September is Ovarian Awareness Month, and this is my plea to every woman to make herself aware of the symptoms. Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because the early symptoms are so subtle they can be attributed to other common issues. Because of that, women often go undiagnosed until it has advanced to a point that prognosis is grim. There is no lump to find, no screener to routinely give, no clear way to diagnose except surgery. ⬇️
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Then in August, the digestive problems got worse, and the pain became more persistent. Finally, I got concerned enough to make an appointment. I met with my family doctor, who I hadn't seen in years. ⬇️ 2d
He said "maybe...but maybe not." Then after asking a lot of questions and ordering blood tests (which ultimately would show nothing), he made me promise that as soon as I left I would make an appointment with my obgyn because - in his words - "gynecological problems can often mask themselves as gastro issues."
That statement may have saved my life. ⬇️ 2d
By the time I saw my obgyn, my symptoms included loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss. Luckily, my obgyn recognized the red flags, and she ordered the right tests. We found out I had a 13 centimeter tumor on my right ovary and a CA 125 of over 700. Now, we were off to the races. Countless tests, procedures, and appointments later, I was having major surgery and hearing the words "it's cancer." ⬇️ 2d
I could have given the cancer time to spread.
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I will continue to share my story in the hope someone listens and gets checked in time. I will pray for the day researchers develop a screener and this disease becomes less deadly. #MakeTheAppointment #KnowTheSymptoms
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