#166-Public Service Announcement

The "Teal Ribbon"is the nationally recognized ribbon color for awareness and support of Ovarian Cancer. The month of September has been chosen as the National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

In celebration of being Cancer Free for 8 years (Feb 13th) I would like to share the following with you.

Don't ignore your body!

I got lucky, but it isn't always that way. If something doesn't feel right get it checked out. I was one of those stubborn people that wouldn't go to the doctor unless I was in excruciating pain. (Although for those of you have been or are going through infertility treatments I am sure this isn't an issue... but I just had to say it anyway!)

Here's the LONG Version
In the summer of 2000 I started getting pains in my abdomen. They were pretty painful but I thought they would go away. In October they got worse. I had to leave a painting class as I was in horrible pain. Still I did nothing. In November it got so bad my hubby had to take me to emergency. The emerg doc wouldn't tell me anything, except you need to see your family doctor tomorrow! (That was comforting)

Well my family doctor was on Maternity Leave so I had to go to a 'fill in'. She sent me for an ultrasound. Which turned into an utter disaster, I only go to the big clinics now. I left with the tech telling me I had to come back, because I either had a full bowel or a large growth. WTF? They wanted me to clean out my bowel first and come back. Of course I went back to the doctor, freaking out, they called the U/S tech and they said there was nothing wrong. Made me feel like a total idiot.

Well I went back to the same place (what an idiot I am I would never do that again... it's amazing what you learn after going through IVF!). By this time it was December. I went back and heard nothing, given that the office hadn't been that good at calling back I kept calling them. It was over two weeks and they still hadn't received any results. Finally they got my results but I had to wait until a dr. was available. I had to keep calling as no one called me. Finally a doctor called me back, at work, to tell me I had a growth that needed to be removed.

They managed to get me in with an OB/GYN in December. They never did send the Paper Work to the OB/GYN (big surprise). Then I found out that I had 2 growths not one.

This is the part where where I got lucky, the 7cm growth grew to the size of a grapefruit between Dec and Feb when it was removed.

Eight years ago I got very lucky. I am an ovarian cancer survivor and hope to keep it this way.

So I leave you with were I started, listen to your body and get it checked out if something doesn't feel right.