I was diagnosed grade 3c ovarian cancer last year. A year of chemo, and de bulked. Praise God (and wonderful NHS) am in remission. now on Avastin until July. Finding the CA125 test every three weeks very stressful. Mine was through the roof before treatment and now it’s at 11.5. What I worry about is that it was 10 before that and 7 / 8 during treatment. Is this creeping upwards a bad sign.
Lots of love
Lorraine
Written by
Lou_UK
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi Lorraine, I don’t worry about a small change but I would worry if there was a progressive move upwards. Mine is similar to yours 8/9 usually but has moved to 13 then back to 11 so maybe I just had a bit of a bug. On my first recurrence it went from 8 to 13 to 20+ over the course of a few weeks and I knew straight away something was wrong. I’ve had this for coming up to three years so have had more time to get familiar with my normal. I’ve just stopped Avastin so blood tests have stopped but know what you mean about them being stressful. Wishing you all the best, Lisa
Thank you Lisa. I have had a cold and blocked ear (from swimming) so maybe that has something to do with it’s slight raise. It sounds as if you’ve been on quite a journey with this illness.
I would not worry too much about a slight increase. So much can affect this number and we weigh our "life" on it. Mine usually ranges between 6 and 10. Up to 30 is considered normal. Definitely go by how you are feeling. Stay strong and treat yourself well.
Lorraine my faith really suffered in the beginning. I was able to recoup it by researching and educating myself on the net. If nothing else it made me feel empowered. It was overwhelming sometimes but overall has given me hope and some knowledge that my doctor has implemented in my care program. Eating healthy unprocessed food is the most important thing. I have gone vegan, organic and feel so much better. I also take 16,000mg of buffered vitamin c everyday and haven’t had so much as a cold in 3 years.
I have stage 4 ovarian cancer and have had 3 recurrences, but I feel good! Don’t lose your faith in your body’s ability to heal from this.
Take care, you are strong and so much more than this disease!
More important than the absolute number is the trend of someone’s CA125. Doctors usually look for a doubling and then a second doubling over a period of a couple of months. As has been pointed out, small changes can be do to other things as frustrating as that may be. So it’s the waiting game. The challenge is to learn how to live life to the fullest while having a cloud of uncertainty hanging over your head. Your mission should you accept....is to learn that very hard lesson. And no this post won’t self destruct in 5 seconds...or at least I hope it won’t. Best wishes - Gwen
Thank you for taking the time to get back to me. I appreciate everyone for taking the time. It sounds like a roller coaster journey you’ve been on. Love your humor 😆
You are so right Gwen. Learning to be ok with the ups and downs of the numbers does a lot for your frame of mind. I also find thinking about my future really helps. I believe with all my heart that I have one!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.