@A MyOvarianCancerTeam Member Hi Luann, my oncologist always points out that fluctuations in the CA 125 can be attributed to all kinds of things, including inflammation! But what I learned is, if you observe three sequential (in a row) incremental increases of your CA 125 number over a period of several months, it does predict a possibility that you have (or will soon) recur.
It was the case for me, but of course that isn’t always the case and everyone is so different!
please send updates! Sending warm wishes.

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A MyOvari...

I hear your concerns about a port being a reminder. But I rarely forget I have cancer and even though my port is very visible after loosing a lot of weight that's not what is reminding me :) It makes treatment so much easier. These drugs are very caustic to the more delicate veins in your arms. Get a nice fluffy soft seat belt wrap for in the car. My port sits right where the seat belt crosses and it used to dig in.. got a fluffy thing wrapped around the strap now and it's great!

Luann, it’s crazy you were on Lynparza and were stable then they take you off after two years and and a possible recurrence starts to happen I was only on Zejula for less than six months after my debulking and had my recurrence. I am now in my third year year still fighting those pelvic lymph nodes that skrint then i have chemo reactions and stop for a bit for them to grow back and start all over again it seems. Never ending. As for me my CA-125 has been in normal range since my debulking, but if it rises I know it’s active, so we follow it. I am still in normal range, I get a test every three weeks before my infusion. Wish you all the best. 🩵🙏🩵

I can’t tell you about chemo meds because I haven’t been on that combination. The mediport well after they put it in it’s sore for awhile but it heals and stops hurting. At first you’ll be aware of it but after awhile you forget about it and get used to it. When they access it for chemo it does feel like a needle poke but not as bad as it feels when they put a IV in. The nurses are all very knowledgeable about mediport and take care of them really well. As far as losing your hair. I thought about it like this. Well the minute my hair started coming out I just went in the bathroom and shaved it all off. For
Me I thought about two movie actresses. Sigourney Weaver shaved her head for real when she was filming one of her alien movies back in the 1990s. In the movie she’s the kick ass heroine that kills the aliens and saves the day. Then there was Demi Moore she shaved her head to do a movie back in the 1990s about a woman who goes in the marines and she also is a kick ass heroine. So that’s how I looked at it. I shaved my head to fight and kick cancers butt. You can get wigs but some people just wear a hat. Amazon has lots of chemo hats just search for chemo hats. They also have nice soft beanie hats you can wear when your home or sleeping. Hope this helps!

I agree Mary. The impact of losing your hair is much more than a vanity thing—it’s about it’s a (seemingly) loss of identity & familiarity, I think. My hair never returned after my recurrence! That has been much harder than I would’ve imagined, but it sure as heck is not a huge big deal in this scheme of things!😘