September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian Cancer is a sneaky disease. Many of the symptoms are very vague and can be discounted easily. Fatigue, bloating, back and abdominal pain and urinary urgency or frequency are all symptoms that can be associated with aging or a less than healthy lifestyle. None of them are so alarming that they would have you making a call to your doctor but I urge you to do so if any of these symptoms persist. Make an appointment and get checked out because here’s the thing: Early detection of ovarian cancer is everything. According to the national ovarian cancer coalition, only 19% of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in the early stages. But those diagnosed in stage 1 have only a 10% chance of recurrence. Those are pretty good odds!
Women can suffer from lower extremity lymphedema after ovarian cancer treatment. Lymph node removal or possibly even the surgery itself can cause swelling of the legs. This can happen immediately or several years following a diagnosis and surgery. If you are feeling a heaviness in your legs or if you notice that your legs swell on a more regular basis, please speak to your doctor about manual lymph drainage to relieve these symptoms. If you are in the chicagoland area, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected]