I am 60 and found out at end of February that I have Stage 3 Ovarian cancer , complete shock ! I have never been ill until now . It all started from my tummy feeling swollen , thought it was just anxiety driven , or I had eaten wrong foods . But then I noticed that I needed a toilet more than usual , and I found it difficult to sleep on my tummy . Still kept ignoring it until one morning i felt a sizeable lump on the right hand side of ovaries .. thought maybe I had pulled a muscle after long walks I had been taking during lock down. few more days went by , each morning noticing that lump was still there , I had to make a decision, phone the doctors . I am absolute sure that only because I had the lump they saw me straight away . , my cancer story started from there , Visit to the doctors 2nd February this year . I am now 4 chemos down , and waiting to meet up with surgeons next Friday July 2nd as to my options for surgery . I have two more chemos left either before or after surgery . So what keeps me going ?! I told everyone straight away , support from friends is everything , I carry on life as normal as possible , positive mental attitude goes a long way , I look after my appearance even I had no hair, no eyebrows or lashes , I bought new clothes that are easy to wear and colourful , I have selection of hair coverings to change and enjoy , I try to eat healthy and find ways of coping with side effects which are many , but temporary ! My new life style is , I rest , i take my time , I enjoy my garden , I read , and I sleep . Modern medicine has come a long way , I put my trust in my doctors and accept all that is to come knowing that I can still enjoy my life despite ovarian cancer . Keep positive ! Smile and get your friends to make you laugh ! One of the best Medicines there is ! Take care everyone ! Beautiful day today
Hi Berries 60 and welcome to the Online Forum. Any cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment knocks you for six but reading your post, you're facing things head on with support from family and friends, that makes such a difference. Positive mental attitude is the key - we can't prevent what fate throws at us so lets just get on with it. When I got my diagnosis I imagined getting long blonde wigs and a different colour for every day of the week. Didn't happen to me but when I saw the ladies in Oncology suite either wearing their baldness with pride or colourful headwear I felt an affinity.
I've a different cancer to you but, like you, placed my full trust in our Wonderful NHS and so far, fingers crossed, I'm out the other side.
It's always helpful to others if you update your profile, then others can see what you've gone through - I would recommend posting this, your first post as it's uplifting and informative.
Thank you for making me smile, sending big hugs, B xx 
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Hi Berries, and hope you’re making the most of your weekend (from the positivity and strength in your post I’m sure you will be 
).
Our journeys sound very similar - I’m 59, diagnosed in November 2020 (stage 2b OC) after presenting with bloating and a lump in right ovary. Had my surgery in December, and just finished 6 cycles of chemo. Always fit and active, non-smoker, relatively healthy eater (except maybe for a bit too much chocolate and wine 
) and no family history of OC, so this hit me out of nowhere.
I had cold cap with my chemo so managed to keep a lot of my hair - eyebrows and lashes starting to come back now too (6 weeks after final chemo). I believe like you said though - it’s not necessarily about having the hair, it’s about finding a look that you can feel happy and confident with - whether that’s scarves, different coloured wigs or something else.
I’m sure you will come through your remaining chemo and surgery as strong and positive as you are going into it. Pre-surgery, there’s nothing better you can do than eat healthy, keep active and do what makes you happy (oh, and invest in some BIG knickers and an extra long phone charging cable!).
Be thinking of you and, if you feel like posting again, it’d be great to hear how you’re doing,
love Bxx
