I survived stage 3 ovarian cancer as a 17 year old high school student. AMA!

As a boyfriend to someone who has had ovarian cancer on and off twice now. What can I do to help support her? Just, what can I do? Seems so out of my hands.

Be gentle with her. Be understanding. The boy I was with during my treatment had a hard time with that -- he didn't really allow me the space to be in a bad mood, or to just be generally upset about my situation. He would get angry. Don't treat her differently, per say, but do try to understand that it's hard to be your regular self when you're going through something like this. Be patient, and ask her what she needs. Really listen to her. I hope she is okay. I am very sorry.

Reading that your BF at the time didn't help you much out and would get angry with you, in addition with the fact that you had cancer and everything that it brings to ones life, you managed to do great in HS.

Respect.

Aw thanks. He tried his best, I think he just wasn't nearly mature enough to handle it -- but what 17 year old boy would be?

What were your noticeable warning signs? Were there any you didn't think were warning signs?

I actually had no symptoms at all until the day I found the tumour. I literally woke up one morning and looked down at my belly and I looked 4-5 months pregnant. It "popped" overnight and suddenly became very visible. I thought I was pregnant at the time and it was three or four days before I went to the ER and found out it was a tumour. From there it grew exponentially, it was slightly bigger than a cantaloupe when they removed it. Once it started showing was when I had symptoms! It was painful at times, and sometimes it would shift around and I couldn't pee. That really sucked. I was relieved to have it gone.

I was going to ask how medical staff came to a diagnosis and actually took you seriously. It's so common for medical professionals to dismiss or minimize women's concerns. So I'm so glad you were able to get the care you needed! I say this as my doctors are only now acknowledging that I've had the right idea about what's been going on with me for the past five years.

Well every doctor thought I was pregnant at first. They did a bunch of pregnancy tests. Finally I got frustrated and went to the ER and they did several scans before finding it was a tumour. It wasn't something they could easily ignore, I had a massive lump in my abdomen!

I had something similar happen to me in high school (mine was just a very large ovarian cyst - not anywhere near as intense as what you went through), but it was so fucking frustrating to have them assume I was pregnant and I knew I wasn't, unless it was the second coming of Jesus. Just because you're a teenager doesn't mean you're an idiot in this circumstance even though that's how they were treating you. But aside from that, I feel you on that frustration and I am very glad you're doing better.

Did you name your tumor? One of my best friends named mine Tommy the Tummy Tumor.

Hahah no I didn't name it, but I did strangely feel sorry for it. It wasn't trying to hurt me, it was just an out of place cell trying to grow where it shouldn't be growing!

i'm so sorry you had that assumption thrown on you. When I was 19 I was diagnosed with stage 4 Testicular Cancer.

I had originally gone to the clinic / doctor on campus and even though I explained I was a virgin he basically TOLD me I had an STD / STI and thats what made my nut 3x it's size and hurt like bloody hell.

By the time I realized he was a twat and his meds weren't working ( a week later or so) I went to my real doctor back home and was immediately diagnosed with Testicular cancer. In the one week it had gone from just the testical to spreading to my abdomen and spotted all over my lungs.

suffice to say I was pretty pissed a doctor had completely ignored my symptoms and forced an assumption based off of my peers and what they were 'likely' to contract.

Had I had it removed a week earlier it would have likely just been the surgery and 1 round of chemo to be safe, instead I had to go through 4 rounds of one of the most brutal and aggresive types of chemo. I was in the infusion room 5 days a week from 8am to 6pm hooked up to fluids and chemo for 5 months straight, it was complete hell.

Doctors need to quit being lazy and listen to their patients and their ACTUAL symptoms sometimes.

That's fucked up! I'm so sorry. So many cases of misdiagnosis happen in my city, it's terrifying... I know a kid who died because they told him in the ER that he had the stomach flu but he actually had appendicitis. His appendix burst and he died. He was only 14! I guess it's just really important to demand as much testing as possible. After they finally did enough tests to ensure I wasn't pregnant, they sent me home with laxatives and told me I was constipated. I had a lump the size of a small melon and they passed it off as constipation, as if I wouldn't know if I was constipated! That's when I knew I had to take it into my own hands and insist there was something seriously wrong.

