Understanding Ovarian Cancer
- Billiards icon Jeanette Lee, 53, is working hard to get stronger and recently revealed she started cardio rehabilitation after suffering a heart attack and battling advanced stage ovarian cancer in 2021.
- Lee, who has been nicknamed the “Black Widow,” is now urging others to do something new everyday and not giving up in any type of health battle.
- Ovarian cancer symptoms are harder to detect, especially during its early stages. Symptoms may include feeling bloated or full, pain in the pelvis or abdomen, nausea, vomiting, or changes in bowel habits.
- If your doctor diagnoses you with ovarian cancer, you might be referred to a gynecologic oncologist. The following treatments are available for ovarian cancer: surgery then chemotherapy, or vice-versa.
- We admire Lee for her determination to get better and live a pain-free life, as well as her ability to inspire others to do the same, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of Americans are living day-to-day with chronic pain.
Lee, a professional pool player who has been dubbed the “Black Widow” in her sport, took to social media this week to inform her fans she’s been working hard and doing something different every day in hopes of getting stronger.
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She continued, as she appeared to be outside enjoying the sun, “My legs are like twigs. They are so weak and I find myself tired doing almost nothing. I had a heart incident about a month ago. It was terrifying.”
Lee then explained that her heart is now working at approximately 35 to 40 percent, which is why she started going to cardio rehabilitation last month, shortly after she posted the video.
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The mom of three added, “And I’m in my little swimsuit …I did not want to get in the water today. I don’t want to exercise. I’m tired. I’m exhausted. I’m probably a little irritable. I just have those days when you’re struggling with a lot of pain.
“You have those days you just don’t want to get out of bed. But if I don’t do something different today, I can’t expect tomorrow to be any different and I need tomorrow to be different.”
Expert Resources On Ovarian Cancer
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- 3 Common Myths About Ovarian Cancer Screening
- 7 Well-Known Women Who Battled Ovarian Cancer, Including Actresses Kathy Bates, Cobie Smulders & Activist Coretta Scott King; What to Know About the Disease
- A Comprehensive Guide to an Advanced Form of Ovarian Cancer Known as ‘Folate Receptor-Alpha Positive’
- A Healthy Diet During Ovarian Cancer
The Brooklyn-born pool player who is remaining hopeful through all of her health issues, continued, “I need to be strong again, be active again, I want to be able to take my girls places and not always get a ride … I’m afraid to drive anywhere, more than five or 10 minutes from my house because my health has been so unstable.
“For those of you that are with me, that understand, that are having a tough time … please do something different today.”
She then admitted that she “hates” the process of getting ready to go in the pool and showering/changing afterward because she’s always feeling fatigued in the aftermath of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.
Lee also noted that her muscles have weakened due to underuse while she was undergoing chemo for three years, adding, “So, if I wanted to get better, I have to make myself do something different … which means not staying in bed.”
She then urged anyone listening to “at least get dressed and go to your kitchen and wash one dish or just take a walk to the end of your street … do something, something for you, be selfish.”
Lee concluded, “Just know that I’m fighting a good fight. I’m fighting all these things in my head because I want to be stronger for my children, for me and for you.”
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Jeanette Lee’s Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
Lee, who revealed the cover of her new memoir “The Black Widow” earlier this summer and was first diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer at age 49.
The former no. 1 female pool player in the world said she was going to fight the disease with the “same resolve” she used to rise to the top of the male-dominated sport.
“I intend to bring the same resolve I brought to the billiards table to this fight,” Lee told the American Poolplayers Association (APA). “[Late broadcaster] Jim Valvano so eloquently told us to ‘Never give up.’ I owe it to my three young daughters to do exactly that.”
Although Lee’s current treatment status and cancer activity is unclear, we know that she went through chemotherapy and a succession of surgeries to help slow the spread of the disease.
Ovarian Cancer Overview
Ovarian cancer has been called the “cancer that whispers,” because women often don’t experience symptoms until their cancer has already reached its late stages. The symptoms that do appear at first are hard to identify as cancer. This subtlety of symptoms makes it essential for women to know the warning signs, and report them to their doctor, say SurvivorNet’s experts.
Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects
The term ovarian cancer refers to a number of different tumors that grow in the ovary. The ovaries produce the sex hormone, estrogen, as well as eggs. Every woman has two ovaries, one on either side of her uterus. The fallopian tube picks up the egg from the ovary and carries it to the uterus for fertilization.
Many ovarian cancers actually begin in the fallopian tubes. A few cancerous cells first grow on the fallopian tubes and then, as the fallopian tubes brush over the ovary, these cells stick to the ovaries and eventually grow to form a tumor.
There isn’t just one ovarian cancer; there are many different types that occur at different stages of life. In fact, researchers have identified over 30 types, but these three are the most common:
- Epithelial. About 90% of ovarian cancers are epithelial, which means the cancer cells are located on the outer layer of the ovary. Most epithelial tumors are not cancerous, but when they are cancerous, they can spread before they’re detected.
- Stromal. This rare type of tumor forms in the connective tissue that holds the ovary together and produces estrogen and progesterone.
- Germ cell. These tumors, which develop in the cells that produce the eggs, are more likely to affect a single ovary, rather than both ovaries. When a teen or young woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it’s usually the germ cell type. The good news is that most women with these types of ovarian cancers can be cured.
How Ovarian Cancer Is Treated
If your doctor diagnoses you with ovarian cancer, you might be referred to a gynecologic oncologist. The following treatments are available for ovarian cancer: surgery then chemotherapy, or vice-versa.
Surgery and chemotherapy both factor into treatment for most women with ovarian cancer. The only variation is the sequence in which women get them, according to SurvivorNet’s experts.
Should you get surgery first, or chemotherapy? Gynecologic oncologist Dr. John Nakayama outlines your options.
Several factors go into deciding what kind of treatment is best, depending on the type and stage of ovarian cancer, your age, and whether you are planning to have children in the future.
Surgery is usually the first treatment recommended, with chemotherapy afterward to get rid of any cancer that may have been left behind. The other option is to have chemotherapy first, called neoadjuvant chemotherapy, to shrink the tumor so that it’s easier to remove surgically.
If a doctor is confident that he or she can remove the ovarian tumor completely without initial cycles of chemotherapy, they will go ahead with a surgical procedure. Doctors who are not confident they can perform successful surgical tumor removal will go with chemotherapy initially, then proceed with surgery once tumors have shrunk.
Coping Mechanisms for Pain Management
Lee is not alone when it comes to living with chronic pain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of Americans are living day-to-day with chronic pain.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is conducting basic pain research to develop strategies and potential medications to better manage pain. The research focuses on key areas including facial pain and how – in some cases – protein increases sensitivity to painful and non painful stimuli.
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Research involving mice indicates that rodents with high levels of Cdk5 (a type of protein called cyclin-dependent kinase 5) showed larger calcium surges, indicating that their pain responses were intensified.
“This heightened pain sensitivity is similar to a condition called allodynia. Allodynia causes pain in response to something that isn’t typically painful. The research team was able to reduce pain signaling in those oversensitive mice by blocking their Cdk5,” NIH Distinguished Investigator Dr. Kenneth M. Yamada explained.
Other areas of research include learning how sound reduces pain and ongoing clinical trials studying pain perception and lower back pain.
Of course, pain management comes with risks especially when powerful painkillers, such as opioids are involved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seeking treatment opinions that don’t involve opioids to treat pain when viable. Medicines like over-the-counter painkillers including acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen have fewer side effects. Other alternatives to opioids include physical therapy and exercise.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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