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My ovarian cancer story - Part II |
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Page 1 of 3
By Barbara Ehlers-Mason with L. John Mason »
The weeks after my discharge from the hospital, were very busy. My
sister, Nance, and my mom decorated the house and Christmas tree. My
sister Lauren visited from Washington and cleaned, cooked and lent
invaluable support to all of us.
There were visits to the surgeon for follow-up and the oncologist for the initial visit. John and my sisters accompanied me. It was so very helpful to have someone else ask questions and write down information. It can be an overwhelming experience, especially when you're a little "spaced out" on vicodin for pain management, as I was.
I signed on to be part of a clinical study using different combinations of medications for eight instead of the normal six cycles. Laurie had brought a book with her that offered a lot of information on how to deal with an ovarian cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatments.
One suggestion was to research clinical studies. There is a great deal of "cutting edge" research out there but you may have to hunt for it, do your homework, and bring the information to your doctor. My oncologist's office was conducting a trial, I was accepted, and I was scheduled to begin treatment on December 21.
Even though I was dreading the whole process, I knew I had to approach it in much the same way I did the surgery, almost like an athletic event or a race. I wanted to go in as strong and as prepared as possible and with a better "attitude".
Attitude is defined as a manner of acting, feeling or thinking that shows one's disposition, opinion and mental set. We may not be able to control a situation, but we can choose our attitude about that situation - victim or fighter; passive or aggressive; depressed or striving toward joy and happiness; caught in the "why me's" or searching for the "what can I learn from this."
With the help of many people and through much reading and research, my "attitude-adjustment" process unfolded.
A booklet entitled Preparing for Chemo suggests several things that I immediately put into action.
- Get your hair cut short so that when your hair starts falling out, it's less traumatic and won't clog the shower's drain. (This worked for the drains but I was still traumatized.)
- If you plan to wear a wig, shop for it before starting chemo. My sisters and my dear friend and hairdresser Patty, helped with both of these steps. Watching my long hair fall to the floor was very hard and yet made me feel the tiniest bit more in control of what was happening to me. To my surprise, everyone loved my new hairdo. The compliments boosted my ego when I really needed it. Nance and Laurie accompanied me to the wig shop. Laughter is very good medicine - and we laughed a lot as we all played with the wigs before settling on two very nice ones. Four hundred dollars later I was armed with my hair prosthetics and a sore belly from laughing. At this writing, I'm sporting my own very short hair after nine months of wigs and hats.
- The booklet suggests having a dental check up and cleaning before starting chemo. Also important is giving your home a thorough cleaning and perhaps scheduling someone to come in once a week thereafter - a clean house can minimize exposure to infectious agents.
- Building up strength through exercise and a good diet can help minimize some of the side effects of chemo. This booklet and other helpful literature, is available through oncology offices and offers good practical information. I also found the library and the internet to be good resources.
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