I am 55 yrs old now, when I was 23 yrs. old,I had signs and s.of something not being right with my body,bloating,frequent urination, severe pain at times with my periods. Severe pain was so bad i didnt know what to do. In the beginning of september/1977,that is what happen to me while we where on holidays, in a public place,I thank God,i was with my friend who is a nurse,and she supportive me thru the period that i had the pain and nausea,i was ashen in colour. When the pain stop,few days latter i notice a mass on the left side,the size of a grapefruit,we finished our holidays as plan,but it was hard to enjoy the rest ot them due to what i knew also as a nurse.
I made a appt. with the doctor as soon as we got home,and this was before ultrasound,c-scan-MRI, so i had e x-rays and also barium enema done, and it showed a mass consuming my left ovary,and later when results came back,i was told i had a tumour called dysgermona -15 cm in diameter. I was concerned about losing my uterus,and at the time of the 1st surgery they keep the uterus inside of me,but when the results came back,the specialist informed me that i would need radiation,and the tx would kill my uterus,so 2 mtns later i had the surgery that i did not want to have. Shortly after the 2nd surgery i was being set up for txs. which lasted 3 1/2 mtns,2 mins each day.
Now years later,I have a partial bowel obstruction in my small bowel,and basically live on ensure,to live I am on fentanyl patches for pain control,and at times i need to go to outpatients for a morphine and gravol injection for pain. The doctors all agree that with them doing more surgery will cause more adhesions to my bowels,is what happen when i went for a lap. in 1993,and after th e 1st surgery i obstructed, so they went back in to see what they could do to help me,just in 2wks after surgery , the doctor commented "that it had been like undoing cement"..Do you know if there is another way to release the adhesions so that when they are released,that they would not return.. I personally find i hard to accept radiation a way ot tx. I am so happy to be alive,but living in discomfort like i do almost everyday,i wish there would be a better way of treating someone with this cancer