Of Gray Moods and a Brief Education About Ovarian Cancer

So, here I sit in my studio- eating Cadbury's mini eggs. Christmas ones. I figured I'd better eat these before I buy the Easter ones. It seems that the weather here has been gray. Gray to match my mood. I am approaching the age that my mother was when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She died when I was 15. As each year passes, I am grateful for good health, but each passing year brings me closer to the age that she was diagnosed. There are some people that believe that a blog is not the forum to be discussing personal information. Particularly health related information. I am not of that opinion. Part of my purpose for writing is to muse about things like this. So, if you were looking for something light-hearted and funny today. Move on and come back tomorrow.

I had an internal pelvic sonogram today. I have them every year. This year was a bit scarier. It scares me more every year. This is preventive health care. I have a sonogram, a pap smear, and a CA 125 blood test every year. I'm going to take advantage of my soap box here to give you some information about ovarian cancer. It kills about 15,000 women in the U.S. each year. Approximately 58% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are at Stage III when diagnosed. In 1995, the survival rate was 50%, up from 37% in 1975. Here are some symptoms to be aware of:

Discomfort of the abdomen, and/or pain (gas, indigestion, pressure, swelling, bloating, cramps)
Pelvic discomfort
Increased urination
Constipation
Diarrhea
Nausea
Decreased appetite
Early satiety: feeling full even after a light meal
Changes in weight, gain or loss
Abnormal vaginal bleeding

Obviously, these symptoms can also suggest other problems. This is why it is a hard to diagnose type of cancer. There are some things that you can do to cut your risk.

Have kids, take the birth control pill, breastfeed. Ovarian cancer may develop from an abnormal repair process of the surface of the ovary, which is ruptured and repaired during each ovulatory cycle. Therefore, the probability of ovarian cancer may be related to the number of ovulatory cycles. Less ovulation equals less of a chance that you get the cancer.

I'm getting off of my soap box now. If you stuck with me, good for you. I hope that this disease never touches your life like it has touched mine. Ta ta for now.