Community Chat

[kivah]

@tuscaloosa

I never heard of that.

[kivah]

@OKPrincess

My mother's main symptom was that her stomach got larger. She used to go to a clinic in Los Angeles - and she told them about her stomach. The doctor said "it was weight." She was only 62 yrs old at the time and when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the doctor said it was too late for surgery. She had chemo and radiation - and lived for 2-1/2 yrs. My mother had had a hysterectomy (leaving in her ovaries) many years earlier - so she stopped going to a gynecologist - thinking she didn't need to anymore. You must always go to ur gynecologist.

In November, 2000, I would have terrible diarrhea around 45 minutes after I ate (it happened every few weeks, so I ignored it) - I thought it was seasoning or something in the food. I also started bleeding slightly every day -- and ignored that as well because I didn't have medical insurance.

My mother and I had different symptoms --- but in 2003, as I was sitting on the couch in my family room is when I realized that I also had ovarian cancer. If my mother didn't have it - I would not have known what it was. 

When I was finally able to get Medicare, in November 2005, I went to the doctor - and I told him that he's going to find something. I was right - and he couldn't even look at me, he was so upset giving me the bad news. When I walked out of the doctor's office, I told myself that I was able to control everything in my life --- but I can't control this - so I'm not going to worry about it. Even the doctors didn't think I'd make it. I just took one day at a time!!!!

[Allegheny]

@kivah

Thank you for your thoughtful post to me.  I will be thinking of you tomorrow and hope they find you free and clear.  

[kivah]

@Allegheny

thank you

[OKPrincess]

@kivah Wow. You have a story that can help others.  On Thanksgiving Day 2008, my sister went to moms because they were going out of town. She found mom on the floor passed out. Long story short — after a couple of days of tests they found a mass which was ovarian cancer. Had my sister not gone over there that particular day who knows when we would have found her. Died April 2009. I feel blessed to have had 5 months to prepare. No symptoms prior to that day or maybe we weren’t told. 

You are definetly a lucky one to recognize what was possibly going on.

[occasionalrain]

Waiting to collect until you're older to get more each month disregards all the money you would have collected during the years you waited; money you could have invested or just put in a savings account.  It's a gamble that you will live long enough for the additional 8% to equal the money you lost by waiting. Then if you're waiting for 70 and die at 69, you will collect nothing.

[Blingqueen023]

Why get it now?  You lost a lot of money. 

[CalminHeart]

Celebrate your age!   I was thrilled to be able to retire and to sign up for SS.  You earned it.

[Mmsfoxxie]

@kivah, how heart breaking about your mom because 62 is young.  And you were so blessed to beat that demon and live a productive life.  I think seeing blood at my age would take my breath away.

I am so much like my mother that I am very watchful for the cancer she had.  I have her personality and I inherited her glaucoma.  

Thank you you for sharing.

[151949]

In my opinion - if SS is going to be the main source of retirement income , the longer you can wait the better. Our friends fell for the "get it at 62 - over the long brun you'll get more money." Now they are in their 70's - each get about $400 less per month than they would have if they waited, and they have to live a pretty sparse life just getting by financially. Was that worth retiring 3 years earlier? Not to me.