As a current high school student, I am really curious how this impacted your academic and social life? Were you able to graduate on time? Able to attend dances, sports events, and "normal" high school senior events? Did it change your plans for after graduating?

Congrats on being cancer free!

Thanks! :) I actually kept going to school whenever I wasn't in the hospital for chemo treatments (I went out of town, which meant I'd be admitted for a week for each treatment). I graduated on time with a 94% average! I've always been a good student and I was very determined to keep up the work. Though it was a very dehumanizing experience, I still managed to have some fun throughout. I spent a lot of time with friends, and with my boyfriend at the time. I was the prom queen at my school's prom! It really didn't have as much of a negative impact on my school career as I thought it might. As for my post-secondary plans, I'd always thought I'd go away for school immediately after graduating, and I really just didn't feel ready to do that. I'm currently starting my second semester of my first year at the University in my city. I am planning on moving to Montreal for school in September, though!

How has your perspective on life in general changed? My teacher beat cancer during university and now says "she'll sleep when she's dead" and is super optimistic. Also, what was hands done the hardest part of this? Congrats on being cancer free btw :)

My perspective has changed in that now I believe that if I want to do something, I should do it! I try not to let fear or anything else hold me back from anything I want to do. I've been travelling a lot this year and trying to be fearless in the creation of my art (I am a visual artist and a musician). The hardest part was definitely chemotherapy, but that's pretty broad, so I'll narrow it down to just the way my body felt during treatment. Often times I felt like I was dying -- like every single cell in my body was shutting down. During those times, I couldn't move or speak, I could barely even open my eyes. I couldn't watch TV or read or look at my phone, but I also couldn't sleep... I would just lay in bed, motionless, feeling like I was absolutely going to die. In those times, I really wanted to. On my best days, I was still weak. I got dizzy and tired very easily, I had a constant horrible taste in my mouth as if something in my throat was rotting, and I would have sudden nausea where I had to run to the closest sink/toilet and throw up. My body did not feel like a home to me throughout my treatment and even afterwards it took a long time for me to begin to feel like myself again.

Would you share links to your art or music? :)

You can find all my music here: http://flowerface.bandcamp.com :)

Don't mind me asking, but how do you deal with the fact that the cancer might make a comeback? Can't imagine psychologically how difficult it must be to live under the fear of a relapse.

It is pretty scary. Every time I have the tiniest symptom, I freak out and email my oncologist. He's always very reassuring. I still have to go for MRIs and blood tests every three months to make sure I'm clear. It's definitely a burden to bear but I try my best not to think about it!

How has the cancer affected your chance of having a successful pregnancy? And healthy kids?

I lost one ovary, so that is the only thing that will affect future chances at becoming pregnant. I will simply go into menopause earlier, so my timeframe is smaller. The cancer will in no way affect the chances of my pregnancy being successful, and it can't harm my future kids.

Didn't know that the number of ovaries effects the menopause onset 'timer'.

Well I have half as many eggs now! What I was told is that I will be able to have kids up to around 27. Then, my chances will decrease greatly and I will probably hit menopause around that time.

First of all congrats!

Secondly and idk if this comes off bad in any way, forgive me for being uninformed, but are you able to have children anymore?

It's ok! Yes I will be able to have children :)

How did your family/friends react when they found out you had stage 3 ovarian cancer?

It was very surreal for my family. A lot of crying. My mom left her job so she could be with me all the time. My friends all had a hard time with it, I think, because they'd never had to deal with anything like that before. I called each one individually and told them over the phone. I don't think any of them really knew how to react, so there was some awkwardness. No one really understood what was going on, it was a delayed effect. They were so wonderful and loving and supportive, though. I am grateful for them. I kind of isolated myself for the most part, I was only really around my family/boyfriend. I saw my friends sometimes but generally I was too tired to go out!

