Since I’m pre-t I still have my period but since I’m socially out as trans I use men’s bathrooms. One time at the college the family bathroom was taken and so I went into the men’s room to do my business. I tried opening the little pad as quietly as I could manage, but the rustling and ripping sound still happened. I froze in silence because I didn’t know if the other guy in the men’s room heard it or not.
Then after a little bit of silence I hear…
“Who has a bag of chips?”
And in a panic I just whisper back to him “I’m not sharing.”
Then I hear a huff before he finished his business and left.
Tomorrow (3.17.2017) marks one year since I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In a lot of respects I was very, very lucky—diagnosed at stage 1 and happened to end up with a gynecologic oncologist who’s one of the best in the nation. I had a checkup this week and everything is good.
But I also know that a lot of women who get this diagnosis aren’t nearly as fortunate. One of the wonderful women I met in chemo died a month ago; she had been in and out of treatment for six years. The symptoms of all the gynecologic cancers are absurdly common things, like back pain and bloating. Most women do not find out they have one of these cancers until stage 3 or 4, and by that point the five-year survival rate is much, much lower. Late detection is a major factor in the mortality rate of ovarian cancer. So it’s incredibly important for anybody with a uterus, ovaries, etc. to know and understand the symptoms and when to talk to a gynecologist.
Here is the chart of symptoms, generated by the CDC, for the five most common gynecologic cancers. They are of concern if they persist for more than two weeks. These are symptoms aside from unusual bleeding/changes in your menstrual cycle.
I had every single symptom of ovarian cancer. I blew them off for weeks and weeks until I was so sick I could hardly walk. I didn’t know how dangerous it was. I barely even knew ovarian cancer was a thing.
Please don’t do what I did. Please pay attention to your body and if at all possible find a doctor who will listen to your pain and the changes in your body.
Y’all, please share this info. And if you have symptoms, find a doctor who will do the right tests. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s all in your head or you’re exaggerating. Maybe it isn’t cancer, maybe you’ll feel a bit silly if you insist on tests and it turns out to be nothing. But worst case scenario, you have to do some tests that confirm you’re okay. That’s a pretty small price to pay to save a life.
alder-knight 