And so it began ...again.

Earlier in the summer I started to have symptoms of cancer recurrence. Mostly the symptoms were bloating and feeling full and pains in my side. I went to the doctor. Turns out my CA125s went up to 33.

You probably never heard of a CA125 test. It isn’t a good test and it is not used for the general public. It could go up for benign conditions (such as pms) and conversely it could fall within the ‘normal’ range while someone has stage four cancer. That said, in my past experience with ovarian cancer back in 2005, the marker seemed to be a good indicator. It was 3904 before I had my surgery, it was 75 before I started chemo and hovered in the 20s for the next three years.

When it jumped to 33, my doctor wasn’t “particularly concerned” but it was worth an ultrasound since it had never gone that high before. The ultrasound showed two small cysts that looked normal. The bigger one was 2.5 cm. It is normal for women to get cysts regularly. Cysts become concerning when they are complex (blood flow, threads of tissue) vs. simple (clear). These small cysts weren’t “particularly concerning.” The doctor said to come back in two months.

Two weeks later I called the doctor’s office and complained of more symptoms. She told me that everything came back normal and to give it two months as the doctor said.

I thought about what she said. I thought about my diet. Could my recent problems be indigestion? I had been eating nuts every day. Every time I get a little nervous about recurrence, I start eating healthy food. I wondered if this change in diet maybe caused more symptoms that I confused with cancer?

About a week after that, I decided I was crazy to put my instincts on the back burner. I had an old photocopy of a blood work order and decided I’d use it. What was the worst that could happen? The insurance would refuse to pay for it since the doctor didn’t order it?? Well if that was the case I decided I could deal with the $350. I consulted with one of my mentors, Sean Patrick, the founder of the HERA Foundation. I came to the conclusion that I needed to listen to the advice I so often give women in my work with the HERA. I took that old bloodwork order and went for my CA125.

It came back at 55. It had gone up 22 points in four weeks. 22 is a normal level for me. It doubled from my normal level. I dropped the phone when the nurse called. I hated that number. 55. Even worse, I couldn’t get that annoying Sammy Hagar song out of my head... “Gonna write me up for 125, Post my face Wanted Dead or Alive. Take my license and all that jive... I can’t drive 55!” It was an awful day.

The nurse sent me for a CT scan and an appointment with the gyn-oncologist the following week.

The CT scan revealed that the mass on my right ovary had grown to 6cm. It looks contained. It could very well be a benign condition. No one will know for sure until surgery.

Surgery is scheduled for September 24th 2008.