Stage 3C OC high grade--Help for my friend

[ladyt53]

Hi All,

Brand new to the site. My friend has stage 3c high grade OC and recently had a surgery where they were hoping to debulk. However, after they opned her they saw where she could benefit from more chemotherapy.

Anyone ever heard of this happening?

Please advise

[harpist_UK]

Yes, I have heard of this happening to someone on the forum. They don't like to take risks unnecessarily, and it's perfectly possible that they will give more chemo, shrink the tumours and then be able to operate more safely and more successfully.

[Alifit]

Yup, it happened to me. I’d had three cycles of chemo, they did the surgery expecting to remove any all visible cancer and do a hysterectomy. They were able remove my tumour which was in my omentum and have a good look round, but decided that the remainder of the cancer was too hard to remove because it was close to a blood vessel, so they stitched me up and I had three more rounds of chemo. My operation was in October 2016, I finished the chemo and had three weekly Avastin which finished in December 2017. I have been declared ‘stable’ even though my CA125 is going up, but apart from some fatigue, I feel well and continue to do everything I did before - including riding, walking and skiing.

Imaging is brilliant, but doesn’t always show the complete picture. I’m happy to put myself in the hands of my team, but I always research, read and check on this brilliant forum then make a list and ask awkward questions!

Good luck to your friend, you are obviously what we all need - a good friend.

Best wishes, Ali x

[ladyt53 in reply to Alifit]

Hey,

Where did you get your treatment?

Also, did you struggle at all with digestive issues after surgery, if so what was the treatment for this?

Thanks

[Alifit in reply to ladyt53]

Hello again! Yes I did have digestive problems - I was already blessed with acid reflux, so this became worse - I think chemo aggravated it too. I still get stomach cramps which can mean I have to rush to the bathroom, but all things considered, I have very few side effects. It was suggested that I take Colpermin to relieve the cramp which I do occasionally. Remember the team who are treating your friend are there to help - always talk to them.

I prefer not to share where I am being treated for many reasons, but I live in Birmingham, UK.

Best wishes, Ali x

[ladyt53 in reply to Alifit]

Thanks so much

[CallmeMum]

Hi lovely and welcome,

Unfortunately this is more common than not some people do 3 chemo debulking and 3 more, others have 6 chemo and then debulking surgery so please don’t worry about it, it would be wise if your friend has surgery after 6 chemo’s ask for what they call a ‘hot wash’ in English they wash the inside abdominal area with more chemo after surgery to get rid of any lurking cells which has been known to keep the cancer away longer, unfortunately 3 years ago when my special person was diagnosed we didn’t know anything about chemo etc now we can walk into her oncologists room and tell them stuff that is on the market they don’t know anything about. If she stays platinum sensitive then she can potentially go on parp inhibitors further down the line. Hopefully she’ll only need frontline treatment then never have to worry about it again but who knows what the future holds for anybody?

Good luck to your friend and please keep her updated also tell her about this site it’s absolutely fantastic if anyone needs a moan or needs any type of information xxx

[ladyt53 in reply to CallmeMum]

Thanks

[ladyt53 in reply to CallmeMum]

Thanks

[ladyt53]

Thanks!

[Superwomanbeth]

Hi there. This is standard I believe, my surgeon explained to me they do the op if it will benefit the patient and aid the chemo. But it is the chemo that does 70%+ of the work.

Just had my op today. Remove both ovaries, womb and debunk too. Restart chemo rounds 5 and 6 in 2 to 3 weeks.

Hope your friend recovers well from her op.

Beth x

[ladyt53 in reply to Superwomanbeth]

Thanks. Have you had any digestive issues? My friend is asking the questions regarding how people handle dealing with keeping things down.

[ellseybellsey]

Had neo adjuvant chemo 3 before surgery and 4 after surgery as cancer spread everywhere, chemo shrunk the cancer so they decided after 3 they would operate. I had a really good response to chemo.

Ellsey xx