I’m Marta; my life is over.
I am Marta; I’m 48 years old, divorced and diagnosed several tests with ovarian HPV cancer in 2020, the year of the pandemic. And the CA125 test proved that the end was here.
Initial Symptoms and Diagnosis
About two weeks after my mother passed away due to leukaemia, I began to feel a general malaise, sudden weight loss and unusual abdominal distension. Similar to a pregnancy, which I was certain it wasn’t. It was the symptom of CA125 cancerous tumours.
The Shocking News
I went to my family CA125 doctor, who urgently requested tests and asked me to carry them out that day and show them to me. The still unconfirmed news began to emerge at my destination and later confirmed in an HPV test appointment that it was cancer. The first phrase I heard was: “It can go well, but it can also go very badly… “what do you mean?” I thought. Just now, life has started. I have a daughter, and I want to see her thrive in life. I want to be a grandmother! And It was these thoughts that I clung to. No matter how dark the scene is, I always find the glass half full.
Surgery and Initial Recovery
On July 31, 2020, I had surgery for 8 hours. Total hysterectomy and abdominal cytoreduction. When I woke up, the anaesthetist was next to me, saying that pain was not allowed. I felt like they had invaded me. It was very sore.
Post-Surgery Struggles
Recovery was slow and difficult. Until I regained my autonomy, I had to exercise a lot mentally. I couldn’t pick up a daily trash bag. To sit down, I carried a cushion in my backpack. It was bone on bone. I refused chemotherapy because of the extreme thinness I found myself in. I didn’t feel like my cure would be there. So, I started treatment prescribed by the oncologist, but orally. A hormone blocker.
Embracing a New Lifestyle
For 3 years, I never felt sick. I started a Specialist Technique in Physical Exercise course specialising in recovery applied to cancer patients. I wanted to share my HPV experience of success during my recovery. In addition to changing my lifestyle and diet, regular physical exercise and mindfulness routines undoubtedly drove my return to a normal life. Cancer brought this to me. I changed my life for a more peaceful and purposeful life.
Facing Recurrence
Cancer is a sneaky disease. The probability of recurrence is high, as is the mortality rate. Cells have memory. In the summer of 2023, my analysis changed. For worse. Much worse. The tumour rate had increased exponentially, and the medication was no longer effective. The medical team met and decided to treat it surgically. The exams revealed a large number of metastases in several organs. I was expected to undergo risky surgery involving intensive care and a long hospital stay.
The Impact on Family
Within the framework of this whole scenario, an apprehensive family, which feels incapable due to the inconstancy and severity of the HPV DNA disease, is available to provide all the support. However, the physical and psychological strain is great on women with HPV, especially when visit after visit, test after test and they were done daily, and no improvements are seen. We witness many unforeseen events, and patience and hope have to be the watchwords.
Experiencing a Recurrence
As a CA125-related cancer patient, I can’t imagine what my family feels and feels. They saw me intubated, sedated, sleeping for days without knowing when I would wake up, with oxygen support. I stopped walking; I couldn’t speak or write clearly. They pass me by on important dates like my birthday.
The Emotional Toll
Having a recurrence is much more painful than receiving the news that you have cancer. I felt that everything went back to the beginning, that the disease still existed, and the strength seemed to no longer be the same. Fatigue wears you out; psychologically, you look for where the glass is half full.
Hospitalization and Recovery
For three and a half months, I was hospitalized with many HPV complications and unforeseen tests and events. I was admitted for surgery and ended up undergoing three surgeries, all with general anaesthesia. I was discharged, but after a week, I was hospitalized again. Weakness took over me, and despite transfusion after transfusion, anaemia persisted in reigning and creating generalized fatigue. There was still a lot to recover.
Focusing on Recovery
I focused with all my strength, and within a month, I recovered with bi-daily muscular and respiratory therapies towards a recovery that would be permanent. I’ve been at home for about a month now, and I’m still in active Ca125 recovery with specialized technicians, and the improvements appear daily in the tests. The HPV danger road is long; it’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon, but I’m here, and I’ll reach the goal. Believing that nothing is impossible, that we are our cure and accepting all help, makes me affirm that life is beautiful and I still have much to live for.
A New Perspective on Life
Enough of saying that CA125 cancer is a death sentence! Cancer is a calling to life and can bring us very good things. Live!