First of all, congrats on being cancer free! I am a future medical student who is interested in oncology and pediatric oncology. Two questions: 1) In what way did the clinical staff help you mentally handle your diagnosis, prognosis, and plan of treatment?; and 2) What did you appreciate the most about how your physician interacted with you and your family?

1. The surgeon who I was sent to is literally the greatest man I have ever known. The day we met, it was a consultation for surgery. Me and my parents went to his office to meet him. He spent an hour and a half with us, and for the first hour, said nothing about the cancer -- he just talked to me and got to know me and my family. He was so warm and caring. When we finally got to discussing the treatment, he was very gentle but very honest. He teared up when he let me know that I would lose my hair. After surgery, I was technically no longer his patient, but he still sees me every single time I go for an appointment. He was by my side for the moment that my last bag of chemo was taken down. You have to understand, he is a very sought-after surgeon, and he is busy all the time. It was not an easy thing for him to come see me every time I was there, but he did. This man literally saved my life. That surgery itself could have killed me easily! It's a strange relationship to have with somebody, but I am grateful for it. My oncologist is also absolutely amazing. He's so funny, so genuine, and every time I have an MRI he'll email me as soon as the results come in (otherwise we'd have to wait a week until my next appointment). He also answers every question I throw at him very quickly and always assures me that everything is okay.
2. I (and my parents) appreciated most the fact that both my surgeon and my oncologist treated us like people. I was not just a patient to them. They took time to get to know me, they both have copies of my CD, they both looked at every single one of my prom pictures, they both listened to my talking and gossiping about daily life. It was a comforting feeling, almost like they were family friends who'd watched me grow up. Hard to describe! I was lucky to be in pediatrics. I know the experiences for adult patients aren't always as great as what I had.

I know when my mom was in the hospital for surgeries and treatment she was constantly bored. I would help her pass the time by doing arts and crafts and reading with her. The internet connection was crap, so playing online wasn't much of an option for us. What did you and your family do to entertain yourselves when you were at the hospital? And congrats on remission and graduating on time with good grades! That's one hell of a feat! I'm incredibly proud of and happy for you!

Thank you so much!! :) My surgery was in the summer so both my parents and my boyfriend at the time were all able to stay with me for the week of in-hospital recovery. That was really nice but I don't remember much of it because I was very high on morphine the entire time, haha. I do remember my parents reading Amy Poehler's books to me, though. Chemo was different, my dad wasn't able to come with us because he had to work. The city I did my treatment in was two hours away so it wasn't like he could come visit very easily. My mom stayed with me the whole time though, and slept in the chair next to my hospital bed. We watched all of Pretty Little Liars! We got super obsessed. It's a terrible show but it was so entertaining, it's basically all we did when I wasn't sleeping. :)

pretty little liars! i love to hate that show! are you excited for the last half season? i'm so ready for them to fuck it up for me to complain about

Yessss I feel the exact same! My mom and I will go on and on about how ridiculous and terrible it is, but as soon as there's a new episode we watch it right away. It's addictive!

Did they remove it all at once, or in multiple surgeries? How do they identify the cancerous tissue during surgery?

Did it feel funny to have all that mass removed?

It was all at once! They had to do it quickly, if they'd left it in any longer it could have basically exploded and bled out and killed me. Initially they thought I was stage I, and that the cancer was confined to just my ovary. But once they were "in there", I guess they noticed that it had spread into my lymph nodes and I was therefore stage III. They had to cut much farther up than they'd initially planned in order to dig out all the infected lymph nodes. It did feel weird! I kinda got used to it. It was exactly a month that I lived with it (it showed up August 1, surgery was August 31) and by the end it was quite heavy, as it had been growing exponentially.

<3 all my best thoughts are with you!

You seem like a very confident young woman, I'm glad there's people with your attitude in this world!

If you could have one super power, what would it be?

That's a hard one! Time travel would be really cool. There are so many moments I would love to relive, and so many things beyond my lifetime (both past and future) that I would like to see.

did you change your diet? or any lifestyle adaptations that helped?

The only real dietary changes happened firstly because certain foods can trigger a post-traumatic repulsion response. The smell/thought of food from Subway, for example, makes me literally gag and feel like I'm about to throw up. Same with sushi, but that one has lessened with time. Secondly, chemo changes your taste buds. I stopped enjoying baked goods and dessert foods as much (very sad...) and I suddenly had a new taste for seafood and spicy things. It's very strange the way it works! I honestly haven't changed very much about my life, intentionally at least!

thats good to know! my aunt passed away fighting cancer although she didnt really fight it , she resisted treatment because of her beliefs. im glad you didnt change anything and just went with what you feel like you can digest! keep it up and thank you for doing this AMA

I'm very sorry for your loss. Thank you <3

Are the new dislikes/repulsions (not sure of correct term) due to actual changes in perception, or just having had too much of those things at times when eating was a bad experience?

The repulsion are because I ate those things during chemo. There are many of them. But the new general dislikes/likes are just changes in perception I think!

I had stage three testicular cancer in high school. I don't know what to say other than I've been through something similar and you are a trooper. Its funny, I also relied heavily on music to get through the shitty times. I'm almost two years clean now, chemo ended in April of 2015. I wish you the best of luck and thank you for sharing.

I went through my treatment feeling kind of alone. I had family and friends to help me, but not once did I meet someone going through the same thing as myself. My question is: do you know of any systems in place to help kids with cancer find each other?

I don't! I was just thinking about this recently. I've been thinking about contacting the hospital in my city and seeing if I can help set up some kind of support system like that, where you get paired up with someone who's going through/has been through the same thing... I know that would have helped me.

Hello! I am a medical student and I must say how it brings a smile to my face that you survived. When you first had it, what was your first thoughts?

It was very surreal. It didn't really hit at first. I remember being really upset because I had to cancel a trip I had planned for the end of the summer. I didn't think about what was going on at first. Part of me thinks it really didn't sink in until after the entire thing was over... it was like living in a weird, terrifying dream.

Holy shit, why did they need to cut you open so drastically? I've only seen an opening that big in autopsies or emergencies. My wife had another human pulled out of her abdomen and the scar is only a quarter of that size.

The tumour was massive! They originally planned to stop below my belly button, but then while doing the surgery they realized the cancer had spread into my lymph nodes (they thought before that I was stage I, meaning it would have just been confined to my ovary) so they had to cut much farther up to take out as many lymph nodes as they could.

Are there any health consequences to have less lymph nodes?

Not that I know of!

What was the first thing you thought/did when you realized that you were free from cancer?

I found out when I was in a cafe with my Creative Writing class. It was almost Christmas break, so our teacher took us for a walk to get hot chocolate. My mom texted me saying they had just called her with the results and I was cancer free. I remember running up to my boyfriend, who was talking with my teacher, and hugging him and crying. Then we went back to school and I think my teacher told our principal (an amazing man) because he ran into the classroom and hugged me. He was crying as well. And then the whole class clapped and cheered for me. It was so emotional!

You're beautiful :)

What is your favourite tv show?

Thank you :) Umm I have a few favourites! I really love Hannibal, Sherlock and Breaking Bad. As for funny shows, Arrested Development and Parks and Recreation are my favourites!!

This is fascinating to me! And how beautiful you are and you smiled in your pics and were strong to go through it all and be what seems so level-headed today.

How much weight did you lose during the chemo? Because you look very skinny already in your tumor-removal pic. Did you have to gain weight back? My mom's boyfriend has lost a lot of weight from a colon-issue, and he still has to have surgery.

