several visits to the GP and being treated for gastroenteritis and IBS by three male GP's and finally a female GP referred me to a gastroenterologist who organised all the relevant tests - scan, endoscopy, gastroscopy and finally a CT Scan. I researched into other types of cancer, bowel, pancreatic, bladder but not once did I think of Ovarian Cancer. As I have no Ovaries they are calling it Primary Peritoneal Cancer which is new to me as I had never heard of this. I feared bowel cancer as I have suffered with diarreah since my hysterectomy - I know this is a side effect of the radiotherapy. But this site has proved a great support - I am truly thankful.
