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Name:
Tanya (tanya)

Member Since:
October 31, 2006

Location:
Portland, Maine

Birthday:
April 7, 1975

Type of Cancer:
Ovarian Cancer

Medical Term for the Type of Cancer:
Right Ovary: Atypical proliferative (borderline) serous tumor with multiple foci of invasive low grade serous carcinoma. Left Ovary: Same thing, just micro-invasive.

Diagnosis Date:
September 2006

Stage of Cancer:
Stage 1

Tumor Size:
07

Grade of Tumor:
Grade 1

Lymph Node Involvement:
No

Chemotherapy:
Taxol (chemical name: paclitaxel)

Profile:
Cancer Survivor

What I Hate Most About Cancer:
Waiting for test results!!

Cancer Symptoms:

None really, maybe a little bloating and abdominal pain. This is the scary thing about ovarian cancer; few women have any symptoms at all.

Surgery Description, Dates & Side Effects:

I’ve had 3 surgeries total. The 1st was laproscopic when they discovered I didn’t have endometriosis, what they originally thought I had. That’s when they discovered that the 2 huge tumors were either cancerous or pre-cancerous. On the 2nd surgery they removed the 2 tumors and managed to save my ovaries, but the patholgy sent to Johns Hopkins came back showing a 6 mm invasive carcinoma in my right ovary, and the left ovary had a micro-invasive tumor. On January 29th, 2007, I had a total ovarian hysterectomy.

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:

Paclitaxel(Taxol)/Carboplatin(Paraplatin) combination, intravenous, 4 treatments total, 3 weeks apart. My first treatment was Oct. 17th. The side effects weren’t been too horrible. Days 3-6 I felt really bad, but I never vomited! I just felt VERY weak, and VERY sick. I was so pale I scared myself in the mirror, and sometimes I felt so bad I couldn’t even talk. I had HORRIBLE constipation like never before, and I still have heartburn, which I never got before.

Hormone Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects:

Bio-identical HRT in the form of transdermal creams: includes Bi-estrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone…started March 2007.

No side effects to speak of so far! I highly recommend seeing a HRT specialist to look into bio-identical HRT. After reading “What your doctor may not tell you about menopause” I refuse to go on the “conventional” synthetic hormones most doctors prescribe.

Tanya's Cancer Blog

June 27, 2007

Wow... Views: 643

I just noticed that my blog is listed as the most discussed web blog. I’m humbled! And it’s been sooo long since I’ve written.

Life is becoming a bit normal, I guess. I will finally have health insurance thanks to the … More…

Posted on June 27, 2007 at 6:32:42 AM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

Wow...,

5 comments)

April 24, 2007

"Health insurance hell" stories? Views: 378

Just wondering…I know a lot of you out there have also been affected by health “insurance” companies and the issues that arise during cancer treatment. I’m interested in hearing anyone else’s horror stories, especially about insurance policies being canceled, etc.

I’m … More…

Posted on April 24, 2007 at 4:38:41 PM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

"Health insurance hell" stories?, Post a comment.

6 comments)

April 13, 2007

Run/Walk (crawl) For a Cure! Views: 241

I was just looking through the community calendar here, and I came across the revlon run/walk for a cure. And I signed up.

So, I’m going to NYC on May 5th to participate!

Here’s a link to my fund raising website:

https://www.revlonrunwalk.com/ny/secure/MyWebPage.cfm?pID=367134

My … More…

Posted on April 13, 2007 at 9:18:56 AM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

Run/Walk (crawl) For a Cure!, Post a comment.

7 comments)

April 11, 2007

Oy! Views: 254

Hello everyone!

It’s been too long since I last posted…is moving x-country a good enough excuse??

Things are a little closer to normal right now…I’m once again sitting at my computer 1st thing in the morning drinking way too much coffee. Very … More…

Posted on April 11, 2007 at 4:33:08 AM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

Oy!,

4 comments)

March 21, 2007

When it rains it pours! Views: 424

This is Mowgli getting ready for the big move…taking it all in stride! He thinks all of the furniture moving around is tons of fun…runs over and through it all like a big jungle gym. Meanwhile, the dogs follow us … More…

Posted on March 21, 2007 at 8:44:35 AM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

When it rains it pours!, Post a comment.

9 comments)

March 13, 2007

BRCA test...ask your doctor about it!!! Views: 285

I just saw my PCP and asked him if he could order the test for the BRCA gene mutation; I just had the blood drawn and should have results in a week or so. My sister is a doctor, and … More…

Posted on March 13, 2007 at 5:03:06 PM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

BRCA test...ask your doctor about it!!!, Post a comment.

4 comments)

March 12, 2007

It's valley fever! Yeah!! Views: 258

Only a cancer survivor would be happy about that!

I knew the gray/orange smog that lingers here for days wasn’t a good thing…I’m so glad I’m moving! The pathology said it’s “sporadic” and “active” so I need to keep an eye … More…

Posted on March 12, 2007 at 4:32:07 PM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

It's valley fever! Yeah!!, Post a comment.

2 comments)

March 9, 2007

Biopsy a breeze. Views: 235

(if you look closely you can see my scar that I proudly strutted around with)

Hi everyone,

I had a hard time logging on for the past few days…Jill says she’s had a little bit of trouble with the site. Some day … More…

Posted on March 9, 2007 at 6:26:45 PM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

Biopsy a breeze., Post a comment.

5 comments)

February 22, 2007

Lesson learned...listen carefully and take notes when talking to doctors!! Views: 309

I had my app. with the pulmonary thoracic surgeon today, and turns out that my freakin’ lung nodule actually is not calcified. Which means it’s growing, or just grew. I think when I spoke to the nurse about the ct … More…

Posted on February 22, 2007 at 3:42:32 PM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

Lesson learned...listen carefully and take notes when talking to doctors!!, Post a comment.

9 comments)

February 17, 2007

Good news??? Views: 301

Ok, so I FINALLY got the CT results yesterday. The lung “noodle” is most likely a small calcified granuloma, consistent with those that develop after some type of respiratory infection (ie, valley fever, pneumonia, etc). But, because of my past … More…

Posted on February 17, 2007 at 8:45:30 AM by Tanya ( Link to this post.

Good news???, Post a comment.

6 comments)

Tanya's Stats

Posts:	34
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