I lost about 20 pounds, maybe 25. I only weighed about 115 to begin with (I'm around 5'3) so it was pretty intense. It was very sudden, too... I lost most of that immediately after the first round, and I felt unsteady on my legs because of how quickly the weight came off. I'm back up to around 120 now though, and I feel very healthy and I finally love my body :)

Hey u/flosfaciem I just wanted to say congratulations! My aunt died about 10 years ago from ovarian cancer. By the time they found it was too late for her. But every year my family walks in the NOCC ovarian cancer walk here in Chicago. So this upcoming year I am not only going to be walking for my aunt but you as well. Here's to helping find a cure! How has life changed for since going into remission? Is there anything that you make sure do everyday?

I am so sorry for your loss. Thank you so much for including me in your thoughts! I try to make sure that every day I am moving towards starting my life for real -- moving out, really getting into school, planning my future. It helps a lot to feel like I'm making progress :)

I luckily only had four week-long rounds, but they blasted me with it, and one of the chemo drugs was really fucked up! Yes I was able to eat. I would eat the first and second day (I refused to eat hospital food so I'd always order takeout to my room) and then I'd lose my appetite for the rest of the week. It would always come back full force a few days after each round and I would eat so much! I still lost about 20 pounds during treatment, and being someone who only weighed about 115 to begin with, it was a significant loss.

Tu parles francais? :)

Oui!

What kind of music do you enjoy?

My favourite musician of all time is Conor Oberst, he has been since I was a little kid. I'm into all kinds of music though! Other bands/musicians I really love are Big Thief, The White Stripes, Radiohead, The National, The Tragically Hip, Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, Hop Along, Modest Mouse, Brand New, The Antlers, Elliott Smith and Cocorosie. I am also a musician, I write/record/release my own music and have been for several years now. I go by Flower Face! :)

Wow, you listen to the same music I do! Great tastes! If you've never seen Radiohead live I suggest you get out there and do it while they're still touring!

I really want to! They rarely come near my city.

I like your taste. Do you have any of your work posted online?

Yes I do! http://flowerface.bandcamp.com

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I understand exactly how you feel, but moreso about the other children who are much sicker than I was, or who didn't make it. Being in pediatrics, I was surrounded by kids with cancer. Many of them I saw every single day, and befriended. One by one, I hear about them dying and every time it hits me harder. Why did I survive, but the little 4 year old kid who always came into the oncology clinic and played with the trains had to die? It's nonsensical, but it's also nonsensical to carry around guilt. Try to focus on how lucky you are that you did survive, and therefore you have the chance to help others who are struggling. <3

I was diagnosed with testicular cancer in fall 2016 and now have only one testicle left. I was lucky and it was still in stage 1 and was able to avoid chemo for now.

What I experienced was that my parents and my girlfriend seemed to be more afraid during the whole time than I was. How were your parents at the time?

I found that this time showed me how much I am loved and therefore even had some small positive effect on me. Any similar experiences?

My parents definitely took it harder than I did. I think they tried to hide it a bit... my dad kind of shut down, my mom cried a lot.

I'm a paramedic going into nursing and I work as a tech in the ICU. What are some things I can do to be a better healthcare provider to you as a patient?

Friendliness is the outstanding factor in every positive interaction I've had with healthcare provider. My nurses became my friends! We had good conversations and a lot of fun moments. It made the whole thing a lot more bearable. :)

Do people treat you differently now that you're "a survivor?" (I know some people don't like that moniker, sorry if you don't.) Do you with they wouldn't or has it complicated your post-cancer (hopefully) life?

Also if you haven't seen the new show Search Party, there's an adult character who makes having had cancer in high school his entire identity, but in a very funny way. Check it out if you haven't. I think the character would make you laugh.

Only people who don't know me! My friends treat me normally which is great. I guess my dad treats me a bit differently, he buys me anything I want and my parents let me do whatever I want now haha. That sounds pretty spoiled of me but it's funny! I'll check out that show for sure, my friend was just talking to me about it recently!

What are the odds of it coming back and affecting your other ovary? If you're planning on having children, did any of your doctors ever talk to you about the possibility of an egg retrieval eventually just in case?

