I can't open the blkhoney email to know what you've read.
I'm sorry to hear that Melissa is still not feeling well. Although I'm not a Dr, I do have some first hand experience with the CA125 test. It is not done automatically before surgeries, as it is a test with limited capabilities.
The CA125 is effective in assessing new ovarian tumors in someone who has previously had ovarian cancer. Other than in this instance, the test is fairly ineffectual and most specialists refrain from using it. It has a high false positive rate, and a low accuracy rate. It is a tumor marker, and therefore false positives occur with endometriosis, fibroids etc.
In my experience, my CA125 was quite high - predictive of cancer - yet I had a large ovarian tumor, a small ovarian tumor, fiboids and endo (all benign). Researchers are close to perfecting a much more accurate test.
My tummy is often bloated, and the 'pregnant look' does not become me :o) When it is distended it is also quite painful, and I have little desire to eat or become full after very little food. It was also this way before the tumors were removed over 2.5 years ago. I don't know your daughter's history, but if she's had a recent laparoscopy or laparotomy, then the chances of her having undetected OC are very low. Adhesions, endometriosis, fibroids, bowel disorders etc all have these similar symptoms.
Here is a quote from "emedecine" about the use of the CA125 test.
"The use of cancer antigen 125 (CA125) test values to screen for the presence of cancer should be discouraged. A large Swedish study has shown that approximately 50% of women with stage I ovarian cancer have a normal CA125 test value. In addition, a very high false-positive rate can be caused by pregnancy, endometriosis, cirrhosis, and pelvic or other intra-abdominal infections."
I do hope that Melissa can get some relief, and I hope that her Drs will help her. Please let me know how things go with the Dr.
Wishing everyone painfree moments, hours and days, Clare
At Tue, 5 Nov 2002, kann wrote:
>
>Does anyone know if a CA-125 test is automatically done prior to
>surgeries? Melissa (daughter) was just telling me tonight (by phone)
>that her stomach is just huge---it always is--just looks bloated,
>distended. Obviously the doctor could see how bloated it was--I pointed
>it out to both surgeons that she had. I am just rattled after reading
>BLKhoney email. I knew about this test before, but had never read
>symptoms of OC. Does anyone else deal with bloated, huge stomach--even
>when they can't eat much. Melissa just can't eat hardly anything, but
>does not lose the belly, nor loses any weight. I am calling doctor
>tomorrow!!
>
>--
>K
>