Hi Rhonnie, I had stage 3 ovarian cancer and had a radical hysterectomy and debulking in May 2011. Its been a challenging time to say the least but the good news is that I am now 15 months free of cancer. I can understand that it is hard to tell family members you have cancer when your MIL died of bowel cancer. You sound like a very private person. We told everyone by email. They knew that I was very ill, in hospital and sedated due to extreme pain and was not well enough for visitors. It took 2 weeks to get the diagnosis and by that stage everyone knew that it was something serious. After that my husband sent everyone updates every couple of weeks as to my progress and asking for prayer support. Of course he did speak with close family on the phone but at least he did not have a large number of phone calls to return and be constantly talking about it. One of the hardest things that I have found about telling others is that most people see ovarian cancer as a death sentence. The statistics are not good but there are lots of people out there who are OC survivors and are well and happy. I spoke with my oncologist a few months ago about survival rates and her reponse was that everyone is an individual and that it is important to focus on the progress that I have made and how well I am. She said that every clear blood test is a step closer to a long life. She has one patient who is more than 10 years free of OC. Look after yourself Rhonnie. Take each day or hour as it comes and do the things that give you pleasure. Housework and non-essentials have to wait at the moment. If you want to talk, please send me a Private Message and I'll give you a call. I live in Frankston, not so far from you. Wishing you all the best, Kaye ... View more

I found I was really unwell at the beginning of each cycle and then felt better for the last 5 to 7 days. Thenis starts all over again. The most encouraging words that I received were from a friend who had experienced chemo. She told me that it was tough but doable. I found that very small quantities of food suited me. Some days toast and vegemite was all I wanted. I could only eat plain food such as meat or chicken and steamed vegies. Your friend is so lucky to have someone so supportive. Kaye ... View more