Learning you have ovarian cancer can change your life and the lives of those
close to you. These changes can be hard to handle. It is normal for you, your
family, and your friends to have many different and sometimes confusing
feelings.
You may worry about caring for your family, keeping your job, or continuing
daily activities. Concerns about treatments and managing side effects, hospital
stays, and medical bills are also common. Doctors, nurses, and other members of
your health care team can answer questions about treatment, working, and other
activities. Meeting with a social worker, counselor, or member of the clergy can
be helpful if you want to talk about your feelings or concerns. Often, a social
worker can suggest resources for financial aid, transportation, home care, or
emotional support.
Support groups also can help. In these groups, patients or their family
members meet with other patients or their families to share what they have
learned about coping with the disease and the effects of treatment. Groups may
offer support in person, over the telephone, or on the Internet. You may want to
talk with a member of your health care team about finding a support group.
It is natural for you to be worried about the effects of ovarian cancer and
its treatment on your sexuality. You may want to talk with your doctor about
possible sexual side effects and whether these effects will be permanent.
Whatever happens, it may be helpful for you and your partner to talk about your
feelings and help one another find ways to share intimacy during and after
treatment.
For tips on coping, you may want to read the NCI booklet Taking Time: Support
for People With Cancer. NCI's Information Specialists at 1-800-4-CANCER and at
LiveHelp (http://www.cancer.gov/help) can help you locate programs, services,
and publications. For a list of organizations offering support, you may want to
get the NCI fact sheet "National Organizations That Offer Services to People
With Cancer and Their Families."
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled, sac-like structures within an ovary. Causes of ovarian cysts are numerous. Symptoms of an ovarian cysts may be pain in the belly or pelvis. Treatment of an ovarian cysts depends on type of cyst.
Ascites, the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity is most commonly caused by cirrhosis of the liver. Some of the other causes of ascites include portal hypertension, congestive heart failure, blood clots, and pancreatitis. The most common symptoms include increased abdominal girth and size, abdominal bloating, and abdominal pain. Treatment depends on the cause of ascites.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Women's health is an important topic area to guide a woman through the stages of her life, as well as knowing the conditions and diseases that may occur. Educating yourself so that the transitions into different phases of life is key to a healthy, happy, and productive life.
Most often, caregivers take care of other adults who are ill or disabled. Less often, caregivers are grandparents raising their grandchildren. The majority of caregivers are middle-aged women. Caregiving can be very stressful, so it's important to recognize when it's putting to much strain on you and to take steps to prevent/relieve stress.
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