“I had all the symptoms that are pretty much recognized as the symptoms of ovarian cancer,” says 56-year-old Dianne Baer. “But I was perimenopausal, so I wrote the symptoms off as other things. In 2002, I had two masses removed from my ovaries, and I feel fortunate to have the wonderful medical staff at UAB so close by.”
“I was perimenopausal; I figured it just came with the territory”
“I had all the symptoms that are pretty much recognized as the vague but definite symptoms of ovarian cancer. First my stomach started bloating, then I needed to urinate more frequently. But neither of those things was an alarm to me because I was 50, I was perimenopausal, and I just figured it came with the territory.
“I was going on a trip, and with the need to urinate frequently, I got a prescription for Detrol. But while I was on the trip, I was out on the beach, and it just felt like I had a brick in my belly. And that day, I had a period for the first time in about five months. The bloating stayed, having to urinate continued, and then a couple of weeks later, I started waking up in the middle of the night with sharp pain. Finally, when the pain started waking me up more than once a night, I called my gynecologist.”
“Where my story begins”
“My gynecologist did an ultrasound, and they could see that I had a mass about 19 centimeters long, which is about the length of a brick. And so he recommended that I talk to a gyn-oncologist, so his nurse made an appointment for me to see Dr. Kilgore at UAB the next day.
“I saw Dr. Kilgore, and we scheduled surgery for the following day. He removed two masses, one that he described as the size of a deflated basketball and one the size of a grapefruit. I had stage 1C ovarian cancer. But that was just the beginning of my connection with the UAB gyn-oncology clinic, so that’s where my story begins.”
“These people at UAB know what to do”
“At stage 1, the cancer is confined to the ovaries and has not attached to any other organs, so that was a good thing. I didn’t have complications, I did what the doctor said during my recovery. I had six rounds of chemo after my surgery and haven’t needed any treatment other than that. And then it was time for me to get a primary care doctor, I got one at UAB.
“Everyone that I encountered that had anything to do with the UAB gyn-oncology clinic, whether it was a receptionist or a nurse or someone doing research, was just so kind and caring. Dr. Kilgore was very, very nice, and he really let me know up front what was going to happen, which I appreciate. At that point, I wasn’t really scared. I just thought, ‘Okay, we’re going to take care of it. These people at UAB know what to do about it.’”
“I knew the clinic at UAB was special; I didn’t know it was unique”
“I knew the clinic at UAB was special, but I didn’t know it was that unique. But it was. They get involved. I’m involved in a support group, and they get involved with that, too. When we set up a table at a women’s show, we had doctors coming down to help us distribute materials about awareness. When we had a fashion show, some of the doctors were our models, and the staff was there to support us and help raise money. When I was a team captain for Relay for Life, Dr. Partridge and his wife set up a grill and grilled hot dogs and hamburgers to sell. What other clinic does that for you?”
“The people make a difference”
“I don’t live far from UAB, and I’m very fortunate being so close to the wonderful clinic and the research they do. They’re right up on the front line of figuring out screening devices and different methods of treating ovarian cancer. And I feel like I’m part of the whole thing, part of the clinic. It really is helpful, when you have cancer, to have compassionate people helping you through it and to be able to feel it’s more of a positive experience than negative. The people who are there to take care of you make a difference.”
“The right place for my treatment”
“I had never thought about UAB for cancer, because it’s not something I’d ever thought I’d have to think about. I like that UAB’s a teaching hospital. I feel that being a teaching hospital, they’re up on the latest treatments and research. And knowing that my specialist was nationally renowned makes me feel like I’m at the right place for my treatment.”