Carol Riley

January 2013

In the late spring of 2003, I started having what felt like menstrual cramps, but at age 62, I was way past menopause.

So I went to see my OB-Gyn doctor who performed a vaginal/rectal exam. She felt something that might have been stool. After a fleet enema, it was still there. She sent me for a trans-vaginal ultrasound which didn’t show anything. She also made an appointment for me with a gynecologic oncologist, who performed an internal exam and sent me for blood work. Following this, I received a phone call telling me there was a malignancy. I was scheduled for a CT scan on a Tuesday. On Wednesday, I had a complete hysterectomy and debulking. My diagnosis was Stage IIIc ovarian cancer.

Following my surgery, I began what was then the “gold standard” of the time — Taxol and Carboplatin. I had 6 rounds, then began a clinical study of Ovarex, a monoclonal antibody which was supposed to attach itself to any errant cancer cell, and kill it. Ovarex was a non-toxic drug.

At that time, I discovered a gynecologic support group.* I was impressed with the knowledge of the group and everyone’s willingness to share their stories and experiences. I appreciate all the laughs and the fun we have which is what I guess a “support” group does.

When I recurred in 2006 (after about two years of remission), I was offered a clinical study of Abraxane, a nanopartical of Taxol. After six rounds of Abraxane, I was in remission for almost 2 years.

After that, I tried many ovarian cancer chemos on weekly doses to maintain quality of life. Hexalen was the last chemo I tried but the side effects caused me to stop taking it. Since August 2012, I have been off all chemotherapy drugs.

Note about Carol: Carol’s main interest is her family and friends. She lives in Portland across the street from her daughter, who has two daughters. One is in school at the U. of Washington, and the other is at Grant High School. Carol’s son and his family live in Chicago. They also have two daughters, both of whom love Irish Dance. Carol is an avid reader, and enjoys movies, theatre, good restaurants, and gardening when the weather cooperates. She plays Canasta once a week for fun and laughs.

*This gynecologic support group meets twice monthly at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland. See below for more info.