Being overcome by a range of different emotions is normal following treatment for ovarian cancer, and the journey through ovarian cancer can be very lonely at times.  Just as cancer affects your physical health, it similarly affects your emotional health. Aside from bringing many emotions that can surprise you, cancer treatments can actually affect the way your brain works. While joining a support group can help some people, in fact, every person’s individual experiences with ovarian cancer are different—your emotions and fears are unique to you. Your values can determine how you deal with your cancer. Some women may feel they must be strong for their families and friends, particularly their children and parents.  Some of the specific fears a woman must deal with following ovarian cancer include:

• A feeling that the cancer will recur is very normal, particularly during the first year following the end of your ovarian cancer treatment. Even many years later, after having been cancer free, the fear of recurrence may still be in the back of your mind.  Some may experience this fear of recurrence so strongly, they stop enjoying every single aspect of their life. Some events which can trigger fear of recurrence include: follow-up visits to the doctor, diagnosis dates or dates on which you underwent surgery or ended your treatment, birthdays, the death of a friend or family member from cancer, experiencing symptoms similar to those you had when you were first diagnosed with cancer and personal reminders. Personal reminders things like going to a restaurant you went to when you were undergoing chemotherapy, and the milkshake this particular restaurant served was almost the only thing you could eat.
• Concerns regarding family, friends, work or finances may have been put on the back burner while you were undergoing ovarian cancer treatment, yet may now be back in the forefront of your thoughts. Because many cancer survivors feel that stress may have been a contributor to their original cancer diagnosis, feeling stress now, when they are fatigued and overwhelmed anyway, can result in even greater levels of stress.
• Depression is very common among those who have gone through treatment for cancer. If you find yourself suffering from depression following your treatment for ovarian cancer, you may need to consider medications to help you feel less tense, or you might choose to get help from a therapist who is trained to help people recover from cancer. Some signs of depression to look for include:
  
  • Anxiety, or sad feelings which don’t go away;
  • Feeling emotionally “numb”;
  • Feeling out of control;
  • Feeling overwhelmed or “shaky”;
  • Feeling worthless or guilty;
  • Difficulty concentrating;
  • Excessive crying;
  • Being unable to get a thought out of your mind;
  • Not enjoying things you previously enjoyed;
  • Avoiding situations you know, intellectually, are harmless;
  • Suicidal thoughts;
  • Unintended weight gain or loss not tied to your illness or treatment;
  • Insomnia;
  • Sleeping too much;
  • Racing hear, and
  • Fatigue which doesn’t go away.
• Memory and concentration problems are very common following treatment for any type of cancer. Many survivors of cancer find the inability to concentrate can have serious repercussions for their life, particularly in their work. Memory effects can begin soon after the cancer treatment ends, or can appear later, and may or may not go away. Research shows that those who have had chemotherapy or radiation to the head area are much more likely to have memory problems.
• Changes in your body can be short-term, or may last for a significant period of time. Scars, skin color changes, weight gain or loss and hair loss can all have an effect on your emotional health. Feelings of anger and grief at losing your “old” body are natural, as our body reflects our sense of self. In the same way changes in your looks can be difficult for you, they can also be difficult for your loved ones—which is also difficult for you.
• Feelings of anger affect many women who have completed their ovarian cancer treatments. In addition to being angry that you have the disease at all, you may have had bad experiences with aspects of your cancer treatment, or with an unsupportive loved one. Seeing a therapist who can help you deal with this anger can be extremely important in your goal of becoming emotionally whole.
• Feeling alone is also quite common among women who have undergone treatment for ovarian cancer. If you had an extremely supportive health care team, you may feel sad and lonely that they are no longer part of your life. You could also feel that only those who have experienced cancer can truly understand your feelings, and that your family and friends don’t understand your ongoing journey. It is important to remember that many times friends and family want to help, but don’t know how.

Dealing with emotional issues following your treatment for ovarian cancer can be very difficult. You must do all you can to take care of your emotional health, and to enlist the support of your loved ones.

Baby Powder with Talc and Shower to Shower both contain Talc: Were You Harmed by Talcum Powder Related Ovarian Cancer?

The risk of ovarian cancer from the use of using talcum powder in the genital region is a major focus across the nation. Women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer may wonder whether their use of talcum powder for feminine hygiene contributed to that cancer. A number of studies done through the years have found as much as a 30-40 percent increased risk of ovarian cancer among women using talcum powder for feminine hygiene. In the 1970’s talc fibers were found in the ovarian tissues removed from women with ovarian cancer. The theory is that the talc fibers migrate through the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes, into the ovaries, where they burrow into the ovarian tissues, causing serious inflammation.

Inflammation is a known factor in the development of many types of cancers, including ovarian cancer. Three separate jury verdicts in Johnson & Johnson talcum powder lawsuits resulted in a decision for the plaintiff. In two of those trials, both decided in 2016, Missouri jurors awarded $72 million in a wrongful death claim and $55 million in a personal injury case. Both women in those talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits claimed they had used Johnson & Johnson baby powder with talc and Shower to Shower for feminine hygiene for more than three decades. Johnson & Johnson says they will appeal the decisions, and that there was no reason for them to include warnings on their talcum powder because the product is safe. You may have questions, not only about the dangers of talcum powder, but about ovarian cancer itself.

Do I have a legal claim for Talcum Powder Ovarian Cancer Injuries?

If you are a victim of ovarian cancer and you used talcum powder for feminine hygiene, you could benefit from speaking to an experienced talcum powder ovarian cancer attorney. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, including medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and possibly even punitive damages, if warranted.