Advice needed please

[Tay100]

Hi all, I’m sorry that I’ve not posted for a while. I really could do with your advice. In March 18 I was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer, I had chemo and debulking. Then about 4 weeks ago, after I had since my consultant for my regular check up, the CNS call to say that my CA125 had risen from 19 which is where it had been for the last 6 months to 55. She said that the consultant wanted me to have another blood test and they would take it from there. I had the blood test and it had gone down from 55 to 52. I’m now having another blood test on Thursday this week and I have to have a CAT scan. Does this mean that they think I might be having a reoccurrence. I only finished chemo at the end of November but she did say that I was clear then. The waiting to find out is scary and stressful, I feel so helpless. Thanks for reading this, big hugs to all xx

[Lindaura]

Dear Tay,

It is great that your consultant is on the ball and following you closely - not waiting for you to have symptoms before getting you that CT scan.

You have had 8 months clear, and this might just be a glitch, caused by something else, but many of us recur at one time or another and it seems to be the luck of the draw.

Fortunately, if that’s what this is, you can get treatment quickly, and this , called second line, is a lot easier to tolerate than first line treatment and you might knock this back and get back to your life.

OC is cruel and we have to keep battling , which takes a toll on our loved ones and ourselves emotionally.

I hope this is just a glitch, but if not, you are not alone and there are loads of treatment options open to you.

Best wishes,

Laura

[AusTig in reply to Lindaura]

Beautifully said

[LittleSan]

I've had a few false alarms and let's hope that this is the case for you. It's great your team are vigilant and like Laura says if it is bad news the treatment options are becoming better and more plentiful. Big hugs and warm wishes to you. 💐😘

[Lyndy]

Not really the news you wanted. It may still turn out to be a false alarm... and even if not, I was told to wait for symptoms which never arrived! 18 months on from my ‘recurrence’ I am still well and not on treatment. The only scary thing is not really knowing what it is up to in there! So try to stay calm if you can xx

[ZenaJ]

Hi Tay, sorry I might not be much help to you here but I was told the CA125 can fluctuate daily. I can understand that you would be worried but the good news is that your medical team have a handle on it and you'll get the right treatment if any is necessary.

I have read on here that some have had a few recurrences and they're still going strong so it doesn't mean the end of everything.

Think positive, best wishes, Love Zena xx

[sticky3006]

Hello Tay100. My ca125 has also gone up to 53 after finishing chemo last September for 3c OC. My consultant differs in that she won’t scan yet despite a recurrence seeming highly likely. She said that sometimes an 8mm nodule may show on scan which wouldn’t be treated with chemo and the longer period without chemo the better. I think I understand her rationale!

I’ve got my head around the fact that this is likely to be a recurrence but as I’m currently symptom free and hope you are too we may be able to sit tight for now. Good luck and keep us informed. Sticky3006 x

[Tay100]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Your wise words have helped to calm me, I am going to keep busy and I’m going to try my best to stay positive. I should know the results of my blood test tomorrow next week. Hopefully it’s a blip but if it’s not it’s great to know that there will be options open to me. The waiting as I know you all understand is the worse bit!

Big hugs to you all xx

[shortfriends]

Hi Tay, as Zena said it does not have to be the end of everything, it is the waiting that makes us feel worse. You are not alone, we are all waiting with you and hoping for the best. Sending you lots of hugs, good wishes and love

pat xx