Ovarian cancer stage 3 what can we expect?

[jak27]

Mum is 82 and had stage 3 ovarian cancer diagnosed 6 weeks ago and given 2 months!! after they drained 3.6 litres of malignant ascites fluid. Chemo a diaster -made her so so sick - so no more treatment. She is fit and active and so far going along well. Constipation and wind a problem though. What can we expect will happen next?

[Aleshamai2007]

A related discussion, Ovarian and Omentum cancer was started.

[yhwh]

It is a sad situation when we see our family and friends in such a state of health.  We feel that at 82, "well they have lived a long and good life" yet is that what God would say?  Should we at this age give up on life and let these deases over take us?  Fighting the "Cancer Thing" myself every step of the way.  Luke 22:31.  What about that abundant life that the word speaks of?  Is this what you want for your Mom?  It does not sould like it?  Have you tried any other ways such as increasing her oxygen?  Germanium is found in significant amounts in a variety of plants including mushrooms, ginseng, garlic, etc. Germanium functions by increasing the oxygen flow into cells from the blood. Cancer cells do not like high levels of oxygen.  Check out Dr J. D. Wallach's book Lets Play Doctor.  Constipation may be a concern during these times and treatment includes eight to 10 glasses of water per day, fiber/protein at 1 tbsp in 8 oz of juice b.i.d., four to six cups of vegetables per day. It may be easier to use a juicer and make juice to drink throughtout the day.  Changing the diet to omit sugar is important for cancer patients.  Sugar will feed the cancer. Dr Johanna Budwig has a good website that will give you infomration on her treatment that has been highly successful.  
Changing our diet will greatly improve the quality of life we have and will help us to regain our health.  Your mom will benefit by getting her body in the right PH balance.  Seach this on the various websites and you may be amazed at what you will find out here.  You will find case after case where people have overcame their illness just by getting their body into the right PH balance.  Flax See and Flax Oil is good to take not just for cancer.  We find Barleans (found on the web) is the best product and is sold wholesale to those fighting cancer, it could alos help with constipation.  LIfe can be a battle at times yet  we  can choose our weapons...

[Kay in Fla]

My dear friend was dx w/3c ov ca post breast ca 9 years prior...she has been on chemo 2 years aug and now has ascites, 2 liters just drained...she looks awful and just was denied new trial in wash, dc...time frame, she is going wkly chemo...someone tell me, she feels awful, if she stopped chemo for these end times that  I  know she is at, would that be better for the wks, months of quality as she has had none for past 2 years of chemo...frustrated and sad, her friend, Kay

[SimplyStar]

the last line got mis placed  it should follow  the Onocologist and hospital line   sorry.

[SimplyStar]

My daughter was 50 when they dx her with stage 3  in June of 2006,  following surgery to remove all they could , she had chemo and  then recurred 2 1/2 months after the last chemo, Leslee is now on Doxil,  the recurrance rate is high, but maybe your sister will be one of the lucky ones to avoid it.  Do your research and find out all you can about OVCA,  come here as often as you want and ask us questions,  this group of ladies and a couple of gents are the best source of  knowledge you can find.  Your sister will need a strong support team, to help her while she is getting the chemo.  Help her regain her strength after the surgery first so that she is ready for the chemo to start.  Usually takes about 4 to 6 weeks after surgery to start it.  Is she under the care of an Onocologist and in a good cancer hospital?  there is a lot of hope now for OVCA, more and more research is being done to beat this desease.  You mention just cells, there was no mass?  there are names that go along with the types of OVCA,  try to find that out for us.  Good Luck
this is important because they will be the most aggressive  for her.

[tawe4]

my sister just had a hysterectomy and they found stage 3 ovarian cancer.  she is still in the hospital recovering from surgery.  they told her today that they only found ovarian cancer cells.  the cancer was on the colon and a few other places and they took what they needed out.  they feel like they got 99 % of it.  what should we expect after she recovers from surgery?  i know there will be chemo. but i'm learning about this and it scares me.  my sister is only 43 years old!!!!

