Mary Ann J.

I am an ovarian cancer survivor. I became very ill with stomach pains in January of 2009. I went to the emergency room in the town where my Mom lives (I was at her apartment). They did a sonnagram & blood work. ONe one my best friends happens to work in the ER there & was on duty that day. She kept coming in to check on me. They eventually said I had a virus & sent me home. That was on a Saturday. The following Monday I felt better. My doctor's office called me at work when they got the report from the hospital. they wanted me to come in right away. They did a CT scan & found the cancerous cyst on my ovary. They could not believe that the hospital had sent me home. I had a hysterectomy in February & then 6 chemo treatments until July. I did lose my hair as a result. Then I had a followup CT scan in August 2009 & they found a spot on my liver. I had surgery in September to remove part of my liver. I had 5 chemo treatments after that surgery. I was supposed to have 6 treatments again, but In January & February 2010 I was hospitalized with severe nose bleeds. My blood was too thin from the chemo. I received 2 bags of blood & 2 bags of platelets each time. Over the course of 1 year I was in the hospital 4 times for a total of 15 days. I see my oncologist every 6 months now. My CA125, the indicator for ovarian cancer has been 6.2. Anything below 35 is good. I go back for my next appointment in April. I am very thankful to my doctor for making the correct diagnosis.