I think I have pretty good chances of staying clear. I try not to read too much about it, though, cause I just end up freaking myself out. I asked my doctors about that but for some reason they were saying it wouldn't work. I don't really remember why, everything from that time period is very hazy. I have very good chances of being able to have a regular pregnancy though, I just have a smaller timeframe.

Dude that's a badass fuckin scar! What would you say has been the most difficult thing about interacting with other people? I've heard some people with serious diseases and injuries say they stopped talking to their old friends just because they couldn't stand the way they looked at them.

Honestly most of the people in my life just treat me like they always would now! I make a lot of morbid jokes about it and my friends get mad sometimes... Haha

did it affect menstruation?

No it didn't actually!

What are your feelings on tattoos and piercings? Have your opinions changed?

I've never really liked piercings! I had my ears pierced when I was younger but I let them close up cause they just annoyed me. I have two tattoos and I had both of them done after this whole experience, but one I have been thinking about for years and years. My opinion hasn't changed at all, and I don't really see the correlation... explain? :)

What was your social life after all of this? We're you harassed, respected or both?

I was never harassed! A lot of people became my "best friend"... like, people who'd always disliked me suddenly loved me. It's funny how that works! My school was great, though, they did a bunch of really cool fundraisers so we could make a huge donation to a charity of my choice in my name :)

Do you have a nasty scar? If yes, how do you feel about it?

I have a scar but I wouldn't call it nasty! It's pretty cool, I kind of love it! You can see it in the first photo I linked in my original post. It's faded much more now but it is still visible, obviously.

My girlfriend who is 20 was just diagnosed with lung cancer, and I don't want to conflate or equate your ailments, but what is the best thing I can do to support her?

Be patient, be loving. Listen to her. Try to help in any way you can, but if she needs her space, be understanding and respect that. Understanding is the most important gift you can give her right now.

Just want to know how you coped with your frequent MRI / pet scans etc?

I currently have stage 3 brain cancer (my next MRI is tomorrow). I feel like my life gets reset every few months.

I want to know if you may have had a similar feeling? Thanks.

Cheers.

It's pretty brutal! I hate MRIs, they're kind of unbearable and I dread each one. Every time I have to go for an appointment my mom tries to make it fun, it's out of town so we go stay in a hotel the night before and go out for dinner and stuff. Having something to look forward to makes it easier :)

Worst hospital experience?

Passed out in the middle of the night while walking back to my bed from the bathroom due to dehydration. Woke up surrounded by nurses and doctors, none of whom I knew, taking my blood and asking questions and basically just panicking. It was terrifying!

Cats? Or Dogs?

Cats 100%

What's your favourite pizza topping?

Mushrooms :)

As a current highschool student I understand the many social groups in highschool and how separated they can be, my question is, how did the social groups react when finding out about your cancer? Were all differences set aside to help you get through it?

Edit: congrats on making it through cancer!

Thanks! I've always been the kind of person to just have a few individual friends, I'm not really part of any group. There was a sort of unity within my school though. It was nice! Just overwhelming at times.

How did you feel about losing your hair, and what are your thoughts about "brave the shave for solidarity" in general?

It was traumatizing at first, but I got used to it. And I kinda liked my soft bald head! I wouldn't have wanted any of my friends and family to shave their heads for me haha. I know some of them wanted to.

Congratulations beautiful! My question may be considered silly I don't know if I should know this. Are you able to have kids? How do you feel about the answer?

Best of luck in the future.

Yes I am! :) Thank you.

I must say I have seen people crumbling under such circumstances. But, you are an inspiration. My respect. Enjoy and whenever you feel down, Reddit is always there for you. Does docs know what caused it?

Thank you :) it was a germ cell that was in my body since I was born! I somehow absorbed it in utero or something. I'm not really sure. The main point is that it was always there, it just didn't start growing until two years ago. So there was no real cause, and nothing that could have prevented it!

You are a lot younger, so I am curious if this holds true: My mom fought cancer and the chemo caused her to become more forgetful, especially little things like what she was shopping for at the store, or cause her to forget what she was about to say to me. It's been about 3.5 years since she stopped treatment and this has definitely faded somewhat, but I don't think she will ever be the same, and she is one of the smartest people I know. Does this happen to you? Is there anything I can do to help her? It hurts a lot to see her break into tears because she cannot remember what she wanted to say.

