When I was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer, I didn’t cry because I had cancer, I cried because I was right.
Something was wrong with my body and I knew it. It took almost seven months of very invasive testing and being poked and prodded in places I didn’t know I had, but I was right! Nobody knows my body better than I do.
It all started with daily walks. I would get a quick, fleeting pain in my hips and groin area. At first I ignored it but as weeks went on, the pain became sharper and lingered longer. I made an appointment with a pain specialist with whom I had a history.
This specialist treated me for back pain in the past as I’ve been hit five times in various car accidents. (Earning a living as a driver in some capacity isn’t meant to be. Sooner or later, you will be hit.) I spent about five minutes with the specialist in the exam room. He dismissed the pain and attributed it to my back pain. He asked very few general questions and ordered no testing or follow-up. I left there thinking, “He is wrong, there IS something wrong with me.” I went to a second pain specialist and he had the same opinion as the first specialist in his five-minute appointment.
There were times I thought, “Am I crazy, am I making this up, am I looking for a quick fix, is this all in my head?” The answer was no. This is real. Someone, somewhere has to believe me.
So it was on to pain specialist No. 3. He ordered an MRI and it came back normal. He ordered an EMG, it came back normal. I had a spinal procedure that made me sick for a week and it, too, came back normal. For the next few months I had a number of tests; they all came back normal. We were both beyond frustrated, but he was determined. He ordered a second MRI to see if anything had been missed. When it came back, there it was: a 17.5 cm (6.5-inch) tumor.
It was then I cried out of relief. I was right and it was real — I wasn’t making anything up. He told me to go to my family doctor ASAP and then to an oncologist.
My first visit to the oncologist offered a wealth of information. All I remembered was I was going to lose my hair and be very tired. Ha! They didn’t know who they were dealing with, I thought at the time. I am as stubborn as they come, determined to live my life as I always have. I do a massive amount of volunteer work and have a job. Cancer was just another obstacle to overcome.
Treatment was inpatient for two days, one week outpatient, one week off: a schedule to be repeated for the next five months. When I would go inpatient, I’d take my knitting, sewing or some project to work on. After my first treatment, I wasn’t tired at all.
“Chemo isn’t so tough,” I thought. But I was so wrong. Tiredness set in after the third treatment and it hit hard. I made numerous trips to the ER over the next few months for IVs of magnesium and potassium. It took great effort to stand or walk. Taking a “quick shower” turned into a hourlong step-by-step process. I would sit and rest on each of the landings to my third-floor apartment. When I entered my apartment, I would collapse on the couch without taking off my coat or shoes — that’s how tired I was.
After my last chemo treatment, it took about six months before I began to feel normal again. Some cancer patients vomit during treatment. I vomited for almost a solid month after my last treatment. For me, cancer wasn’t the hard part — it’s the neuropathy that remains and still hinders me.
I was honored when ProMedica Toledo Hospital asked me if they could use me as a case study for their conference in continuing education on ovarian cancer. I immediately said yes. If I can do or say anything to help educate, I am all for it. Which is why I am writing this column. Ovarian cancer is one of the hardest to detect. Some symptoms include hip and groin pain (the only symptom I experienced), bloating, back pain, constipation, changes in bowel movements and menstrual cycles and upset stomach. If you feel something isn’t right with your body, follow up until you get the answers you feel you need. Nobody knows you better than you do.
A big thank you to ProMedica Toledo Hospital’s oncology staff, Dr. Garth Phibbs and his head nurse at the time Sandy, and Priscilla Turner and Liz Woolaver at Restorative Concepts. Also, Milan Mihalek at the Victory Center is the best!
Diane Miscannon is a volunteer for the Toledo Police Museum, Keith Dressel Memorial Ride, Remembering Detective Keith Dressel, Marine Corps Kids and My Pink Scarf.