[Kary8]

My friend was diagnosed with stage 3c two weeks ago.  After one round of chemo she was admitted back to hospital last week.  She has so much fluid in her lungs, can't keep food down and has a blood clot in her arm despite being on blood thinners for previous clots.  Is she already nearing the end?  I can't get straight answers from anyone and it is very frustrating.

[shelleylouisa]

hi new to this site too.  My sister has ovarian cancer stage 3 and is only 54yrs old.  So worried about her. She has had chemo and was doing well, but in a lot of pain at the moment. Love and prayers to your mum.

[Thuney]

I am new here, but I am so glad to hear your mother is still holding her own.  Give her a hug for us!

[jak27]

Mum is still going well and it's been 3 months since they drained 3.4 litres of fluid. Her stomach is distended again but some days more than others. An ultrasound today showed a bulid up of only 50 millilitres of fluid. They attribute the distended stomach to gas. So those who said that they expected her to last longer were right! Since that one dreadful dose of chemo she has been living a quality life. She has been taking an anti - malignancy herbal preparation morning and night - who knows if this is the reason the fluid is slow to build up but we are sticking with it. She is taking no other medication of any kind.


Her bowel movements are loose ( she goes twice a day) and she is passing yellow liquid with her movements.  Does this mean it has reached her liver? I think it probably does. Can anyone advise on this.

Tragically for us mum's younger sister - 10 years younger who flew done from Caloundra 2 months back and was such a great support was diagnosed with cancer in 5 places a month ago and she passed away yesterday. She had breast cancer 2 1/2 years ago. Who would have thought when she was down with us that she would be the first to go?

[jak27]

Thank you for your comments to welcome me to the forum. I wouldn't say that I am altogether handling the situation well. It comes over me in waves. Trying not to focus on my own upcoming loss or what mum has to go through but on the fact that she is here with us now. When I wake panic stricken in the night I try to think of it for only a few munutes and then to divert my brain to something else.

Mum has lived with us in her own section of the house for 11 years and we have always been very close - so extra diificult I think.

[jak27]

Thank you for you comments MickeyVicki particularly very helpful. Looks as though mum will certainly go longer than the 2 months and it is quality time. She may well have had a lot longer with chemo and a hysterectomy but at what cost.  It would be great if mum could just take to her bed one day and that would be it.

To query about other types of chemo she was so sick with the one and only try that she decided not to have any more. She only had it in the first place to give us all time to adjust to the diagnosis and prognosis. Also yes she has a natural laxative prescibed by a naturopath called Bowel Cleanser. She has one at night after dinner.

We are having such beautiful sunny weather here in Melbourne at the moment and we are enjoying days out and time in the garden. My nieces are over from the States with her 5 little "American Aussie" great grandchildren and we had a wonderful day with them all today.

Thanks again to you all.

[ConcernedInNY]

Apart from the draining, did she have any surgery like a hysterectomy?  Or did they opt not to do surgery because of her age?  Your mother sounds like a tough woman.  In fact, it sounds like there's many strong women on this forum.

[MickeyVicki]

I read your other post on this topic, and considering my observations, here is what I would expect to happen:

First, she will excede the two months life expectancy, and do not be surprised at all if she does so by months.

Generally, what kills victims of ovca is that the liver and/or the lungs develop tumors of the disease.  Once they begin to fail due to the cancer, the victim become lethargic and usually does not last long.  Then again, I have seen patients survive far beyond doctors' expectations, even in the end stages.  Proper rest, freedom from worries,  and  loving care can make a great difference, but I am sure you already are practicing that!

Secondly, she will slowly become less active, will not get up so early each day, and will take longer naps or retire to bed earlier each evening.   She will probably experience more abdominal ascites, but if the doctor will drain this for her, then she should be more comfortable and generally feel better.  Keeping pressure off the abdomen, by relieving the ascites and/or propping one's feet up on an ottoman will also relieve pressure on the kidneys, which assists in removing waste products from the bloodstream, thus improving the way that one feels.  Given her current high activity level, I would expect her to remain active until very close to the end.  By this statement, I mean that I personally expect her to live much as she does now, then one week she will more or less simply 'take to her bed'.

Did the naturopath offer any supplements or dietary suggestions for assisting with the bowel situation?