Hitting the Net immediately when I returned from hospital, I began searching for information on anything cancer, and in particular, ovarian cancer.
http://www.cancer.org/ gave the most comprehensive and easily understood details, posting information from the American Cancer Society. It showed clearly how ovarian cancer is staged, or how widespread it is. More important to me was a small table titled "Relative 5-Years Survival Rate", showing all 10 Stages, from Stage 1A to Stage 4. It refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer had been diagnosed.. 92% for Stage 1A and at Stage 4...17.5%... a chill ran down my spine.
Nellie's 3-day stay at the R Hospital was relatively smooth. Fed with her Mum's best soups and porridge, and with comforting visits by family and friends, she soon gained enough strength to return home.
4 days later, it was time to see her gynae again for her final results to be revealed, showing the staging of her ovarian cancer.
" I remember saying to myself, 'Be brave. Lets get the full story from Dr Goh' , and then take it from there. But what awaited me was more then I could handle. The doc said that not only has the tumour grown to such an enormous size, it has also spread to the womb lining, the ommentum.
She continued, "I am afraid your cancer is at Stage 3C!"
My husband and I held our hands, and wept. A minute later, and still fearing for the worst, he asked Dr Goh to give it to us in plain English what a Stage 3 cancer really meant... ' about 30% chance of survival' was her answer. My head was spinning. It took awhile to soak it all up. We thank the doc and took a sombre drive home. In the bathroom, I fell onto my husband's shoulder and sobbed.."
>>gleefully ntangle
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