"Man springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure....his days are determined; you(God) have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.(Job 14: 2-5)"
A friend recently sent me an article written by an ovarian cancer patient. What she encountered almost identical to what I went through myself. The cancer is difficult to detect early and often mis-diagnosed even by specialists, left alone the general practitioners.By the time symptoms appeared, it is already in advanced stage, so fatality is very high. Also it is very aggressive cancer that develops very fast in a short span of time. From my personal experience,ultra-sound is not accurate, blood test is a better choice and it is affordable.
Breast cancer by far is the most common cancer amongst women. In National Cancer Centre,there are a dozen of very good chemotologists while for female reproductive system-related cancers, there are only two.
Below is an excerpt what she wrote:
"As many of you know, I have Primary Peritoneal Cancer. This cancer
has only recently been identified as its OWN type of cancer, but it is
essentially Ovarian Cancer.
Both types of cancer are diagnosed in the same way, with the
'tumor marker' CA-125 BLOOD TEST, and they are treated in the same
way - surgery to remove the primary tumor and then chemotherapy
with Taxol and Carboplatin.
Having gone through this ordeal, I want to save others from the same
fate. That is why I am sending this message to you and hope you will
print it and give it or send it via E-mail to everybody you know.
One thing I have learned is that each of us must take TOTAL
responsibility for our own health care. I thought I had done that
because I always had an annual physical and PAP smear, did a
monthly Self-Breast Exam, went to the dentist at least twice a
year, etc. I even insisted on a sigmoidoscopy and a bone density test
last year. When I had a total hysterectomy in 1993, I thought that I did
not have to worry about getting any of the female reproductive organ
cancers.
LITTLE DID I KNOW. I don't have ovaries (and they were HEALTHY
when they were removed), but I have what is essentially ovarian
cancer. Strange, isn't it?
These are just SOME of the things our Doctors never tell us: ONE
out of every 55 women will get OVARIAN or PRIMARY PERITONEAL
CANCER.
The 'CLASSIC' symptoms are an ABDOMEN that rather SUDDENLY
ENLARGES and CONSTIPATION and/or DIARRHEA.
I had these classic symptoms and went to the doctor. Because these
symptoms seemed to be 'abdominal', I went to a gastroenterologist.
He ran tests that were designed to determine whether there was a
bacteria infection; these tests were negative, and I was diagnosed
with 'Irritable Bowel Syndrome'. I guess I would have accepted this
diagnosis had it not been for my enlarged abdomen. I swear to you,
it looked like I was 4-5 months pregnant! I therefore insisted on more
tests
They took an X-ray of my abdomen; it was negative. I was again
assured that I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome and was encouraged to
go on my scheduled month-long trip to Europe . I couldn't wear any
of my slacks or shorts because I couldn't get them buttoned, and
I KNEW something was radically wrong. I INSISTED on more tests,
and they reluctantly) scheduled me for a CT-Scan (just to shut me
up, I think). This is what I mean by 'taking charge of our own health
care.'
The CT-Scan showed a lot of fluid in my abdomen (NOT normal).
Needless to say, I had to cancel my trip and have FIVE POUNDS of
fluid drawn off at the hospital (not a pleasant experience I assure you),
but NOTHING compared to what was ahead of me.
Tests revealed cancer cells in the fluid. Finally, finally, finally, the
doctor ran a CA-125 blood test, and I was properly diagnosed.
I HAD THE CLASSIC SYMPTOMS FOR OVARIAN CANCER, AND YET
THIS SIMPLE CA-125 BLOOD TEST HAD NEVER BEEN RUN ON ME,
not as part of my annual physical exam and not when I was symptomatic.
This is an inexpensive and simple blood test!
PLEASE, PLEASE TELL ALL YOUR FEMALE FRIENDS AND RELATIVES
TO INSIST ON A CA-125 BLOOD TEST EVERY YEAR AS PART OF THEIR
ANNUAL PHYSICAL EXAMS.
Be forewarned that their doctors might try to talk them out of it, saying,
'IT ISN'T NECESSARY.' Believe me, had I known then what I know now,
we would have caught my cancer much earlier (before it was a stage
3 cancer). Insist on the CA-125 BLOOD TEST; DO NOT take 'NO' for
an answer!
The normal range for a CA-125 BLOOD TEST is between zero and 35.
MINE WAS 754 (That's right, 754!). If the number is slightly above 35,
you can have another done in three or six months and keep a close
eye on it, just as women do when they have fibroid tumors or when
men have a slightly elevated PSA test (Prostatic Specific Antigens)
that helps diagnose prostate cancer.
Having the CA-125 test done annually can alert you early, and that's the
goal in diagnosing any type of cancer - catching it early.
Do you know 55 women? If so, at least one of them will have this VERY
AGGRESSIVE cancer. Please, go to your doctor and insist on a CA-125
test and have one EVERY YEAR for the rest of your life.
And forward this message to every woman you know, and tell all of your
female family members and friends. Though the median age for this
cancer is 56, (and, guess what, I'm exactly 56), women as young as 22
have it. Age is no factor."
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