While many women experience the symptoms of ovarian cancer as relatively mild health issues, others find that at least a few of the different signs can be quite painful. In either case, treating the symptoms is part of the overall treatment for cancer itself. There are several approaches your doctor may employ, as well as some things you can do for yourself that will help to make you more comfortable as you move toward recovery.
One of the more common signs that women tend to experience is discomfort during sexual intercourse. This can be not only physically painful, but also emotionally frustrating for any woman who normally derives a great deal of pleasure from intercourse.
Fortunately, it is possible to take measures to alleviate the pain while treatment for the cancer is underway. Depending on the nature of the pain, your doctor may recommend you and your partner try different positions that help to ease pressure on your abdomen, as well as utilize additional lubrication. Don’t be shy about describing the exact nature of the pain and what is taking place when the pain commences. You doctor needs this data in order to provide you with practical suggestions.
Along with pain during sexual intercourse, vaginal bleeding is also among the more common symptoms of ovarian cancer. The bleeding may take place during intercourse for several reasons, but the bleeding can also occur for other reasons. Fortunately, your doctor can evaluate the problem and offer several options that are likely to minimize the bleeding, if not eliminate it altogether. Possible courses of treatment range from the use of additional lubrication to medication that will help to calm inflamed tissue.
You may also find yourself with pain, especially in the lower back region. This may be the result of pressure creating by the growth of the tumor itself. When that is the case, efforts to use chemotherapy or radiotherapy to shrink the tumor may also ease the back pain. If your doctor feels it is necessary, you may also receive prescription medication such as a muscle relaxer to help make it easier to manage the pain.
There is also the chance you might experience changes in your appetite. Dealing with symptoms of ovarian cancer of this nature is extremely important, especially if you are undergoing radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
You need nutrients to give your body what it needs to recover from both the treatments and the cancer. Talk with your doctor about ways to ease any sense of fullness you have, making it somewhat easier to eat a well balanced diet.
For each of the symptoms of ovarian cancer, there are ways to help ease the discomfort even while directly attacking the cancer itself. Never hesitate to share your symptoms with your doctor. Together, the two of you can identify solutions that will make the overall treatment process much easier on you physically as well as emotionally, and increase your ability to get on with living while you work to become free of ovarian cancer.