Gautami was 13 when she was diagnosed with stage 3B ovarian germ cell tumor cancer. In this deep-dive video, she shares everything from how she was diagnosed, her surgery to remove a cyst and ovary, and chemotherapy (Bleomycin, Carboplatin).
Time stamps below if you're looking for a specific answer (times are approximate):
1. First Symptoms, First Steps
- First symptoms (0:22)
- Primary care visit (1:21)
- Checking into the emergency department (2:12)
- CT scan results
- Processing news of a cyst (3:25, 4:32)
2. Surgery and Biopsy
- Surgery to remove the cyst (4:56)
- How did you feel waking up from surgery
- How long did the pain last (6:31)
- Surgery recovery in the hospital (6:55, 11:12)
3. Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis
- Biopsy results (10:02)
- Ovarian cancer diagnosis, stage 3B (11:32)
- Processing the cancer diagnosis (12:11)
- Treatment plan (13:30)
- Waiting for cancer treatment to start (13:55)
- Oncologist meeting (14:40)
- Questions you wish you’d asked at that appointment (15:04)
4. Chemotherapy and Side Effects
- Describe the chemotherapy regimen (16:05)
- Port surgery (16:45)
- You get blood labs before infusion (18:09)
- What were the chemo side effects
- What helps with the chemo side effects (19:32)
- Side effects get better or worse (19:54)
- What helped get you through chemo the most?
- When does your hair start to fall out? (20:55)
- How did you decide to shave your head (21:27)
- What helped you process losing your hair (22:31)
5. Scans and Results
- Describe the ultrasound (23:22)
- No evidence of disease (25.00)
- Reaction to the news (26.09)
- Follow-up protocol (25.21)
6. Getting and Giving Support
- Delegating communication to others (9.22)
- Asking for support (28.00)
- Give patients some space (7.31)
7. Being an Adolescent Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Patient
- Juggling school and chemo (29:03)
- Immunocompromised (30:33)
- Advice to young cancer patients on not having hair in public (29:50)
- Preserving fertility (31.25)
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (32.40)
- POS medication side effect (34.06)
- Body positivity and language (36.35)
- What can we all do better? (38.18)
- Message to parents of pediatric cancer patients (34.58)
-Communication as a pediatric cancer patient (36.02)
-Last message (39:42)
➡️ Full story link (transcribed with timeline): www.ThePatientStory.com/cancers/ovarian-cancer/germ-cell-3b-gautami
