ITW n°78: Danièle - K fighter of the ovary.
Hello,
today Danièle 58 years old (aka @danoumonsieurbobo ), passionate and positive experienced seamstress, testifies to her K of the ovary stage 3C discovered in April 2014. Because this Cancer is difficult to detect (and I too am unfortunately, well placed to find out, read again here ), we need to talk about it!
( *testimony sent on April 11, 2016 )
Great discovery & Never Give Up
Let's get started:
Who are you ?
First name: Danièle
Age: 58 years old
Profession: seamstress
Where do you live: In Fouras in Charente Maritime
Why do you agree to share your story today?
to give hope to all people who have the same cancer and also to help them detect this cancer earlier
What are your qualities (in a few words)?
I am someone who never gives up, who always has lots of ideas and who believes in life
What are your passions (in a few words)?
sewing since I was five, traveling and all creative hobbies as long as my fingers are active, work and decoration
What K (what cancer - grade if you wish / stage ditto):
I have stage 3 C metastasized ovarian cancer
When was it discovered? How old were you ?
in April 2014 I was 56 years old
Under what circumstances was it discovered?
the doctors took more than nine months before discovering this K because they were all convinced that my pain was psychological, I had just lost my mother-in-law, my father and I was not doing well
If you are currently undergoing treatment, or in remission (for how long?)
I had a recurrence six months ago, I'm waiting for a PET scan and I hope to be in remission
Can you summarize your (K fighter) story for us?
In November 2013 I started having pain in my stomach then a stomach that grew bigger as the weeks went by. This belly was getting bigger and bigger and I was starting to have transit problems, I saw my gynecologist who told me that everything was normal for her... So I had a colonoscopy with a gastroenterologist who He didn't find anything and he also told me that it was psychological.
There I started to lose weight but also no longer had any taste at all and no longer felt hungry. I lost 10 kg in three weeks.
It was my psychologist who told me that it couldn't be psychological and who sent me for a scan.
During this scan we discovered ascites.
Laparoscopy followed very closely and there the extent of the cancer was discovered.
What treatment did you have?
chemo: if you have had it: (name of cocktails / number of sessions)
I started with three sessions of Carboplatin and Taxol because I was not operable, then after the operation five sessions of Carboplatin and Taxol...scan and remission afterwards I had avastin for nine months until upon my recurrence in November 2015 and there I repeated a series of six Carboplatin and Taxol chemos every week so that my platelets and my blood cells were correct.
radiotherapy: if you have had it:
No
operation if you have had one (how long were you hospitalized):
I had two laparoscopies
a laparotomy in Nantes which lasted seven hours where they removed the uterus, the ovaries, the lymph node chain, the epilon, scraping the diaphragm and the peritoneum
What tips directly related to K do you want to share?
1/ chemo: (ex: your tips, the helmet, your affinities with nurses):
I have always been close to people and so they have always been very kind to me which feels good, on the other hand from the start I asked the doctor and nurses to tell me the truth about the severity, about the exams this helped me to anticipate and manage the smooth running of care
How did you live the day before, the same day, the days after chemo?
and what were your tips?
the day before there was a lot of stress because I was anxiously waiting for the results of the blood tests
the same day I left with my car for chemo so that I could then go shopping in La Rochelle and also have a good tea in a superb tea room "It seems to say" I came to La Rochelle not just for chemo then at the end of the afternoon I went to my pilates class
The next day I wasn't in great shape but I continued as if nothing had happened. It was only on the fourth day that I allowed myself a pajama day.
2/ hospital: (e.g. contact with nurses / doc / caregivers):
an incredibly humane teacher in Nantes and top nurses
In La Rochelle, a dynamic oncologist and adorable nurses but always ask the truth
3/ “parallel” medicine, if you have done it (what disciplines, what were their benefits):
I have been followed by the onco psychologist for two years but also the family psychologist for our couple
This helps us a lot to manage this K on a daily basis because it is such an upheaval in everything that alone it would have been complicated
I saw an art therapist who taught me to live with this K which will not cure, it is chronic
I do a lot of sophrology and I have a physiotherapist who helps me with the side effects of nausea, neuropathy, etc.
