Diagnosis

Firstly, I am so sorry to hear you have this disease at such a young age. It must have been such a shock for you & is alot to process for sure. Do you mind me asking, what lead to your diagnosis. I ask because I wondered if your age means your symptoms were any different. I have not heard of anyone getting this diagnosis so young  bless you. 

You are in the right place for sure for lots of advice & support. Are there any specific things you want to know about? I'm happy to share my experience of both chemo and surgery but we are all different so our experiences may well be different. 

What I can say is you will need lots of support around you, family & friends, emotionally & physically to manage what lies ahead. Its hard to accept it if you are used to being independent but you can't do it all alone. You could also pop a specific post on here or the Ovacome Forum (very useful as Ovarian cancer specific) to see if others a similar age have experiences to share as you can relate more fully. Or use the search function as whatever questions you have will likely have cropped up before. 

I would also suggest staying away from google as much information is out of date, as is data on survival rates etc. It won't help you. Medicines have come on leaps & bounds and will continue to do so plus it is a huge bonus you are young and in otherwise good health I hope 

You will find much more useful information by contacting the support line on here or asking your team to explain things in more detail. 

Above all, take each day as it comes, don't think too far ahead, expect it to be a rollercoaster in every aspect, be kind to yourself, and keep the faith as you will find strength & courage you may never know existed. Write down everything you are told by your team & the dates to refer back to and consider going along to your nearest cancer support centre. 

If I can give you any encouragement, I have not long had surgery for stage 4 cancer and all visible signs were removed. I have 3 chemo sessions remaining to zap what spread to my lungs/neck but I remain very hopeful of going into remission this year. So can you, & I wish you all the very best as you start on your journey, keep in touch & please do fire any further questions my way xxx

Hey I found out quite weird I had symptoms but had just left it taken some meds and assumed it was just to do with my period or not feeling well never did I think of ovarian cancer I then went to donate blood as my friend had just died of cancer a few months back which got flagged as something was wrong so I needed to go in I again got flagged at my medical with the navy and went to see a specialist after getting tests done it came out with ovarian cancer I had went alone and not told anyone about it in an attempt not to worry anyone (not a good idea) as I broke down when they told me and went and got hammered with my mates and told my mum when I was drunk I’ve since moved back home which I didn’t want to do but a lot of my “friends” didn’t want to see me sick and turned there backs on me so I was incredibly isolated my partner broke up with me a little bit before I found out so I had that as well and everything just all hit me at once I’ve had to take sick leave from studying law so just alot of stuff I am wondering how life changes as currently I can’t do the sports I love and the things I enjoy but I’m hopeful this will change and some days I will be able to do more than others thank you for the reply I appreciate it wish you all the best xx

Good morning 

I'm not sure how I missed your reply? I would have messaged back had I seen it. Its now 2 months ago, how are things with you now, have you started treatment? I'm sorry your friends seem to have abandoned you when you need them. Some people just don't know how to deal with it & support you. They worry they will say or do the wrong things. Do you have 1 or 2 close friends to be by your side? Having people around you is so important, its a tough journey to go it alone. Meeting others in a similar position will really help. Maybe Macmillan can point you in the right direction. 

Everyone has a unique experience & being younger you may well cope with the treatment better. Do let your uni know what is happening plus there are benefits you can get to help financially, again Macmillan can advise you. Your life will change for sure because it is an unknown journey. Its hard to accept it, especially when you aren't able to do what you love, I am a swimmer yet the infection risk is too high so I can't do it, so I walk instead and go to parks and lakes & soak up nature. Focus on the things that make you happy, its a time for digging deep & reflection on what you want your life to look like. I just take each step as it comes, just had my 6th chemo & feeling ill atm but its all part of my journey. 

Love to hear back from you

Take care

Xxx