Sunday, September 26, 2010

September is Ovarian Cancer Month


Hello Everyone,

For those of you who may not know it September is Ovarian Cancer Month. Some of you will remember that my mother past away April 4, 1998 from ovarian cancer, and you'll know this is a subject near and dear to my heart.

Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer for a very good reason. The disease is not usually caught in the early stages due to the fact that most symptoms can be attributed to other causes.

The types of ovarian cancer are 1. Epithelial ovarian tumors; 2. Germ cell tumors; and 3. Stromal tumors, but within this group are other types of cancer. One of these is called primary peritoneal carcinoma and the reason I'm mentioning it is because it looks like epithelial ovarian cancer and it can be found in women without their ovaries.

I'm not going to go into a lot of detail here about ovarian cancer, but I do know anyone who has a family history of colon cancer, breast cancer can also get ovarian cancer. I could go on forever about this cancer and others, but I'm not going to. You can go to the American Cancer Society for any information you like to find.

Here are some signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer: 1. Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating; 2. Pelvic discomfort or pain; 3. Trouble eating or feeling full quickly; and 4. Urinary symptoms such as urgency (always feeling like you have to go) or frequency (having to go often).

Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:

1. Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
2. Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
3. Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
4. Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
5. Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
6. Pain during intercourse
7. A permanent lack of energy
8. Low back pain
9. Changes in menstruation

These symptoms can be caused by other conditions than ovarian cancer.

My niece, Kristin, has been walking in the Susan G. Koman cure for breast cancer for several years. Her mother-in-law died of breast cancer after a battle of five years or more. In many cases cancer can be cured if caught early enough, so I recommend that all men, women and children be diligent in working to stop all cancers.

Much of this information has come from the American Cancer Society and Mayo Clinic except for the personal comments I have made. My title September is Ovarian Cancer month is linked to the Mayo Clinic for those of you who wish to learn more about this disease.

Thank you for your time. Enjoy today and tell those you love that you love them. See you next Sunday.

Sandy



8 comments:

Marianne Stephens said...

Cancer is something we should never dismiss. It can strike anyone, even if there's no history in a family. We're fortunate to live now when technology is advanced, but a cure isn't here yet. Hopefully, we'll see a cure in the near future and rid the world of this awful killer.

Sandy said...

Thanks, Marianne.

Unfortunately, the researchers aren't even sure what causes ovarian cancer. They have some theories but that's about all.

MiaMarlowe said...

Thanks for bringing this important issue to your blog, Sandy. As a cancer survivor myself, I'm all about screening and early detection. It's amazing what strides have been made against cancer in general and I pray for the day that no diagnosis is an automatic death sentence.

Sandy said...

Thank you, Mia.

There are just so many different cancers out there and many of them the researchers haven't been able to discover what causes them.

I'm so glad you survived, Mia.

Mary Jo said...

Thanks, Sandy for such a wonderful post. I had two aunts, both sisters, would died of this disease.

B. A. Binns said...

Earlier this year I went through uterine cancer. In January I experienced vaginal bleeding, and, being 5 years post menopausal, that sent me to the doctor so she coud make it stop. After misdiagnosing first a urinary tract infection and then uterine fibroids they found the cause and I had a historectomy in March, where they took everything out. Although it was a grade 3, it was possibly the best cancer to have - if you have to have cancer and of course I hope most people never will - because they could just go in and cut the whole thing out. Turns out my cancer was still stage 1, thank heavens, and although I had five weeks of radiation therapy and am about to have another CT scan later this week to check on things, my long term prognosis is very good. After attending my first Cancer Survivors party earlier this year I blogged about this myself. It's basically: if you have an organ, you can get cancer.

I am so sorry about your mother, and all those who are not survivors.

Sandy said...

Thank you, Mary Jo. You must remain diligent in checking yourself for ovarian and other types of cancer.

Sandy said...

Thank you, B.A. I appreciate your comment.