Yes, I definitely experienced that, and to this day I still feel hazy sometimes. In the thick of it, I completely lost my large vocabulary. I could never come up with words I was looking for, I forgot names and faces, I had a hard time concentrating on anything. Just try to be patient with her. I know the worst part for me was when people got frustrated with me for being forgetful/slow. It was hard enough having my brain not working, so it was awful when I felt I was disappointing people. Be patient and kind and try to help her whenever you can, especially with memory-related tasks.

I was told I miiiiiight have ovarian cyst and put under birth control to reduce the chance of further cyst development. What signs did you have before you were diagnosed? I've been afraid to get checked up again in fear of being diagnosed with something really tough. I wanna know what were the tell tale signs before you knew

I didn't have any tell tale advance signs, unfortunately! I just woke up one day looking like I was 4-5 months pregnant. The tumour appeared overnight.

So what's your ideal sandwich? And would you agree that a nice crunch, such as cucumbers, is a basic fundamental of a great sandwich?

I'm a very basic sandwich person! As in, my favourite sandwich is just bread, turkey and cheese. I know, it's weird.

How did you find out you had cancer? What type of symptoms were there?

I answered this one here! :) https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5mvpyl/i_survived_stage_3_ovarian_cancer_as_a_17_year/dc6qht9/

Did you die?

Yes :(

Could you explain the choice for midline surgery? This seems like an ideal candidate for a navel endoscope thingy.

There was no way it could be removed endoscopically because it was solid! It was also huge. There was literally no other way they could have gotten it out -- trust me, we exhausted all the possible options in our consultation with my surgeon :)

How did you discover you had this since Doctors generally don't do paps until age 21, and then another three years between routine paps? What were your symptoms that made doctors examine you?

I woke up one day and looked 4-5 months pregnant. I had a massive abdominal lump they couldn't ignore!

How are you?

How are you feeling, what's your mood like, what has been the highlight of your day today so far?

I'm great! I've been really enjoying life lately :) Today I am going to the city where I'm taking my drivers test this month to practice driving there with my mom.

I'm glad everything worked out. I feel like everyone has asked everything, but how does it look now? It probably left one badass scar

It's faded quite a bit but it still looks pretty cool!

Congrats on surviving! Does it get annoying when people keep asking the same questions over and over again?

A lot of people ask if i can still have kids, which is fine, but it's annoying when they say things like "how does it feel to not be able to have kids?"

Did this remove your ability to bear children?

What are your plans for college majors?

No it didn't. I am currently in an bachelor of fine arts undergraduate program for visual arts. I plan to go into art therapy so I can eventually work with kids who are going through what I went through.

can you still have children?

Yes I can

You said that overnight, the pregnant belly appeared. Did it look like the start of a pregnancy or was it like bam, pregnant belly? Bc I'm going through something at the moment, and I'm just hoping it's my antibiotic that's making my stomach look bloated. When I poke it, it's not a tough feeling, but my stomach feels like a balloon.

Mine was solid, so I wouldn't worry too much! It was like suddenly I woke up 4-5 months pregnant. It was a significant lump!

I have been told I have pre-cancer cells. Was your case slow to build or was it sudden with the tumour? You are extremely strong ^{_^}

edit for mistake

It was sudden, it showed up overnight. Best of luck and best thoughts with you <3

You may not have cancer anymore, but you're still pretty ugly. and imo that's worse than having cancer?

Yikes!

Are you single? :)

Yes I am

And cute haha :P what happened to said boyfriend? Oh yeah u wrote he was not a good listener. And didn't give enough space.

We broke up last summer! That's not why though. It's a long story. He certainly did help me through it just by existing and I am very thankful for that.

How does it feel knowing you'll never have kids?

I can still have kids. I've reiterated that so many times. They only took one ovary!