What do you do to clear your mind/clear your head (before chemo, surgery & co)?
I live by the sea and I swam a lot and body surfed whenever possible.
The therapist asked me to write three pages of notebooks every evening no matter what I wrote even if it was the same word for three pages but I had to do these three pages every evening it made me feel very crazy
What practical “well-being/beauty” tips can you advise us?
1/ beauty: your essential products (e.g.: creams, varnishes, scars, oils, etc.)
I coated myself with sesame and evening primrose oil from head to toe.
2/ look, (e.g. your favorite chemo, hospital, every day look to feel good):
every day normally and on chemo days as colorful as possible petticoats tunics all colors to add joy and a soft cashmere sweater
3/ daily (e.g. sport, food & co, meditation, reading, etc.)
I do pilates three times a week and walk every day
And when I can, the swimming pool (see the oncologist) or the sea and sophrology three times a week
I try to eat as healthily as possible
4/ hair problem (eg: did you wear a wig, scarves, hats)
I never put anything on my head except in rain or shine and no one around me found it weird
Were you concerned about the views of others, were you afraid that their views would change? What did you do to counter it?
the looks of others don't bother me, I've been a redhead since I was little, so I'm used to it, no problem $
What are the “nugget”/footed phrases (that you remember) that someone said to you during K and that you could have avoided?
my mother who was never very kind...when I told her about the cancer and its seriousness...she told me that she also had a fungus on her foot
How did your loved ones support you?
first of all my husband who was there every day with a lot of patience and a lot of love
From the presence of my children
And from my loved ones who created a Facebook page behind my back to organize events for me
Example: the week before my operation I received lots of colorful cards and the morning of the operation at 5 a.m. more than 30 text messages and this continues regularly sometimes it's weird photos to make me laugh
And what advice could you give to loved ones who accompany a K fighter?
To be there, to be able to listen, to tell us when we talk too much about K because sometimes we tend to go around in circles, daring to tell their little problems because that doesn't exclude us from life
Accept that I refuse certain things because of fatigue or lack of desire
Do you find out about K on the internet?
yes a lot but only on official sites
If so, does it make you feel good?
it helps me know where I'm going and since I've been on the K de l'ovaire Facebook page I've discovered a virtual friendship and also a lot of help
If so, what would be the useful (internet) links that helped you during K?
the league for K, the Gauduchon hospital in Nantes where I am followed and the Facebook page
What has the K changed in your life…?
it changed everything in my life, I wanted to live so much that I wanted to live 130 and this K brought me back to another reality which makes me pay attention to many more important moments and I enjoy everything
Free field ;)
This cancer stole many things from my Innocence in life... pieces of my body, my mind and many other things...
But he taught me virtual friendship and mutual aid, perspective on many important things, very small ones too...
And he confirmed to me in the love of my husband and my big boys, the unfailing friendship of many friends, the urgency of living to the fullest the importance of being strong and always believing in it that we must keep hope and life is beautiful
I can't finish without talking about @danoumonsieurbobo on Instagram
Mr. Bobo was given to me by two pretty little princesses at the start of my cancer. He did all the chemo with me, the operation and during the first remission he threw away his doctor's clothes to travel through life with me. and since that day, March 2015, he has had his adventures on Instagram
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Thank you Danièle, for your precious testimony.
If like Danièle you want to tell your story and share your tips, go here , send me your questionnaire and 1 photo of yourself so that I can draw you ;) to: interview@mister-k-fighting-kit.com
*Many of you send me your testimonies, thank you for your precious trust, for this same reason, the broadcasts of your interviews will sometimes be broadcast in several months, but know that I keep and transmit absolutely ALL the testimonies that are sent to me , Thank you for understanding.
Please note that I do not retouch any Interview, they are completely free, it is your freedom, your story, I just add my personal touch with the illustration, they are delivered as they were sent to me ;)
NEVER GIVE UP!!
Charlotte