Symptoms of ovarian cancer too are often overlooked

Dear Annie: My sister was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. This disease is difficult to spot, so please make your readers aware of the symptoms.
Women who do not feel well in general and develop abdominal bloating, cramping, bowel or bladder changes, indigestion, or unusual vaginal discharge need to ask their gynecologist to do a thorough pelvic exam. Abdominal and pelvic sonograms and/or CT scans may follow. There also is a blood test, CA 125, which can give additional information. You can request these tests if your doctor does not suggest them.
There are no routine screening tests for ovarian cancer, and many cases are missed. Often, symptoms do not appear until the cancer has spread beyond the ovaries and reached a stage at which it is very difficult or impossible to treat. If it is caught early, it is often curable.
Check to see if you have any family history of this disease. If you are at risk, you may want to see your gynecologist twice a year. Hopefully, every woman will get a thorough pelvic exam annually. I hope, soon, a good screening test will be found for ovarian cancer. Early Detection Is the Key
Dear Early Detection: Thank you for the warning. Because the symptoms are both vague and common, the signals are often overlooked. Readers who want more information should check out the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (ovarian.org) at (888) OVARIAN (888-682-7426). Our thoughts are with your sister.
Dear Annie: I have a wonderful grandson who has been the light of my life for 25 years. However, in the past two years, we've hardly heard from him.
It began when "Zack's" girlfriend moved to where he was living. I understood they were busy with school, his work and being young. But after being supportive grandparents, taking care of him when he was young, providing trips to visit us out of state each year, helping with college costs, wedding costs, showers and gifts, we expected he would keep in touch.
Last spring, I decided to stop calling or bothering them and see what would transpire. Well, nothing transpired, and we are devastated. We did not even receive thank-you notes for the shower and wedding gifts. What should be our next move? Sad Grandma and Grandpa
Dear Grandparents: It is unrealistic to count on the newlyweds to initiate communications (although there's no excuse for the missing thank-you notes). You cannot make people be what you want them to be. You must deal with the situation you have.
If you want to talk to Zack, call or e-mail him instead of crying that he doesn't contact you. You can even gently tease him that he seems to have forgotten your phone number and you miss him. Ask if he received your shower and wedding gifts. While you're at it, be extra nice to his wife. If you can establish a good rapport with her, it will help enormously.4
Dear Annie: As the adult child of an alcoholic father, I suggest that "Sober Only Child" keep a tape recorder by her bed. She should record her father's rants, and when he is sober, play the tape, and say, "Daddy, as much as I love you, I can't let you damage me this way anymore, nor take a chance that you will verbally abuse my children. When you are sober, we want to have you as a much-loved member of our family. But I will not see nor speak to you while you're drunk. If you need me to go with you to AA or get you into a program, I'm here. Otherwise, I have to cut you out of my life." And then she has to stick to it. The father will probably be appalled at how he has been treating her. Been There, Done That
Dear Been There: We hope he's appalled enough to make some real changes. Thanks for the suggestion.
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