Amanda Wells75 said:Greetings to everyone!
I’ve been lurking on this forum for quite some time now, but I haven't quite found the right moment to join the conversation. Reading about the losses you all have endured, please know that my heart goes out to you. My mother (born in 1957) was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She underwent surgery on May 22, 2014, where they removed both ovaries, her uterus, her appendix, and the omentum, which was unfortunately laden with metastases. The diagnosis is Stage IIIC. When we approached the doctor following the procedure to ask how everything went, his response was blunt: he simply confirmed it was cancer and listed everything they had to remove. To be honest, his words still echo in my head—he told us she wouldn't be cured, though she might live with it for a while in good quality, but even that wasn't a guarantee. He also mentioned she likely won't reach old age. Naturally, we didn't share that part with her; we prefer to hold onto hope for a recovery. It feels impossible to reconcile this diagnosis with the woman she is—she has always lived life at a hundred miles an hour. The stress hasn't just come from the illness itself. My father has been struggling with alcoholism for twenty years, and my mother has carried the weight of that burden for the entirety of those years. Despite everything, she made sure my sister and I received a top-tier education, and she finally got to see the grandchildren she spent years praying for. My sister has a little boy who is eighteen months old, and my daughter is nearly a year old. I see the sadness in my mother's eyes because she knows she can't be there to watch them grow up the way she planned. Regarding the clinical side of things: before surgery, her CA-125 markers were at 465. By the time she started her first round of chemotherapy about a month later, they had spiked to 850. After the first session, they dropped to 280, but then rose to 120 after the second, and climbed again by 110 after the third. An ultrasound recently revealed some cysts on her liver, though the oncologist at the Mayo Clinic couldn't say for certain if they are simple cysts or metastases. She’s scheduled for a CT scan, and once we have those results, she'll go before a medical board to discuss adjusting her chemotherapy regimen. One cyst is 3 cm and the other is 1 cm; fortunately, nothing else showed up on the ultrasound. I am reaching out to see if anyone here has dealt with a similar situation or if you have any advice. Currently, Mom is avoiding sugar and red meat, sticking strictly to boiled foods. Does diet play a significant role in the treatment process? If anyone has any insight or guidance, I would deeply appreciate it.
P.S. My apologies for the lengthy post.
My mother was also fighting this illness, and sadly, she lost that battle.
It all started with a Stage III C diagnosis. Since then, it’s been a relentless cycle of surgery, followed by chemotherapy, more surgery, more chemo, and yet another surgery. It feels like I'm just moving from one procedure to the next in an endless loop.
About six years ago, the doctors initially put her on a new chemo regimen that honestly didn't seem to do a thing. It felt like we were just spinning our wheels. However, they eventually switched her over to Taxol, which actually worked—it brought her markers back down to normal levels and bought her some much-needed time in remission.
She managed to pull through two full years since her diagnosis, despite the doctors originally giving her only six months.
I lost my father less than a year before that happened, but even then, Mom couldn't bring herself to let go and follow him—they were incredibly close. Instead, she stayed and fought for me and my brother.
The third surgery was incredibly extensive—it was a HIPEC procedure—and she just never quite recovered after that. Honestly, if her body had been able to withstand the toll it took, I truly believe she might have held on for another year or two.
If you check the old thread, there’s a story posted by Dina9. She managed to live with that illness for over ten years—though, unfortunately, she didn't make it in the end.
Diet is absolutely critical if you want to stay ahead of the curve. Personally, I think it’s worth cutting out red meat, refined white sugar, and white flour—basically anything that acts as fuel for cancer.
It might actually be worth considering adding some Native Propolis to the regimen. It serves as a solid antioxidant and provides a nice boost to the immune system, which can be particularly beneficial when dealing with reproductive system tumors. Additionally, incorporating Beta Glucan could offer some added support there as well.
Tibetan mushrooms are actually quite decent; you mix them with milk to create kefir, which my husband and I have been drinking lately. It’s honestly fantastic for the immune system.
Making any kind of prognosis is a thankless task, really. At the end of the day, the most important thing is ensuring she gets to live as high-quality a life as possible and stays focused on the positives for as long as she can. Beyond that, we just have to leave it in the hands of the Almighty.
If there's anything else I can do to help, just let me know.