Cancer survivors come in

violetmarie61516

I don't post here alot but I thought I'd ask what your experiences are since there are more DOR dx on this board rather than 3T and I've seen some cancer survivors as well.  If you don't mind sharing, what type of cancer did you have and how were you treated for it?  How long ago were you dx and how has it affected your TTC?  Was there a direct relation between the drugs you were given for cancer and your IF?

A little background on me...I was dx with Ewing's Sarcoma in October 1991 found in my right pelvis, it was non-metastatic but did extend into the soft tissue of my pelvic cavity.  I was treated with chemotherapy (Vincristine, Adriamycin and Cytoxan) every 3 weeks for 51 weeks, MESNA and 31 days of radiation therapy.  I went into remission on September 30, 1992 and have been cancer free since.

My right ovary was in the radiation field so it was severely damaged but they still see about 1 follie at CD3 but we are not sure if it's an egg or even if it may be viable.  Combined, my ovaries have severely diminished reserve but we are still TTC with our own eggs at this time.  I found out at my 2nd RE consultation that the radiation was not the worst treatment I had, it was actually the Cytoxan.  The way it was described to me was that the drug gets into the eggs and actually destroys the DNA so the egg itself is gone.  Makes sense why I'm so DOR now.

lynn0926

I am so sorry for all that you have been through! You can try to page Snoangel. You might find her on the multiples board or success after IF. I am not sure where she hangs out these days. She just had twins using DE.

lincoln79

not a survivor myself, but mh is a survivor.

just wanted to say good luck and we know how hard it is to have to trade your fertility for your life.

(((hugs))) and best wishes to you! 

bmxxtease

After my DH and I decided to start TTC, I went and saw my OB and she found a mass in my right ovary. A week later I had surgery to remove my right ovary, right fallopian tube, appendix and 25% of my left ovary. I was dx with an ovarian low malignant potential tumor. Treatment is removal of the tumor. It will grow back at some point which means full hysterectomy plus whatever else shows signs of growth. After my surgery, I got an E. coli infection which has blocked my left tube so IVF is our only option.I haven't had a problem with responding to the meds, but we have realized after my last IVF that there is an egg quality issue and need to be on extended antibiotics because of the infection. I'm so sorry for what you have gone through,and I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.

snoangel79

ticker warning**

 

Hi, I just happened to stop here today! I had Non-Hodgkin's at 23, was treated very aggressively due to disease size (misdiagnose) that included an autologous bone marrow transplant that ultimately killed my fertility as a whole and I went into premature ovarian failure. Did not "bank" eggs as I didn't have time due to my disease being so aggressive and the "late" dx. Also even if I did they didn't save just eggs in 2002, I would have had them fertilized with ex boyfriends sperm and no sure how my husband would have liked that! haha. I did donor egg and frankly I have no regrets!! I have two gorgeous babies sleeping in front of me as I write this. I also had time to "mourn the loss" of my own genetics as I am over 8 years out of treatment and was told I "would never even carry" so to find out I could carry a pregnancy even though my pregnancy had "every" pregnancy problem you could have and then some I was thrilled. I had the "Vincristine, Adriamycin and Cytoxan " and some others... I had a ton of Cytoxan, first with CHOP then with my transplant in high doses. I was tx for a year in total, 6 cycles of CHOP + rituxan, 22 cycles of radiation to chest only (my tumor was in my chest only), 3 cycles of ICE, and high dose (transplant) with Cytoxan and Busulfan. I was completely fertile and getting my periods till the day I was released from the hospital after transplant. My period never came back without being prompted from a BC pill (basically a "fake" period) , bc to help with hormone levels and not to have bone loss from the premature menopause.

