I agree with Anettemartinrn, whether the original story of Kathy West is true or not is trivial. Ovarian cancer is true and the fact that it is almost a totally silent cancer is just as true. How do I know? I have it. And I had no signs in the beginning. Most of you will not recognize my name - I used to post here years ago and only recently began lurking again. Last fall, I started to have serious pain when having a bowel movement. Thinking I had Irritable bowel syndrome, I let it go for a few weeks before finally making an appt. with a gastroenterologist. It was only then discovered after a series of tests that I have advanced cancer. By the time I found out I had it, it had already spread throughout my peritoneal cavity. I immediately went to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer. The doctor told me most women 'present' as Stage 3 or even 4 because it's very hard to detect in the early stages. I had an extremely painful operation on January 2. They literally opened me from my groin to my rib cage, took every single organ out, and removed all the visible tumors. They were everywhere, my abdominal lining, my bladder, my colon (they had to resection a part of it), my diaghragm, and a tissue inside my abdomen called the 'omentum' which was also removed. I'm still not recovered from the operation, yet had to start my first round of chemo on February 5. I will have to go through 6 rounds of chemo. The first round has sucked; I cannot imagine what it's going to be like to go through the next 5. Once this cancer is in Stage 3, the return rate is really high and the 5-year survival statistics are not good. I can't even begin to express how depressed and angry I've become, how in fear for my life I am every single day, not knowing what's going to happen with me. I've never been sick in my life, always healthy. I ate right and exercised. I'm only 43 years old. I too was discouraged by my gynocologist from taking the CA125, because of the false positives. If I had the chance do it again, I'd take that CA125 anyway, false positive or not, even if I had to pay for it out of my own pocket. I would have insisted. I wish it would become a mandatory test.

I am so amazed at everyone here. We all have a story to tell. Some are harder then others. When it is said that you don't know until you have walked in their shoes, this is truier then you could ever imagine. I remember my sisters last battle with cancer. She decided not to do any treatment. Her doctor was wonderful to her. He told her if it was his mother facing this he would advise her in the same way. We had thought we would have my sister through the hoildays. She died two months later on September 4th. Sadly, it was on my youngest daughter's 30th birthday. I lived about an hour away and went every other day to spend time with her. When we knew time was running out I packed my bags and told my hubby I wouldn't be back until it was over. I am so thankful I was there. My grandma died a horrible death with cancer. I saw her for the last time on my wedding day. We went to her house after the ceremony. While on my honeymoon I called every day to check on her. We came home early so I could see her one last time. She died 30 minutes before we got there. She was a fabulous lady and only 54 years old. I have lost 17 loved ones from both my family and my hubbies.. It changes a person's life forever. For myself, I don't think of it often. I go get checked when I need to and live my life to the fullest every day. I worry about our daughters and grandaughters having to someday deal with this. But, that being said, we can't sit back and wait for it to happen. If it happens we will do all we can to stand together and deal with it.. Cancer is no longer a death sentence like it was years ago. I also know when you are first told it is the first thing to come to a person's mind. It is hard not the think this way. I pray everyone here has the best that life has to offer them. For me I think of my wonderful father-in-law so much. I know when I have a really great day he is smiling down at me and saying, "Great job, Susie." Some days I really feel like he is patting me on the back. Enjoy all you have..

Chi, our dermatologist (with 5 PAs in his office too) checks scalp, inside mouth, between toes, anywhere we have skin. Modesty goes out the window when there ;0) Our niece-in-laws melanoma was frightening. She'd had a dark mole on the back of her other hand since I'd known her. A raised mole, and more than once I'd wondered why she hadn't had it removed only because it seemed to me she would be bumping it often, especially caring for a baby. When she called about the skin cancer, I assumed that was it. No, it was a new-since-she'd-had-the- baby little red place on the back of her other hand that really looked to me like no concern. The surgeon took the skin (and I don't know how many layers underneath) from the entire back of her hand, closed it with a skin graft that he took from the inside of her other wrist and forearm. They removed some lymph nodes from her underarm area on that side, all clean.

I grew up in a small Southern chicken farming town so I made the healthy chicken choice back in the 70's. I did skim a couple articles just curious about 'woody' having never heard of it. Seems to still be a problem but many factory worker final packagers have developed a fell for the firm 'woodiness' and toss those aside for grinding into sausages and the nugget market. ..."Broiler chickens have been bred to strengthen the genetic markers for large breast meat, and this is thought to be a factor in the development of woody breast in recent years. One indication of this is the Athens Canadian Random Bred, a broiler chicken that has been maintained since the 1950s for research purposes. Lesions indicative of woody breast are found in this heritage breed, but not to the extent of the typical modern broiler chicken. According to Glisson, selecting genes for growth and yield has caused breeders to inadvertently select for woody breast, too." article here I do agree with this... “Whether organics are worth the price difference depends on whether you think it’s important to have food raised with fewer pesticides and no antibiotics. I do,” says Marion Nestle, a U.S. food expert and professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University. “Taste is also personal. I think organic chicken tastes better. It should. They have to be cared for more carefully to survive not being treated with antibiotics.” article here