Ovarian Cysts and Cancer

I was watching tv last night and a commercial came on. I hate commercials but this one was about ovarian cancer awareness. It really got me thinking. With recently finding out that my mom has breast cancer(this Halloween), I started thinking about my own risks. With already having ovarian cysts, the risk for me getting cancer continues to increase. I won't be hypochondriac about it but that doesn't mean I should turn a blind eye.

So I did the next thing that I could do. I googled. My results yielded me with just more questions. Apparently there are no clear defining symptoms that can tell you that you have ovarian cancer. The ones given are:

* Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating
* Urinary urgency
* Pelvic discomfort or pain
* Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea
* Unexplained changes in bowel habits, such as constipation
* Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate
* Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full
* Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist
* Pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
* A persistent lack of energy
* Low back pain
* Changes in menstruation

Since I already have ovarian cysts(and I'm a woman), I have all of these symptoms so it's unhelpful.
Symptoms for ovarian cysts are:

* Menstrual irregularities
* Pelvic pain — a constant or intermittent dull ache that may radiate to your lower back and thighs
* Pelvic pain shortly before your period begins or just before it ends
* Pelvic pain during intercourse (dyspareunia)
* Pain during bowel movements or pressure on your bowels
* Nausea, vomiting or breast tenderness similar to that experienced during pregnancy
* Fullness or heaviness in your abdomen
* Pressure on your rectum or bladder — difficulty emptying your bladder completely
* Sudden, severe abdominal or pelvic pain
* Pain accompanied by fever or vomiting

I've also found this unsettling news:

Ovarian cancer at its early stages(I/II) is difficult to diagnose until it spreads and advances to later stages (III/IV). This is due to the fact that most of the common symptoms are non-specific.

I guess that's why they call it the "silent killer". Thanks.

The only way to tell if you have ovarian cancer is to be cut open(laparotomy). It is filled with side effects and very costly. But because I am young, doctors will not consider to test for ovarian cancer although it is still possible. In the meantime, the pain in my body is spreading. The treatment for ovarian cysts is to take pain killers and to have surgery if the cyst gets too big. I am to monitor my body via pelvic ultrasounds and pelvic exams every 1 to 3 months. Right now, I can't afford to go.

Having a pelvic exam is quite weird but when you have them often, as I have to, you get used to it. In contrast to the average woman, who must have a pelvic exam once a year.

In a pelvic exam the doctor does the old one,two. You spread em' and he pokes around in you with two fingers, with the other hand on top of your pelvis, jabbing at the walls of your inside. (Yes, I said 'he'. I had a male gynecologist which is required to have a female nurse in the room during the exam. Yay! Party!)
No, it does not feel good. Since I'm going in for a check-up on the painful cysts in my body, the jabbing equates to someone jabbing at your balls. (Unless you're a masochist, it does not feel good.)

After a few "sorry's", I'm done! yay! After I've dressed, he'll fascinatingly tell me about the size of the cysts he felt and hold up his hands to show me how big.(Not like the fish you caught last summer! More like 3-4 inches in diameter.)

A pelvic ultrasound is much weirder. I've never been pregnant, so I can't compare that experience. But to me, it's more like the most awkward porno I've ever been in. First they torture you by making you fill your bladder, then wait in the waiting room for awhile until you're ready to burst. At which point, they'll call you in and you remove your bottoms, climb up on a bed.(if you're lucky, they warm it for you with warm towels)

Then the ultrasound technician comes in, turns off the lights, says a few nice words and lifts up your gown. (Awkward. Once, my mom wanted to join since she works in radiology, doubly awkward.) She will then push on your full bladder and painful cysts and take pictures with this jelly-covered device that to me, strangely resembles the scanners used in shopping stores. During all of this, I don't know what the fuck is going on. I'm way too concentrated on not wetting the bed and the technician.

When I reach the point where it feels like I can't handle anymore, she lets me use the bathroom.(This agony happens every time without fail.)

After half-time, I climb back in and ready for my second photo shoot. There's always a comment by the technician on how good that must make me feel. (More awkwardness.) She now steps it up a notch by using what they call a "wand", also covered with jelly. I would say it looks exactly like a g-spot vibrator or a massage wand, whatever you'd prefer. My eyes must be big every time I'm shown it because the technician without fail says "Oh don't worry, I'm not inserting ALL of it. Only this much." And she'll point to where the insertion stops. (OOOkayy..that makes everything better. not.)
For some reason, it's always more painful (and definitely more uncomfortable) as she takes her snapshots. I try to ignore everything by staring at the pretty black and white show of my insides. Every once in awhile she'll stop and take a picture of big black spots. She'll label them with some medical shortcut jargon and repeat.


None of these exams can "cure" my cysts and the pains they give me. Nor can they tell me if I have cancer. But maybe, hopefully it can catch something "abnormal"(or more abnormal than I already have) sooner.

Honestly, I've never considered cancer until my mom's diagnosis.

I'm not saying I want to have cancer(who does?) but I surely do not want to wait until it's too late. My mom's getting her breast augmented. She tells me she might have to augment both. I can't simply turn a blind eye anymore.

Links:
Ultrasound of ovarian cysts
Ovarian cysts
MayoClinic: Ovarian cancer
Cnn: Ovarian cancer
What is Pelvic Ultrasound Imaging?
Pelvic exam

Questions a doctor may ask:
* When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
9th grade -1999

* Have your symptoms been continuous, or occasional?
Continuous. I have dull abdominal pain almost everyday. At least a couple times a month I have severe abdominal pain.

* How severe are your symptoms?
When I have severe abdominal pain I have to call off from work. Moving and sometimes breathing causes extreme pain.

* Does anything seem to improve your symptoms?
Lying down and not moving until it goes away. I take tylenol but it hasn't been working anymore. When it did, it used to dull the pain, never taking it away. I've also taken ibuprofen. It only makes my stomach sick.

* Does anything appear to worsen your symptoms?
Bending, moving.

* Any first-degree relatives with ovarian or breast cancer? Other cancers in the family?
My mom has breast cancer. She also had ovarian cysts.