Ovarian cancer recurrence

Hello Anonymous - I hope that you are reading this even if it has been a long time. I read your posting and was flabergasted that the guy you have been seeing is treating you badly. I just want you to know that he is reacting out of fear or ignorance. Either reason is not satisfactory. Not all men are like that. Thankfully when we would go to her chemo treatments or for anything else the huge majority had their men with them. I lost Barbara in July of 2008 but would give anything I own to be able to go to the center with her again. I first took off from work but was able to retire soon after her diagnosis. We had a wonderful time together and I will be her husband forever. Give OTHER men a chance as well as yourself. I hope that you are well. You are cared for.

Hi Anon - How are you doing? It's been more than a month since you wrote to us, and we haven't heard back from you. We truly are here to support you, and hope that you've been able to get some local support to help you deal with your most recent diagnosis. Is there anything we can do to help? Please let us know.
Thanks,
Pat

Hello Anon:
It's going to take a lot of strength to go forward, and it's hard to do that alone. An organization you may find helpful is the Wellness Community, a national nonprofit group that provides professional programs of emotional support, education and hope for people affected by cancer. They purposely offer their services at no charge so that no one faces cancer alone.

The website for the Wellness Community is at http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/

Look for the search box next to "Find local affiliates and programs in your area" to find a chapter in your community. If they don't have a program in your local area, there is a wealth of information on the website as well as an online community that you can join.

As a cancer survivor, I know that your top priority right now has to be moving forward with your recovery. Including others in your journey, whether in person or online, makes a world of difference. Thanks for reaching out, and best wishes to you. I hope you will stay in touch and keep up posted on your progress.

Take good care,
Pat

Anon,

You are clearly an amazing woman. And brave. You dealt with this already. I know you can do it again.

Will you need to have more chemotherapy? Or will you not know that until after the surgery?

It sounds to me like you have good, proactive doctors. Do they give you enough information?

How far away is your daughter? Have you told her about the recurrence? Do the two of you talk on the phone a lot, or email? I am certain that she would tell you that you are not alone, even when she can't be there. This is scary for her, too, I know. And you are her mom and you want to protect her.

Here is an Ovarian Cancer Forum, which is part of the Cancer Forum, a website where people trade information about their cancer and get support from one another:

http://www.cancerforums.net/forum-22.html

And here is an Ovarian Cancer Community from MedHelp:

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Ovarian-Cancer/show/94

And CancerCare.org links to online support groups and telephone support groups. Just go here:

http://www.cancercare.org/get_help/supportgroups.php

and click where it says this in blue:

"Find out what online groups we currently offer and how to register."

That will take you to a page where there's a blue "Register" tab up at the top. Click on that, and it takes you to a user agreement. Click on "agree to the terms of service," and it takes you to the registration page, where you can pick a nickname and a password. It will walk you through the process. When it asks what support group you want, I think you would be most interested in "Gynecologic Cancers."

What city do you live in? Could we help you find a support group there?

Hi anonymous,
Thank you for sharing your story and I am sorry to hear about your cancer. Please feel free to sign up with us and you can certainly Connect with other women who are dealing with the same issues as yourself.
Here is a link to the Connect section to help you get you started https://www.empowher.com/community/all/connect.

You do not have to be alone anymore. We, at EmpowHer, are always here to help you along your way and we are here to listen as well.

Please let us know if you have any questions. We will certainly be glad to help. The Connect section will certainly help you find other women that are dealing with the same issues.

I hope this helps and please keep us updated.