Martha Richards

March 2014

I was diagnosed on St. Patrick’s Day of 2006. In those days I was always rushing … to help my clients throughout the Pacific NW, to manage my home life, complete with two active high school students, and to work out because I know it is good for me. In August 2005, I noticed that I needed to pee more often. I had never had a problem holding my bladder, but it was increasingly more urgent and inconvenient. My calls to my doctor’s advice nurse assured me that this was normal for a 50 year old woman. Really? Normal?

During my annual exam in March 2006, I told my doctor that I thought something was sitting on my bladder. After her examination, she said it might be a fibroid and scheduled an ultrasound a week later. The transvaginal ultrasound found a “high likelihood of bilateral ovarian malignancies.” She referred me to a gynecologic oncologist the following Monday. I was pre-admitted following his exam and had surgery Tuesday night. I woke up to a diagnosis of stage IIIC epithelial cancer. There is no known history of cancer in my large family and I knew little about cancer. My diagnosis sent a shudder through all of my family, particularly each of my sisters. It all happened so fast and was such a surprise.

I was optimally debulked — all visible disease was removed during surgery. My husband and I chose a clinical trial for my first treatment: I did six rounds of gemzar and carboplatinum followed by a year of taxol consolidation. My CA125 test served as a good indicator of cancer activity as it dropped throughout treatment.

I embraced complementary therapies, including naturopathic therapies, with the support of my gyn-onc team. I recall hearing that Eastern medicine cannot cure cancer, but it can help the patient survive the treatment. I took supplements on a schedule approved by both the naturopath and gyn-onc. I was admitted to the Immune Enhancement Program and had twice weekly acupuncture and twice monthly shiatzu massage. Half way through my treatment I developed an itchy red rash all over my body that did not respond to any over the counter or prescription antihistamines. I had a food allergy test and was surprised to learn that chemotherapy had reduced my tolerance to wheat, soy, dairy, caffeine, and corn. After a switch to a largely Asian diet, the red rash went away. Thank goodness I could still drink wine!

During my treatment, I made many friends through the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Oregon and SW Washington, and the gynecological cancer support group at Good Samaritan Hospital. The women I met were my special guides through the stages of panic, fear, information gathering, hope, planning and strength-building, stages through which survivors must pass. Prior to finding my chemo buddies, I could not have imagined sitting around a table sharing our scary stories, crying and laughing. I cannot imagine having surviving my treatment without their grace, humor, courage and hard won wisdom. I have been a part of the Survivors Helping Students® program at OCAOSW for the past seven years.

I completed my treatment in July 2007. Having cancer forced me to slow down, although I am sure my husband would say that I am still an energizer bunny. In the summer of 2008, I sold my consulting practice to my business partner (a 30 year ovarian cancer survivor!) and took a less stressful and more enjoyable job. My children went to college. My husband and I did some traveling. I continued to work out and even added Zumba (dance) to my schedule because it made me feel good.

In June 2013, my CA125 zoomed up to 257. I had no symptoms. It was just my routine blood test. A CT scan three days later indicated that I had a small tumor on an outer muscle wall.

Again, we chose an aggressive treatment. My gyncologic oncologist performed another optimal debulking surgery, which was followed by six rounds of taxol and carboplatinum.

With each treatment, however, I had debilitating bone pain on days 3 through 8, starting in my pelvis and slowly radiating out to my extremities and finally disappearing after day 8. After trying a variety of herbal and dietary remedies, we went with a powerful pain medicine which, unfortunately, made me more nauseous than the chemotherapy. I signed up for an Oregon Medical Marijuana card and visited a dispensary — a surreal experience I must say. After sampling a few variations of cannibis, I found a couple of types that worked for me including one for nausea and one for sleep. Between the cannibis and the pain meds, my bone pain went from debilitating to merely wretched, but I could get through those few days of each treatment cycle. My kids did find it rather amusing that their Mother was the person bringing “pot” into our home.

Chemo was followed with six weeks of radiation. By the third week, my bowels were loosening. I switched to a restricted diet which helped me avoid diarrhea. I finished radiation in late January 2014. I have returned to the Immune Enhancement Program clinic; taking supplements and having acupuncture and massage. My CA125 is low. I have very limited neuropathy and the scans show no evidence of disease. I am rebuilding my immune system and back working full-time. My energy is returning and I am looking forward to getting back to Zumba.

I am thankful for my gyn-onc team (oncologist, radiologist, the nurses and physician assistants), my naturopathic team, the ladies in the support group, and my family, friends, and my workout and workplace colleagues. I have been fortunate to have a supportive team over these 8 years — they know my husband and me well, and our quirky sense of humor, and we could be honest and candid about my treatment. I am not certain what will happen next, but am grateful to be “dancing with NED” on this St. Patrick’s day.

Editor’s Note: Martha lives in NE Portland with her husband Dave. They have two grown children, Ben and Cait. Martha works for a local foundation, and likes to cook, garden, read and walk.