Ovarian cancer stories blog is a growing collection of woman’s personal ovarian cancer stories. This is not meant to diagnose or prescribe any treatment protocol. This is being shared to let you know, you are not alone.
Others have gone before you and you can learn from their experience and have some awareness of some of the challenges ahead and ideas for coping.
If you are newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer, be careful with the amount that you read. In the beginning, you will probably find yourself wanting to read anything and everything.
But, after a while, you will need to become more discriminating and possibly even take a break for a time. That’s OK. There isn’t one right way to go through cancer treatment.
You will get through this and I hope that sharing these stories helps you. I will add to the ovarian cancer stories as more are submitted. I have not verified the information, these ovarian cancer stories are true as remembered and affirmed by their authors.
Martha, Age 58
My ovarian cancer story starts with a text message from my girlfriend, asking how long I could hold a plank. It was the summer of 2018 and I had been slacking off doing any exercise other than gardening and riding my bike.
I laid down on the floor and immediately noticed the hard bulge in my lower belly. Crap! What could that be? I got up and called the doctor’s office.
A few days later, I had my answer. A huge fluid-filled ovarian cyst, about 15 cm (6”) across. Given its simple construction and the barely elevated Ca125 (cancer marker for ovarian cancer), it was felt that it wasn’t cancer, so I eventually had it ruptured and drained and removed about two months after finding it.
Six days after that surgery, while sitting at home letting my laparoscopically scrambled belly heal, I got a phone call that the gynecologist surgeon wanted to see me. Tomorrow morning, bring your husband. Not good!
The Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
My simple cyst turned out to be high grade serous ovarian cancer, Stage 1C. But since it had ruptured it to get it out laparoscopically, it was considered a “spill” and further treatment was highly recommended.
Specifically, a full hysterectomy was needed to complete the “standard of care” and chemotherapy to catch any remaining lurking cancer cells that could seed metastatic tumours in my abdominal cavity.
This hit me hard. I was a 30 year veteran Registered Dietitian and low carb health coach. Being healthy was my “trademark” and my identity.
My private practice was all about awesome living over 50 and healthy aging. Now I was sick, vulnerable, facing an uncertain future, AND an assault on my identity.
I did what I have always done – my own independent research. I knew that I was not going to be a helpless victim to cancer or the system, and that I was going to do anything in my power to make myself bulletproof through the upcoming surgery and chemo.
My body was totally drug-naïve, so I was really scared of the drugs and their side-effects. But when I was offered peritoneal chemo for one of my drugs (Carboplatin), I told the doc that he should “hit me with your best shot because I don’t plan on doing this more than once!”
My Treatment for Ovarian Cancer
I had six rounds (every 3weeks) of Paclitaxol IV and Carboplatin IP at the Regional Cancer Centre about 3 hours from my home, in the middle of a deep Ontario winter.
Based on my research about cancer metabolism, I stuck to a strict ketogenic diet throughout chemotherapy to reduce the sugar availability to any cancer cells. I also employed short term fasting, in which, I fasted for 36 hours before each treatment and 24 hours after, to slow down my healthy cells and put them into what I called “stealth mode” so that the chemotherapy would not impact them as much.
For me, this was dramatically effective, as I sailed through chemo with minimal nausea, never threw up, had no mouth sores, no peripheral neuropathy, and minimal aches and pains. For about 4 to 5 days, I felt low-energy, then I would rebound and have two weeks of almost normal health (other than the baldness).
My white blood cell levels would fall after each treatment but always rebounded enough between treatments that I required no extra medication for my immune system.
I was flabbergasted that nobody in the “system” was talking about cancer from a metabolic perspective and nobody was aware of the power of nutritional interventions to impact on treatment and side effects.
I decided that I would use my unique position as an ovarian cancer survivor, Registered Dietitian and low carb advocate to try and share the information.
Ovarian cancer came out of left field into my life and careened me off the path that I thought I was on, but it also renewed my passion for the power of nutrition for good and I am grateful for that.
To read more about Martha, you can visit her website www.marthatettenborn.com
More Inspiring Stories
If you enjoyed this blog, you may like to read other inspiring personal stories
If you are a cancer survivor, you should have a Cancer Risk Reduction Guide to help you manage your nutrition post cancer treatment.