Again I don't regret my decision to go with DE, it worked first time. I got pregnant within 3 months of choosing our donor. I can say that my heart is complete with these two gorgeous babies in front of me and I am their mom regardless of not having the same DNA as them. My daughter actually looks like me and  she "does little yoga poses". I tend to sit indian style like her a lot even throughout my pregnancy. She even "acts" like me with her being annoyed so easily <: I hang out on multiples, April 12, and preemies if you want to page me <:  

edited to add: when you do get pregnant, make sure you have your heart checked actually have it checked before with an echo. The damage from adriamycin may not show up till your pregnancy. I had mine tested before and it was normal and I actually almost went into heart failure at 25 weeks because the demand on your heart is incredibly high. I had an echo before we started trying, one at 13w, one at 25, one at 30, one right after giving birth, and one coming up just to make sure my heart has recovered from the demands. Sometimes there is perminent damage so make sure you are ok with this...  My ejection fraction was 65 while not pregnant (50-70 is normal) was 55 at 13w, 45 at 25 (so started to look like failure friggin scary stuff at 32 years old)!!, at 30w it had recovered alittle to 50, at my kids birth it was 55. Sometimes it  doesn't recover though and it's called Postpartum Cardiomyopathy. Very scary stuff!! I would never attempt to get pregnant again btw because of what happened. Also it being a twin pregnancy put even more of a strain then a singleton would have. I went with the pregnancy because my heart "looked great" but almost had a serious issue on my hands in my third tri...

cardinal_dtx

I am a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor. I was diagnosed last year, May 2011 and 36 yrs old. I went for my annual physical in April where the doctor verified a hardened lymph node I had noticed a couple of weeks before and thought was possibly a muscle strain. My dr. referred me to an ENT who also thought it was probably just a muscle strain but after the CT scans were inconclusive, performed a biopsy. The next week, my DH and I were sitting in her office being told I had cancer.

Oh, did I mention it was Friday afternoon and I was starting a new job Monday? There are so many lessons and great people that I met through treatment including my medical Oncologist who greeted me with "I'm so sorry you are in my office today and even though I am glad to meet you, I am not happy to see you here. But, you are going to be okay."

During that first appointment, he told me he had already contacted the fertility clinic in the building across the street on my behalf and they would talk extensively to me about my options, but I needed to go there immediately because I needed to begin treatment ASAP. Because of my diagnosis, they would make room for me in the practice if needed, and there would be a price break for my treatments.

Within 2 days, I was sitting in a doctors office being told that I would need to decide by Friday if I wanted to harvest eggs because with my cycle dates, they would need me to start shots by Tuesday. My doctor was extremely reassuring and told us not to pressure ourselves into a decision. There was a chance that the chemo would have no effect on my fertility and even if it did, we could always use a donor egg.

Never one to go 1/2 way in a crisis, I decided to go for it and started shots. I moved forward with the process. To get to the point, they were able to get plenty of embryos and I moved on to chemo without the worry about my fertility.

I continued to work during treatment. And when too weak to report to the office, I worked from home. It helped me to remain engaged in the world and kept me from feeling exhiled to cancer island. It was HARD. I would cry some mornings because of the pain and fatigue. My husband would hold me and let me cry but then he would help me get out of bed.

Fast forward through the 6 months of chemo and menopausal symptoms brought by the treatment to 1 month of radiation treatment 5 days a week. I was discouraged sometimes and just wanted it to be over most of the time, but I would get out of bed, go to work and end the day at the hospital.

When I was done, after a couple of weeks I finally started to feel normal. I was starting to get my hair back (except for the patch in the back that radiation killed). I was starting to lose the weight I gained from the medications and starting to get back to myself. Then guess what? I got pregnant.

Everyone in my team was shocked. It wasn't supposed to happen that fast or maybe at all without intervention. I just got rid of the hot flashes in November. Last radiation treatment was Nov. 7, 2011. So far everything has gone great. The baby is growing well and none of the doctors anticipate any problems from my treatments.

I do have some reduced lung function as a result of the radiation on my chest. So, my OB recommends I have an epidural as soon as it is allowed during labor. But, I just want to encourage anyone else who is a cancer survivor or any kind of survivor of life's twists and turns, anything is possible. Your dream might not come in the way or the timing you think you want, but it can come to you.